MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC Review - Impressive OC Performance, But Pricey

TweakTown Rating: 85%

Our Verdict

The MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB is an OC model that lives up to its promise; it's faster and runs cooler than entry-level options. From ray-tracing to competitive gaming, it presents a sizeable improvement over the RTX 4060 Ti and RTX 3060 Ti. However, the high price stings.

Pros

• 1440p OC performance that is 30% faster than the RTX 4060 Ti
• DLSS 4 image quality is a game-changer
• 16GB of VRAM makes it more future-proof
• Impressively efficient
• MSI's fantastic revamped Gaming Trio design

Cons

• Falls short of RTX 4070 performance
• 28% price premium over MSRP diminishes its value

Should you buy it?

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Introduction

The GeForce RTX 5060 Ti is here, and with an MSRP of $429 for the 16GB version, we've already found that it offers a decent performance uplift for 1440p gaming when compared to the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti and RTX 3060 Ti. And with the arrival of DLSS 4's new impressive transformer AI model for Super Resolution, using the Quality or Balanced preset at 1440p unlocks a new tier of performance that you don't usually see on mainstream GPUs. Across our 14-game benchmark suite, the overclocked MSI Gaming Trio's average 1440p performance goes from 89 FPS to 108 FPS with the DLSS Quality preset, an extra 20%, with DLSS 4 doing its magic in several titles.

A quick look at the MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC

However, as seen in our review of MSI's Ventus 2X MSRP model, the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti's performance does fall short of the GeForce RTX 4070, which is disappointing. There's also a big gap between the RTX 5060 Ti and RTX 5070. Still, it's NVIDIA's best 60-Class GPU since the Ampere era's RTX 3060 Ti, so it's a definite upgrade path for PC gamers rocking older cards or those looking to unlock a new performance tier. Case in point, compared to the most popular GPU out there, the GeForce RTX 3060, the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti is over 70% faster for 1440p gaming.

As the more mainstream offerings in the GeForce RTX 50 Series, the GeForce RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti will most likely become the best-selling options in the lineup. That said, once RTX 5060 Ti 16GB model prices climb notably higher than the $429 MSRP, the value proposition diminishes. And so, this review of the impressive MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC, which is on average 6% faster than the reference spec Ventus card we previously reviewed, is something of a Catch-22 situation. Yes, it closes the performance gap between the RTX 5060 Ti and the RTX 4070, but at a hefty cost - $549, a 28% premium that matches the MSRP of the GeForce RTX 5070.

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This isn't an isolated case or an anomaly. Looking at the current gaming GPU landscape, the latest GeForce RTX and Radeon RX cards, there are numerous examples of most models on the market carrying a 30% price premium over the MSRP. This means the cost of one model is higher than what the price of the next model up should be. Unfortunately, this seems to be the new norm, but in the case of the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti, the lower the MSRP cost of entry, the more this price premium begins to sting. Affordability is a big part of the RTX 5060 Ti story.

This is a shame because the MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC features a stunning design, is relatively compact for a triple fan GPU, and delivers fantastic thermal performance that matches the OC goodness. The MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC features a generous out-of-the-box overclocked Boost Clock speed of 2647 MHz or 2662 MHz via MSI Center. This is close to 100 MHz over the reference spec. Like we've seen with other GeForce RTX 50 Series Gaming Trio models, it's a conservative figure that can be easily overclocked by another 200 MHz using MSI Afterburner with minimal impact on the GPU's thermal performance.

This GPU presents a picture of the best that the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti can do, but its price makes a recommendation more of a question mark than a definitive yes.

Best Deals: MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16G Ventus 2X OC

	Today	7 days ago	30 days ago
	$599.95 USD	$613 USD	-	Buy
	$509.98 USD	$509.98 USD	-	Buy
	$799.99 CAD	$849.99 CAD	-	Buy
	$686.98 CAD	$689.89 CAD	-	Buy
	$599.95 USD	$613 USD	-	Buy
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RTX Blackwell - NVIDIA's Gaming Architecture for the AI Era

Below is a summary of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 Series and RTX Blackwell architecture, applicable to all models.

