AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT LP vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a decisive outcome: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 wins both recorded head-to-head tests, taking a clean 2-0 victory over the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT LP. The margin in each case is substantial, but the disparity between the two tests is striking.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 5060 scores 112,787 against the RX 9060 XT LP's 88,183. That is a 21.8% advantage for NVIDIA. The AMD card's nearest rivals in this database, the NVIDIA CMP 30HX at 63,842 and the AMD Radeon RX 7600M at 63,775, sit far below both cards, so the head-to-head result places the RTX 5060 clearly ahead of the RX 9060 XT LP in raw compute workloads.

The Geekbench Vulkan result is even more lopsided. The RTX 5060 posts 113,321, while the RX 9060 XT LP manages only 39,476. That is a 65.2% deficit for the AMD card. This is not a narrow gap; it is a dominant performance difference. The RX 9060 XT LP's Vulkan score is closer to its OpenCL score of 88,183 divided by roughly two, suggesting a fundamental inefficiency in Vulkan execution for the AMD architecture, or at least a workload profile that heavily favors the NVIDIA implementation.

The average benchmark score across all recorded tests reinforces the same conclusion. The RX 9060 XT LP averages 63,830, placing it in the 89th percentile of all GPUs in the database. The RTX 5060 averages 26,331, which is only the 72nd percentile. This apparent contradiction requires careful interpretation. The RX 9060 XT LP's average is buoyed by its two Geekbench results, while the RTX 5060's average is dragged down by a broader set of PassMark tests, several of which score very low (DirectX 10 at 127, DirectX 12 at 77). The head-to-head data, however, only includes the two Geekbench tests, and in those the RTX 5060 wins outright.

The nearest rival data for each card shows different competitive contexts. The RX 9060 XT LP's closest competitor is the NVIDIA CMP 30HX with an average score of 63,842, a delta of 0%. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 sits slightly ahead at 64,212, a -0.6% delta for the RX 9060 XT LP. For the RTX 5060, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is the nearest upper rival at 26,011 with a 1.2% delta, while the AMD Radeon 860M and NVIDIA GeForce MX550 sit just below at 26,401 and 26,421 respectively, both -0.3% deltas. These rival groupings show that the RTX 5060's average score is competitive with mid-range integrated and mobile parts, whereas the RX 9060 XT LP's average aligns with desktop workstation cards.

Where Each One Wins

The data divides the two cards cleanly by workload type. The RTX 5060 wins the compute-heavy Geekbench OpenCL test by 21.8%, and it wins the graphics-oriented Geekbench Vulkan test by a massive 65.2%. There is no recorded test where the RX 9060 XT LP takes the lead.

For the RTX 5060, the strengths are consistent across both benchmark categories. OpenCL performance at 112,787 indicates strong general-purpose compute capability, useful for applications that leverage GPU acceleration beyond graphics. Vulkan performance at 113,321 shows that the NVIDIA architecture handles modern graphics APIs efficiently, converting raw compute resources into frame output without significant overhead. The card's 120 tensor cores and 30 RT cores provide specialized hardware that the RX 9060 XT LP lacks in tensor functionality, although the head-to-head tests do not directly measure ray tracing or AI workloads.

The RX 9060 XT LP, despite losing both head-to-head tests, still posts respectable absolute numbers. Its OpenCL score of 88,183 is 38% higher than its nearest rival average of 63,842, indicating that against the broader field it is a strong performer. Its Vulkan score of 39,476, however, is a clear weakness, sitting below its own OpenCL result and far below the RTX 5060's Vulkan output. The AMD card's 89th percentile ranking reflects its high average score, but that ranking is driven almost entirely by the OpenCL result.

In terms of use cases, the RTX 5060 is the card for applications that rely on Vulkan rendering or compute. The RX 9060 XT LP is competitive in OpenCL-only workloads, such as certain scientific or professional compute tasks, but it cannot match the RTX 5060 in graphics API performance. The PassMark data for the RTX 5060, while not directly comparable to the Geekbench results, shows a broad profile: G3D at 20,891, GPU compute at 10,899, and G2D at 1,154. These numbers indicate solid 2D and 3D performance, but the low DirectX scores (127 for DirectX 10, 200 for DirectX 11, 77 for DirectX 12, 225 for DirectX 9) suggest that legacy API performance is not a strength.

The Verdict

The recorded data leaves no ambiguity. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the superior card in both head-to-head benchmarks, and the margins are large enough to be decisive for any workload measured. The 21.8% OpenCL lead and the 65.2% Vulkan lead are not close calls; they represent a clear performance tier separation.

For users prioritizing Vulkan-based gaming or compute, the RTX 5060 is the only choice between the two. Its Vulkan score of 113,321 is nearly three times the RX 9060 XT LP's 39,476. Even in OpenCL, where the AMD card is strongest, the RTX 5060 still leads by over 24,000 points.

