RX 9060 XT Wattage & PSU Guide

So, you’re getting an AMD RX 9060 XT? Great choice! It’s definitely the best card around the $300 mark in 2025. You can make another good decision by not overpaying for a new power supply.

The typical board power (TBP, or TDP including the whole card) is just 150W for the 8GB model and 160W for the 16GB version. This is less than the RX 6650 XT (175W) and RTX 3060 (170W).

Some are recommending a 75OW PSU for this which is crazy. Let’s take a step back and bring out the calculator.

Calculating PSU wattage with GPU and CPU

Your PSU should preferably run at 50-70% of its maximum capacity for best performance. So add 20-30% extra to your estimated system power. Here’s an example using rough estimates:

- RX 9060 XT (160W) + Ryzen 5 CPU (100W) + Other components (100W) = 360W total
- Add 30% headroom: 360W × 1.3 = 468W
- Minimum recommended PSU (Source: AMD): 450W

Checks out!

If you’re overclocking and/or using a power-hungry Intel CPU, you may want to bump that to 500W or in extreme cases as much as 650W. If not, then you will most likely be fine with the minimum 450W PSU.

Reasons to get a more powerful GPU?

Yes there are some, but none are due to the 160W RX 9060 XT. Even if you overclock this card and increase the power draw by 50%, it’s unlikely you’ll need a PSU above 500W for this reason alone.

Check your total system wattage

Your total power requirements depend on all system components. Most RX 9060 XT models just need a fraction of your total system power. Other components will add to this power load:

CPU – typically 65W-165W depending on model
Motherboard and RAM – approximately 50-100W
Storage devices – 5-10W per drive
Case fans and peripherals – 2-5W per fan

Powering the RX 9060 XT with a 450W PSU and a 100W CPU is rarely a problem. This setup works and also leaves a little room for other components.

Is PSU headroom important?

PSU headroom gives you extra power beyond what your parts usually need, but it’s mostly important for making the PSU run more efficiently.

Power supplies work best when they run at 50-70% of their total capacity. Running too close to the limit cuts efficiency and makes more heat and noise.

Top efficiency is with at least 30% extra headroom above your total power needs. This keeps your PSU running smoothly and gives clean power to all parts.

8GB vs 16GB version power draw

Memory setup changes power use slightly. The 8GB model of the RX 9060 XT runs at 150W TBP and the 16GB model needs 160W because it has extra VRAM modules. That’s a tiny difference in the big scheme of things.

Importance of 80 Plus certification

80 Plus certification shows how efficiently your PSU converts AC power from the wall to DC power for your components. Better certifications mean less energy wasted as heat:

80 Plus Bronze: 82-85% efficient
80 Plus Gold: 87-90% efficient
80 Plus Platinum: 89-92% efficient
80 Plus Titanium: 90-94% efficient

Single vs multi-rail PSUs

PSUs deliver 12V power in two ways:

Single-rail PSUs use one large 12V output for everything
Multi-rail PSUs split power across several smaller 12V outputs

Single-rail PSUs work best for typical RX 9060 XT builds since you won’t need to balance loads across different rails. Multi-rail units add safety with separate overcurrent protection on each rail.

Best PSU Options for RX 9060 XT Builds

Let’s get into some specific PSU options that work great with the RX 9060 XT now that we know our power needs.

Top PSU picks under $100

You can find reliable power supplies for RX 9060 XT builds without breaking the bank:

Corsair CX550: This 550W unit is affordable and delivers 528W on the 12V rail It matches the RX 9060 XT’s basic 450W power needs. It’s a non-modular design comes in a compact 125mm length.
MSI MAG-A550 a similar high-quality PSU at around the same price.

Avoid Common PSU Mistakes

Overpaying for unnecessary wattage – Gaming PCs typically draw between 150 -500W under full load, meaning that even high-end builds rarely need 1000W+ PSUs. The efficiency argument doesn’t hold up well—you’ll see only 5-10W per hour difference, which adds up to just $1-2 yearly.

Using outdated or generic PSUs – Modern GPUs face real risks with low-end power supplies. Old PSUs might crash frequently during heavy workloads, reduce performance to save power, or even fail to boot. Go with well-known brands like Seasonic, Corsair or MSI.

Conclusion

Picking the right PSU for your RX 9060 XT is straightforward. The 8GB variant requires 150W and the 16GB model needs 160W of power. This small difference plays very little role in calculating your system’s power needs.

Choose a PSU based on your system’s total power draw plus, preferably, 30% headroom. A good 550W unit works well for gaming builds with the RX 9060 XT.