NVIDIA describes 'Neural Rendering,' which includes all previous versions of DLSS and the brand-new DLSS 4, as the 'next era for computer graphics.' They're not alone; the Lead System Architect for the PlayStation 5 Pro console, Mark Cerny, recently said that ray-tracing is the future of games and that AI will play an integral role in making that happen. DOOM: The Dark Ages developer id Software shared a similar sentiment, adding that the arrival of DLSS was an 'inflection point' for PC game visuals and performance, and on par with the arrival of dedicated GPUs and programmable shaders.

With the arrival of the Blackwell generation and the GeForce RTX 50 Series, AI is now being used to accelerate programmable shaders with the brand-new RTX Neural Shaders. Yes, these are actual neural networks that use live game data, and the power of Tensor Cores to do everything from compress textures, render lifelike materials with a level of detail impossible to match using traditional rendering methods, and even use AI to partially trace rays and then infer "an infinite amount

of rays and bounces for a more accurate representation of indirect lighting in the game scene."

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RTX Mega Geometry is incredible in its own right; it essentially increases a scene's geometry detail and complexity (triangles or polygons) by up to 100x. 100 times the detail, it's hard to wrap your head around - but the added benefit in a game like Alan Wake 2 is dramatically improving the performance of the game's Full Ray Tracing or Path Tracing mode. With DLSS 4 and RTX Neural Shaders, NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 Series and RTX Blackwell architecture (which includes the same AI optimizations as data center Blackwell) can be viewed as the turning point for PC gaming - the moment when AI becomes integral to everything from designing a game to programming and then finally rendering it on a 4K display to play.

DLSS 4 includes more goodies than NVIDIA's highly touted new Multi Frame Generation technology, but let's start there. DLSS 3's version of Frame Generation has evolved with DLSS 4, powered by Blackwell hardware and software, and an innovative use of AI to generate frames 40% faster while using 30% less VRAM. Switching to a new model also means that Frame Generation and Multi-Frame Generation could soon come to GeForce RTX 20, 30, and RTX 40 Series owners. DLSS 4 benefits all GeForce RTX gamers.

With the 5th Generation of Tensor Cores in the GeForce RTX 50 Series delivering 2.5X more AI performance, NVIDIA's latest GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs can execute five complex AI models - covering Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction, and Multi Frame Generation in a couple of milliseconds. Part of the reason it happens so quickly is the addition of hardware Flip Metering, which shifts frame pacing to the Blackwell display engine. The result is frame rates of up to 4K at 240 FPS and higher, without stuttering issues. With up to 15 of every 16 pixels generated by AI, the result is up to 8X the performance when compared to native rendering or rasterized performance.

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DLSS Super Resolution and Ray Reconstruction are also switching to a new 'Transformer' model, with over double the parameters and four times the compute requirement. This is one of the most exciting aspects of the GeForce RTX 50 Series, as it pushes DLSS into a new realm of image quality and performance. The best part is that it will work on all GeForce RTX GPUs; however, there will be a performance hit compared to running it on an RTX 50 Series GPU. Already available in games, DLSS 4's Transformer model is another DLSS 2.0-like moment for the technology, and the results speak for themselves.

Even better, DLSS 4 is integrated into the NVIDIA App with a new 'DLSS Override' feature that allows users to experience the latest tech without waiting for a patch or game update. DLSS 4 is built to be backward compatible, with 75 games and apps supported (so far).

It doesn't stop there, as the new AI Management Processor (AMP) allows AI models to share the GPU with graphics workloads. As a result, expect to see digital humans in games alongside AI assistants like NVIDIA's Project G-Assist becoming more prevalent in the coming years. This filters down to the creator side, with AI assistants for streamers, who will also benefit from the GeForce RTX 50 Series' expanded creator features.

RTX Blackwell introduces 4:2:2 chroma-sampled video encoding and decoding. The ninth-generation NVENC encoder also improves AV1 and HEVC quality. RTX Blackwell is a game changer for creators and editors, especially with the new low-voltage and cutting-edge GDDR7 memory that dramatically improves memory bandwidth and speed.

Specs and Test System

Specifications

Here's a look at the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti specs compared to the previous generation's GeForce RTX 4060 Ti, GeForce RTX 4070, and GeForce RTX 5070.