The RX 9060 XT LP does have a higher average benchmark score (63,830 vs 26,331) and a higher percentile ranking (89th vs 72nd), but this is a statistical artifact of the different test suites available for each card. The head-to-head data, which uses identical tests, shows the RTX 5060 winning both. The AMD card's average is inflated by having only two Geekbench results, while the RTX 5060's average includes many low PassMark scores that do not appear in the head-to-head comparison.

The verdict is straightforward: the RTX 5060 wins the head-to-head, and the RX 9060 XT LP should be considered only for scenarios where OpenCL compute is the sole requirement and the RTX 5060 is unavailable. For any general-purpose or graphics workload, the RTX 5060's data is superior.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 scores 112,787, which is 21.8% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT LP's 88,183.

Q: How large is the Vulkan performance gap?

A: The RTX 5060 scores 113,321 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the RX 9060 XT LP scores 39,476. The RTX 5060 leads by 65.2%.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The RX 9060 XT LP averages 63,830 across its recorded tests, placing it in the 89th percentile. The RTX 5060 averages 26,331, placing it in the 72nd percentile.

Q: Which card has more memory?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT LP uses 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 uses 8 GB of GDDR7 memory.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RTX 5060 has a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which is higher than the RX 9060 XT LP's 322.3 GB/s, despite the AMD card having twice the memory capacity.

Q: Do both cards support the same graphics APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations and manufacturers. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT LP uses the Navi 44 chip with RDNA 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It has 29,700 million transistors on a 199 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 149.2 million per mm². The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 uses the GB206 chip with Blackwell 2.0 architecture, also fabricated at TSMC but on a 5 nm process. It has 21,900 million transistors on a 181 mm² die, with a density of 121.0 million per mm².

The AMD chip is larger in transistor count and die size, and it uses a more advanced process node. However, the NVIDIA chip has a higher base clock of 2280 MHz compared to AMD's 1380 MHz, and a boost clock of 2497 MHz versus AMD's 3050 MHz. The AMD card actually has a higher boost clock, but the base clock difference is substantial. AMD lists a game clock of 2450 MHz, which NVIDIA does not specify.

Shading unit counts differ significantly. The RTX 5060 has 3840 shading units, while the RX 9060 XT LP has 2048. This gives NVIDIA a raw shader count advantage, even though AMD's higher boost clock narrows the gap in peak FP32 throughput. The RX 9060 XT LP delivers 24.99 TFLOPS FP32, while the RTX 5060 delivers 19.18 TFLOPS. Both cards have 128 TMUs, but the AMD card has 64 ROPs versus NVIDIA's 48. The RTX 5060 has 120 tensor cores and 30 RT cores, while the RX 9060 XT LP has 32 RT cores and no tensor cores. This means NVIDIA has dedicated AI acceleration hardware that AMD lacks.

The RTX 5060 uses GDDR7 memory with a 128-bit bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 9060 XT LP uses GDDR6 with the same 128-bit bus but only 322.3 GB/s. AMD compensates with 16 GB capacity versus 8 GB, but the bandwidth advantage goes to NVIDIA.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification except a few shared traits. Both are dual-slot cards using a single 8-pin power connector, and both have a suggested PSU of 300 W. Both use a PCIe 5.0 interface, but the RX 9060 XT LP uses x16 lanes while the RTX 5060 uses x8 lanes. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Power consumption is close: the RX 9060 XT LP has a TDP of 140 W, while the RTX 5060 is rated at 145 W. The RTX 5060 is physically larger, with dimensions of 241 mm length, 111 mm height, and 40 mm width, while the RX 9060 XT LP has no recorded dimensions.

Memory is a major differentiator. The RX 9060 XT LP has 16 GB of GDDR6 at 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective), while the RTX 5060 has 8 GB of GDDR7 at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The RTX 5060's bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s exceeds the RX 9060 XT LP's 322.3 GB/s, but the AMD card offers double the capacity.

Clock speeds also differ. The RX 9060 XT LP has a base clock of 1380 MHz, a boost clock of 3050 MHz, and a game clock of 2450 MHz. The RTX 5060 has a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz, with no game clock listed. Display outputs differ: the RX 9060 XT LP has 1x HDMI 2.1b and 2x DisplayPort 2.1a, while the RTX 5060 has 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b.

The RTX 5060 was released on 2025-05-18 with a launch MSRP of 299 USD. The RX 9060 XT LP was released on 2025-12-16 with no launch MSRP recorded. Both cards are currently active in production. The RTX 5060 has a successor listed as GeForce 60, while the RX 9060 XT LP has no successor. The predecessor for the AMD card is Navi III, and for the NVIDIA card it is GeForce 40.