Michał Stekla
Did you want a cheap graphics card from the Radeon RX 9000 series? Well, we're sorry — you'll get it, but without the ability to check what it can really do. AMD has just officially lifted the embargo on reviews of the RX 9060 XT and... there are no surprises. Tests have appeared online, but only for the 16 GB version. The cheaper, 8-gigabyte edition? Almost completely ignored.
And it's not a coincidence.
In an official response to Linus Tech Tips, AMD explains that “the availability of the Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 and 16 GB depends on demand in specific markets.” That’s it. Specifically — nothing.
But in practice? The Red's strategy seems painfully simple:
We don't show 8 GB tests, as they may perform worse, especially at higher resolutions.
We promote 16 GB, because better graphs = more cards sold.
Richer markets like the USA and Europe are to buy the more expensive versions, while cheaper models will go to countries with lower purchasing power.
What about the 16 gigabyte version?
AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT is an example of a graphics card that theoretically aimed to level the playing field in the mid-range segment, but in practice teeters on the edge of sense. The RDNA 4 architecture introduces a lot of technical improvements – from a monolithic design, through a changed CU structure, to better support for AI and ray tracing – however, all of this has been packaged in a configuration almost identical to its predecessors from the RX 7600 series. On one hand, we have noticeable technological advancement; on the other hand, there’s an alarmingly conservative specification and limited memory bandwidth, which at a 128-bit bus and GDDR6 clearly lags behind the GDDR7 used by NVIDIA. The RX 9060 XT thus appears to be a product created more for marketing narrative than the actual needs of gamers, which only amplifies frustration with AMD's publishing strategy.
You therefore have a choice: to buy a cat in a bag or pay extra for the model that AMD wants you to buy. Trust in the brand? It's getting harder to come by in the world of GPUs, where even the availability of reviews is part of the sales strategy.
