I bought an RTX 5060 for my wife's future PC in January for about $300, but they're now selling for $500 or more. Since the card is still sealed, I'm considering selling it and buying an RX 9060 XT instead—probably the 16GB model, though availability may force me to choose 8GB. I could potentially get better performance while still having money left for a case or power supply. The PC will mainly be used for light 1080p gaming, so nothing particularly demanding. She also won't use GeForce Experience, and I'd prefer not to deal with OBS for recording. Does switching make sense, or should I just keep the 5060 since I already have it?
4 Answers
The 16GB version is the easy recommendation. The extra VRAM should help the system age better, while the 8GB model is a much less compelling upgrade over the 5060. For light 1080p gaming, though, the 5060 is already perfectly usable, so don’t create a hassle for a small performance gain.
The recording concern shouldn’t decide the purchase. AMD’s Adrenalin software includes its own built-in recording feature, so you don’t have to use OBS. In benchmarks, the 16GB 9060 XT is around 10% faster than the 5060 in some 1080p games, and the larger VRAM buffer is its biggest advantage.
If you can sell the 5060 for that much and get the 16GB 9060 XT at a reasonable price, I’d make the swap. You should get somewhat better performance and more VRAM for future games, while still having money left over for other parts.
I’d probably keep the 5060 if this is for someone who just wants a reliable, plug-and-play PC. The 9060 XT may offer better value and performance, but the existing card is already purchased, tested, and should handle light gaming without much fuss. If this were my own PC, I’d be more tempted to switch.
The PC will only be used for 1080p gaming, so VRAM probably won’t be a major issue immediately. Availability is the bigger problem. The 8GB model also seems to be only a little faster in the same benchmark, so I’m not sure it’s worth swapping unless I can find the 16GB card.