RTX 5060 (8GB) vs RX 9060 XT (16GB) - Should I pay more for the extra vram?
Posted by Movemint_PieFrost@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 56 comments
Prices I currently see on micro center are showing about $350 ish for the 5060, and about $410 for the 9060. I'm wondering if it's worth investing the extra money for the vram on the amd gpu.
I don't really game all that much, my main reason would be for an editing/productivity rig but of course gaming is a priority.
Nvidia is really lucrative with DLSS, Cuda cores, etc. but then 8gb in 2026 according to everyone is horrible. Especially with the coming of GTA VI, I don't know if the 5060 will even be able to pull a playable 60 fps on low settings.
I just don't know what to do.
RichesandLiches@reddit
I’d never buy an 8gb card
Old_Information_8654@reddit
I imagine you don’t own a gaming laptop?
Tricky-Twist1031@reddit
Hol dir die Strix Rtx 3090 wenns um VRAM geht
Old_Information_8654@reddit
With that logic OP should just “buy” a 5090
i_was_planned@reddit
When I was buying a used 3070 after then mining crash, I think 4 years ago I was. already in the mindset that 8gb is not enough. To buy 8gb today seems bonkers to me, unless you're playing only FullHD for the foreseeable future
Old_Information_8654@reddit
Even then games like Indiana jones, doom the dark ages and Microsoft flight simulator push that 8 gig buffer practically to its limit and your almost guaranteed to need to turn a few settings down to avoid stuttering
Cryio@reddit
1000% pay more.
PigSlam@reddit
In what way will an 8GB NVIDIA card be "lucrative" for you that a 16GB AMD card would not? I ask as someone who just installed a 32GB AMD Radeon Pro AI R9700 for productivity applications, and I already own 2 8GB NVIDIA cards (and a 16GB RX 9070), so for me at least, they're not more "lucrative" at all at that size.
reddituserf1@reddit
7900 xtx for the 24 GB
tiga_94@reddit
definitely. don't listen to kids yapping about how 8gb is enough for everyone and how games on low textures do not even look that bad, these kids are just trying to cope with a bad purchase, let them do their echo-chamber thing
but really both 5060 and 9060xt are so powerful so they will be heavily limited by 8 gigs of VRAM, and some modern games use more than 8 gigs with high textures even on 1080p and lower textures are usually blurry af (a good example is the latest call of duty, looks like shit without max textures, takes a bit over 8gig with max textures https://youtu.be/d6frCn6jzKQ?t=762 )
then if you want to use ray tracing, upscalers, framegen - it all consumes additional VRAM.
if you buy a 8gb 5060 or 9060 - you will be playing the "how tf do I fit this game into 8 gb of VRAM without it looking like shit?" game and it's always be a compromise
when with 16gb card you just set everything to high, maybe except ray traced global illumination and enjoy what you paid for, no matter if you go AMD or Nvidia, both are good if 16gb
Intranetusa@reddit
I agree 8GB is not enough these days. The 5060 nonTI 8GB is not very powerful though. It is only slightly better than the 5 year old 3060 Ti 8GB at most resolutions and is worse than the 3060 Ti 8GB at 4k.
Really, the more powerful 5060 Ti having an 8GB model is the much bigger issue (along with the 5070 pnly having 12GB).
tiga_94@reddit
even 3060ti is powerful enough to be limited by 8 gigs, so I don't get your point, I would prefer a 12gb 3060 over that, it will result in better performance despite technically being a weaker GPU
in fact I'd choose 3060 12gb over 5060ti 8gb, I don't care if I get less FPS if I still get good FPS on the settings completely non-available on 5060ti 8gb, so I don't care if the GPU is better if I can't really use it unless I run games below 8gb but those already run on 3060 so what's the point?
3060 12gb is really a well balanced card
Intranetusa@reddit
The point is you need enough GPU power to use the extra VRAM or it goes to waste. Hence...there needs to be balance.
You would be incorrect. The 3060 12GB performs way worse than the 3060 Ti 8GB in every scenario at all resolutions. This is seen in my benchmark link above where even at 4K, the 3060 Ti has an 80 to 63 advantage over the 3060 12GB.
