SAPPHIRE NITRO+ AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT Video Card Review

We review the fastest performing, highest clock speed out-of-the-box video card we have tested yet, with the brand new SAPPHIRE NITRO+ AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB review. The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB is SAPPHIRE’s top-dog, enthusiast GPU in SAPPHIRE’s lineup for Radeon RX 9060 XT. The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB carries a price premium suggested price of $399, compared to the $349 MSRP of the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB reference spec, but that buys you flat out the fastest running clock speeds while gaming we’ve experienced yet with the Radeon RX 9060 XT, taking it to the ceiling, both in TDP and chip potential.

If you’ve been living under the proverbial rock, AMD just launched the Radeon RX 9060 XT GPU, which was announced at Computex 2025. There are two SKUs, an 8GB Radeon RX 9060 XT and a 16GB Radeon RX 9060 XT, both with the same GPU, but different VRAM capacities and prices. The reference MSRP spec pricing is $299 for the 8GB Radeon RX 9060 XT and $349 for the 16GB Radeon RX 9060 XT.

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT is based on the NAVI 44 GPU, compared to NAVI 48 on the RX 9070/XT. The Radeon RX 9060 XT has 32 Compute Units, 32 RT Accelerators, 64 AI Accelerators, 821 peak AI TOPS, and a boost clock of 3.13GHz with a Total Board Power of 150W-182W depending on the VRAM capacity model. Notably, the video card will support PCIe 5.0 x16 connectivity.

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT is manufactured on the TSMC N4P process, has 29.7 billion transistors, and has a die size of 199 mm2. It has 32 Compute Units, 32 Ray Accelerators, 64 AI Accelerators, 64 ROPs, 2048 Stream Processors, 32MB of 3rd Gen AMD Infinity Cache, and a Game GPU Clock of 2530MHz and a Boost GPU Clock of 3130MHz. It has either 8GB or 16GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit memory bus, at 20Gbps, providing 320GB/s of memory bandwidth. Both models have a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface.

The Total Board Power, however, is different; the 8GB model has a TBP of 150W while the 16GB model has a TBP of 160W. The Radeon RX 9060 XT also goes one step further, with a higher TBP 180W partner card variant, which also has a higher clock speed. The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT is one of those cards that runs at the higher 182W TDP for higher clock speeds and more performance.

For the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT lineup, SAPPHIRE has SKUs based on its NITRO+, PURE, and PULSE models of video cards. At the top-end is NITRO+ with a suggested pricing of $399, which is the one we are reviewing today, but rest assured, SAPPHIRE does have MSRP models with the PULSE. There is only one NITRO+ model, the SAPPHIRE NITRO+ AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT SKU: 11350-01-20G, which we are reviewing today, and it only comes with 16GB of VRAM. The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT also has the highest factory overclock with a game clock of 2780MHz and a boost clock up to 3320MHz and uses SAPPHIRE’s TRI-X Cooling Technology.

Below that is the SAPPHIRE PURE Radeon RX 9060 XT, which also only comes as a 16GB model. The PURE has a white aesthetic and is factory overclocked, just not as high as the NITRO+. The PURE is clocked at a game clock of 2700MHz and a boost clock of up to 3290MHz. Finally, in the PULSE line, there is both an 8GB and 16GB model of this available, and interestingly, both models are also still factory overclocked video cards with a game clock of 2700MHz and a boost clock of up to 3290MHz. It’s nice to see only one 8GB model, and the majority are 16GB versions, which is the desired VRAM amount for the pricing of this GPU.

The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT GAMING OC 16GB DUAL HDMI/DP is a 182W video card, with a game clock of up to 2780MHz and a boost clock of up to 3320MHz. It features a triple-fan cooling configuration, a large ARGB LED strip at the top, a single 8-pin PCIe power connector, 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM, and runs on the PCIe 5.0 x16 interface. SAPPHIRE recommends a 450W PSU or greater, minimum. On the box, it indicates the 16GB of VRAM on board, as well as this being an OC video card. Inside the box contents you get an L Shape support bracket and a 3-pin 5V ARGB cable because this video card supports external RGB LED motherboard synchronization.

The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT measures in at 300mm length (11.8″ inches), 131mm width (5.1″ inches), 55mm height (2.1″ inches), and is considered a 2.7-slot video card. This model is a bit on the bigger size, you’ll need the space for its length and height, and depth, it does need that extra slot space. Right off the bat, you can see the triple-axial fan cooling design and full backplate with free flow cooling design. You will find 1x DisplayPort 2.1a and 2x HDMI 2.1b I/O on the video card. The PCB is a 10-layer 2oz Copper high TG PCB and has Fuse Protection built into the circuit of the external PCI-E power connector. It also uses a 9-phase Digital Power Design.

The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT uses SAPPHIRE’s TRI-X Cooling Technology, which starts with SAPPHIRE’s AeroCurve fan blades. These fans are two-ball bearings, which reduce air friction, improve airflow, and optimize static pressure, meaning quieter fans and more air. SAPPHIRE is also using its Fan Quick Connect fans here. This makes it very easy to remove the fans and get replacements from SAPPHIRE instead of having to send the entire card in. SAPPHIRE says if there is a fan problem, they will send out a replacement fan directly to you, so that’s awesome.

Under the shroud sits SAPPHIRE’s integrated cooling module, which makes direct contact with the GPU, memory modules, and VRMs with a large fin stack area and composite heatpipes. SAPPHIRE uses Honeywell PTM7950 TIMs for cooling. The PCB of this video card is quite small; most of the length is taken by the large heatsink. Giving the video card rigidity is a box-like FrameDefense frame that acts as an enclosure for the video card and protects it very well. On the backside is a tough metal backplate which is all-aluminum and has a cut-out for air-passthrough. The Free Flow cooling design is a system of airflow channeling through the heatsink fin stack and out the top and bottom of the video card.

SAPPHIRE has a large ARGB light bar across the top of the video card. Loading up the TriXX software, you can customize the colors and designs, or turn them off, but it is all within your control. SAPPHIRE also provides an external ARGB connector on the video card itself. This allows you to synchronize RGB LEDs between the graphics card and the motherboard using the 3-pin header, allowing you to decide if the GPU RGB LED effects are controlled independently or by the motherboard.

The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT benefits from the TriXX software. We were sent an early release of the software to support this video card, however, it was entirely in Chinese. However, we have used this software in the past, and it does have several useful functions. Notably, this is where you will control your RGB settings, but also control the software-controlled Dual-BIOS option, and it also includes a new RGB option called Comet.