I recently built a new PC with a 16GB RX 9060 XT, but the GPU clock never rises above roughly 500 MHz. In AAA games, the card shows 100% utilization and around 200W reported power draw at only 40°C, yet performance is about 20 FPS even on High settings. The same clock limitation appears during an OCCT test and an Adrenalin stress test. I have already used AMD Cleanup Utility and reinstalled the drivers, forced Windows to use the RX 9060 XT, and confirmed that the monitor is connected directly to the graphics card. The rest of the system is a 9800X3D, 32GB of DDR5-6000 memory, and an MSI B850 Tomahawk motherboard. Everything is new. What could be causing the GPU to stay near 500 MHz?
3 Answers
The clock reading could theoretically be a monitoring bug, so compare it with another tool such as GPU-Z, HWiNFO, or the driver overlay. However, around 20 FPS with the GPU actually pinned at 100% suggests this is more than just incorrect reporting. Check the effective clock and performance in more than one monitoring application.
The combination of a very low clock, high reported power usage, and an unusually low temperature could point to faulty power or sensor readings on the card. Reseat the GPU and its power connector, verify that the correct dedicated power cable is being used, and test with another cable or power supply connection if possible. Since driver cleanup did not help and the card is new, an exchange or warranty claim may be appropriate if the behavior remains.
Your processor, memory, and motherboard should not normally cause this level of GPU throttling. Confirm that the card is fully inserted in the main PCIe slot and that the BIOS and chipset drivers are current. It is also worth checking whether the card has a physical BIOS switch or a low-power mode enabled, although that usually would not explain such severe performance loss.
The system is completely new, and I already confirmed the display cable is connected to the graphics card. I will check the seating, power connection, and readings with another monitoring utility.