The 3060 12GB is far too weak to use all of its VRAM effectively and is thus gets lower than the 3060 Ti in basically every realistic gaming scenario.
tiga_94@reddit
dude I literally linked a game that uses more than 8 gb in one of the comments above, I don't know what else do you need
maybe if you play games that don't need 8 gb then 3060ti is better, but if you do - it just won't work, it'll be like 25 fps and stutters once it runs out of VRAM
tiga_94@reddit
Also the game by my link is running on a basic 3060 while using 9gb ram and still doing 60+ fps, 3060ti would do like 25 fps and stutter because it would be out of VRAM
EdErichZann@reddit
yeah, it's worth it I think, buying 8 gb now is just not great..
Movemint_PieFrost@reddit (OP)
But what about the productivity workflow side of things? Is amd good enough for that?
WizardMoose@reddit
Typically Nvidia will be better for production work, especially any kind of rendering. Research the programs you use and how they are with the 9060xt to get direct comparisons.
SwordsAndElectrons@reddit
Define "productivity".
If you are trying run AI workloads locally, then both will be pretty limiting. If your workload has decent support for ROCm or Vulkan, which is less of a big if than it used to be but still a factor, then your probably better off with more VRAM.
If you are talking document editing, either is fine.
Video editing? Not real sure. Try asking on a sub dedicated to the program you use or searching for specific benchmarks.
Intranetusa@reddit
These are consumer graphics cards focused on gaming rather than enterprise graphics cards specifically designed for work. They can do work too but its not optimized for it and their main purpose is gaming. DLSS is mainly a gaming feature.
The 5060 is weaker than both the 9060 XT and the 5060 Ti in gaming.
The 5060 is barely faster than a 5 year old 3060 Ti:
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/sapphire-radeon-rx-9060-xt-pulse-oc/33.html
If you nerd anything with CUDA corrs then you can get used 3000 and 4000 genersrion GPUs for almost half the price.
That-Syllabub6509@reddit
Slower is better than buffer overflow failure
troy0h@reddit
entirely dependant on if whatever software you're using is optimised for ROCm or not
Xcissors280@reddit
It’s super dependent on exactly what your doing
real_slappyfish167@reddit
Look up SPECIFIC to what you're doing benchmarks for the 2 cards and then decide
EdErichZann@reddit
not really my speciality.. I would guess so, as long as you don't need cuda it should be fine? someone else should comment also.
beirch@reddit
The 9060 XT 16GB is ~10% faster so you're not just paying extra for VRAM. It's worth it either way imo.
JoeZocktGames@reddit
9060 XT is more like a 4070 so get one.
Xcissors280@reddit
I would not buy an 8GB GPU today. But what are you doing editing/productivity wise?
A used or just last gen nvidia GPU with 16GB of VRAM might be a better option
Movemint_PieFrost@reddit (OP)
Mostly making edits in after effects, stuff all the way from gaming to anime to movies.
iceseayoupee@reddit
I mean you can buy a 3080 10gb that is a bit cheap
katzengoldgott@reddit
In that case you are unfortunately going to be stuck with NVIDIA :/ AMD GPUs are significantly slower in Adobe Suite, Blender etc.
I’m in the same boat as you, picked up a 5060 Ti 16 GB back in late December for that reason.
Scared-Enthusiasm424@reddit
Not exactly true with 9000 series amd gpus.
Adobe recently rolled out a significant After effects update that received a massive 170% performance boost on 9000 series cards. Nvidia cards still perform better when cuda’s needed, but it’s no longer a “stuck with Nvidia” scenario as it used to be a few years ago. A 9060XT 16GB will outperform the 5060Ti 8GB. But a 5060Ti 16GB will be a bit faster than the 9060XT 16GB, specifically when working with plugins optimized for cuda only.
