Having the most powerful and fastest hardware is often the goal of many PC builders, so we are often left comparing things on pure benchmarking and performance. So when AMD swapped from using SK Hynix to Samsung GDDR6 memory in its new Radeon RX 9060 XT GPUs, gamers were quick to jump to performance comparisons between them.
What they found was a drop when moving over to the new Samsung memory, and gamers were quick to condemn the change. Like our reviewer of the RX 9060 XT XFX Swift GPU, many have been pleased by the performance from the budget friendly offering. It seems it might have been a bit too quick, as new comparisons spotted by VideoCardz are showing ways the Samsung GDDR6 may actually be more beneficial, if a little less powerful than the SK Hynix offering.
AMD partner XFX posted comparisons to Bilibili, a Chinese social blog site that often delves into PC gaming hardware critique. They tell the same story of less powerful GDDR6, but with a huge boon to cooling and potentially power consumption.
According to these tests the Samsung memory garnered temperatures 10°C lower than its SK Hynix counterpart, allowing for an almost 400 rpm drop in fan speeds. This means the Samsung components are significantly cooler than the previous ones, and as an added bonus they're quieter and less demanding on your fans, too. This is on top of a 20 W lower power draw over the SK Hynix memory.
This drop may not seem like a big deal, especially for those who like to go all in on power for their rigs. But power isn't the whole story when it comes to building a capable gaming machine, you still have to be able to power and run it, and temperatures can be a huge mitigating factor.
Keeping things cool is an integral part of any good rig, and it's not always easy especially in warmer climates. As an Australian I've run into difficulties keeping rigs cool enough to function over hot summers and have often had to forgo power for lower temperatures. Choosing parts that can help you maintain lower temperatures even if it's at the cost of some beef is often a really smart move in building a gaming PC.
SK Hynix and Samsung are some of the biggest players investing billions in developing memory, not only for GPUs but also AI computing. Both have also been hit with reversals against using US tech in their China-based facilities. With a seemingly even playing field, seeing such a huge difference in these results is a little surprising.
These results are almost certainly biased, but this could mean the revised 9060's are a better choice for many looking to upgrade. According to XFX the Samsung GDDR6 units can be identified by a "V3" moniker and are already available in China. It'll be interesting to see what further testing shows when it comes to the difference between these GPU variants.
1. Best overall: AMD Radeon RX 9070
2. Best value: AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB
3. Best budget: Intel Arc B570
4. Best mid-range: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti
5. Best high-end: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090
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