XFX says switching to Samsung GDDR6 memory makes Radeon GPUs run 10 degrees cooler

For the release of its latest RDNA 4-powered generation of desktop Radeon RX 9000 Series GPUs, AMD chose SK Hynix as its preferred supplier for the GDDR6 memory found in all models at launch. Since the debut of RDNA 4, Radeon GPUs have been shipping with Samsung VRAM instead of SK Hynix. Although this shift shouldn't significantly impact performance, AMD partner XFX has confirmed that it has been a net positive for its Radeon RX 9060 XT lineup.

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AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT, available in 8GB and 16GB variants, represents the company's mainstream PC gaming GPU for the Radeon RX 9000 Series - with RDNA 4's enhanced ray-tracing performance and AI-powered FSR 4 upscaling, both offering a viable alternative to NVIDIA's dominant GeForce RTX 5060 Series. According to a blog post on Bilibili (via VideoCardz), XFX notes that its 'V3' models with Samsung GDDR6 VRAM are performing up to 10 degrees cooler than SK Hynix GDDR6 models.

XFX states that the Samsung models reached a maximum memory temperature of 77 degrees Celsius, while the SK Hynix version reached a memory temperature of 87 degrees Celsius. This flow-on effect is what makes this interesting, as it resulted in lower fan speeds and noise, as well as a 20W reduction in GPU power consumption.

The latter is important, as power efficiency is a key metric for measuring a GPU's relative performance compared to similar or like-for-like models. XFX notes that the Samsung version's average fan speed was 1,461 RPM, while the SK Hynix version's was around 400 RPM higher at 1,814 RPM. And with a GPU power draw of 183W versus 207W, it's an impressive result.

However, it's worth noting that these tests, which use a one-hour FurMark 4K stress test, only cover XFX GPUs, as memory cooling is a key component of GPU design. However, it does indicate that Radeon RX 9000 Series GPUs with Samsung GDDR6 memory modules will run cooler and more efficiently than their SK Hynix counterparts.