JerryTzouga@reddit
I don’t think you can find a last gen Nvidia card with 16GB of vram for a price lower than a 5060 or 9060xt
Caswagna93@reddit
8GB is doa in 2026
mydogcaneatyourdog@reddit
Get the card that isn't made under Jensen Huang's leadership. The guy sucks.
ethanw04@reddit
I’d go for the 9060 16gb. You’ve also got price protection from microcenter so if it drops even more during prime day then you’ll be set.
Drazor36@reddit
I use the 9600XT (16GB) and honestly it's been great, I use it for coding and gaming and I don't have any issues with it besides the odd Windows update being a dick to the drivers but a rollback to a previous Windows version sorts that
Hot-Candle-3502@reddit
For 50$ bucks extra is totaly worth it.
insufferable__pedant@reddit
No, you shouldn't spend more for extra VRAM. You could make an argument, however, about paying more for better performance, as the 9060 XT is generally more powerful than the 5060.
That being said, if your primary use case is professional workloads, look up benchmarks and determine which graphics card gives you better performance. If that's your primary use case, buy what's best for that and be happy with whatever gaming performance you get, as you say that gaming is a secondary concern.
jonasrm_21@reddit
yes
T_rex2700@reddit
3rd option: go with used 12GB Turing cards. they go for about the same price, they are not the newest, but they are much much more powerful. It supports DLSS and you can use FSR in a lot of cases. with DLSS swapper or optiscaler etc.
I mean, 12GB is cutting it close, to be honest, and bandwidth is not the best since theyare 2 generations back, but they are very cheap, and quite manageable if you know to undervolt. I'm keeping mine until 9070XT/4070TiS/5070Ti gets cheap enough.
sexraX_muiretsyM@reddit
yes, dont get less than 16gb in 2026
Orcishpeanut@reddit
I play COD on a 1660 super. Either is fine.
Jeffhubert113@reddit
yeah, I sold my 5060 to get rtx 5060 ti 16gb
Funicular-@reddit
8gb is fine for 1080p but anything beyond that you really want at least 12-16gb.
I'm an Nvidia fan but unless you are 1080p gaming I'd go with the AMD card, you'll get far more performance and be able to play at 1440p quite comfortably.
SleepyGamer1992@reddit
If you plan on playing on 1440p, get the 9060 XT 16GB. You’ll need the extra VRAM to avoid stutters and possible crashes. I have the card and play demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077, Stalker 2, and Borderlands 4 at high settings and get 80-120 FPS at least with just upscaling (no frame gen). It’s a great budget card.
norm009@reddit
Buy the 9060xt. It is a faster GPU with more VRAM.
Far_Trade_7619@reddit
9060xt doesn't just have more vram, it's more powerful. Its rival is the 5060ti.
montesitesi@reddit
8gb is not enough in today's world. If you' really want NVIDIA the 16gb 5060ti is the lowest you should go, otherwise go with the 9060xt
Utfarberget@reddit
Should you ever consider Linux, then 9600XT.
dsinsti@reddit
Yes get the 16 gb
Its_Pamela_Isley@reddit
Gpu‘s will get way more expensive soon. Buying future proof has never been more worth it. Buy 16gb for sure Pricing
Annual-Fan-4944@reddit
9060 XT doesn't just have more VRAM, the GPU itself performs better than the 5060, more around a 5060 Ti
Proton_Propulsion@reddit
Of course they have, depends on Model, 8G or 16G.
G3Sidhu@reddit
Doesn’t “just” have extra vram, has more, the above person said
Flimsy_Complaint490@reddit
The situation with productivity for AMD seems to have shifted from "it's bad, bro" to "well, it now works flawlessly, it's just way slower".
That being said, since you care about gaming, you should definitely get the RX 9060 XT - unless you do AI or 4k video editing with a trillion visual effects, the unoptimized state of AMD is not really going to be noticable, the RT 9060 is technically somewhat faster at raw rasterization and the 16 GB of VRAM will keep the card relevant for far, far longer.
Unless that video memory comprehension from Jensen is actually legit and not marketing and gonna get mass deployed, then the RTX 5060 transforms into a good 1440p card overnight, but i wouldnt bet money on that.