The GeForce RTX 50 Series uses a custom TSMC 4N process similar to the GeForce RTX 40 Series, making it the first RTX generation of gaming GPUs from NVIDIA to ship without a process node shrink. This means that the immediate improvements to performance and efficiency you get when moving from 4nm to 3nm or 2nm are absent, with the decision to stick with TSMC 4N being a decision probably born from trying to keep costs down. For the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB and 16GB models, this means a lower MSRP than the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB and 16GB models, even amid the pricing insanity of 2025.

However, the shift to cutting-edge GDDR7 memory is massive, offering up to double the bandwidth compared to the previous generation. Several optimizations and improvements are also found in the RTX Blackwell architecture, from new Neural Rendering technologies to the latest generation of Tensor Cores and RT Cores, which offer more capabilities to game developers to deliver fantastic-looking games.

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Spec-wise, the jump from the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti to the RTX 5060 Ti looks unspectacular, with only 5.9% more CUDA Cores, Tensor Cores, and RT Cores. And yet, with a higher overclocked Boost Clock speed, the MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC is 30.9% faster than the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti, on average, for 1440p gaming. An impressive result that points to the GeForce RTX 50 Series offering much more behind the scenes than what you see on the spec sheet. Naturally, part of this sizable generational uplift comes from the increased VRAM capacity to 16GB compared to the 8GB in the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Founders Edition card.

The GeForce RTX 5060 Ti also benefits from all RTX Blackwell improvements, from 4:2:2 chroma-sampled video encoding and decoding for creators to 759 AI TOPS of performance thanks to FP4 support. The arrival of DisplayPort 2.1b and the PCIe Gen5 interface makes it a card better suited to the latest PC hardware. With a TGP rating of 180W (even in overclocked MSI Gaming Trio form), it's also one of the most efficient GPUs on the market.

Kosta's Test System

Physical Design and Cooling

MSI's revamped and improved Gaming Trio design for the GeForce RTX 50 Series is one that we've grown to admire, from the holographic MSI dragon on the vent to the use of translucent and tinted material that enhances the RGB lighting on the front. With dimensions of 300 x 125 x 44mm and a 844-gram weight, the MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC is also relatively compact for a triple-fan card and smaller than the RTX 5070 Gaming Trio we recently reviewed.

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As a premium model, MSI's latest STORMFORCE fans improve airflow while keeping noise levels down, a nickel-plated copper baseplate and square core pipes enhance heat transfer from the GPU, and a reinforced metal backplate keeps everything rock solid. Throw in high-quality thermal pads, power protection on the custom PCB, Wave Curved fins, and the MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC's thermal design is built for overclocking. Using the stock out-of-the-box OC settings, the GPU temperature stays below 60 degrees Celsius with low fan speeds and near-silent performance.

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Several GeForce RTX 5060 Ti models have opted for a traditional single 8-pin power connector. The MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC uses the modern 16-pin power connector across the entire GeForce RTX 50 Series, with a double 8-pin adaptor in the box.

The Games and Tests

PC gaming not only covers a wide range of genres and styles, from indie games with simple 2D graphics to massive 3D worlds lit by cutting-edge real-time ray tracing technology. With that, the needs and requirements of each gamer vary. High refresh rates and latency reduction become more important than flashy visuals or playing at the highest resolution possible for those who live and breathe fast-paced competitive games. For those who want to live in a cinematic world and become a key player in an expansive narrative, ray-tracing, and high-fidelity visuals are a stepping stone toward immersion.

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Our chosen benchmarks cover various games, engines, APIs, and technologies. For the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti, all tests are run at 1080p and 1440p and include results for performance-boosting Super Resolution technologies like NVIDIA DLSS 4 - including Frame Generation and the new Multi Frame Generation. In many ways, DLSS numbers are more important in 2025 than native rendering - a title with ray tracing isn't meant to be played without Super Resolution. Also, DLSS technologies like Ray Reconstruction and the new RTX Mega Geometry dramatically improve visual fidelity and detail compared to native rendering. However, our benchmark results are still sorted using 'raw performance' or native rendering.

Here's the breakdown of games, settings, and what's being tested.

Games and Settings Benchmarked

Path Tracing Games and Settings Benchmarked

Gaming Performance Analysis - 1080p and 1440p

Average Gaming Performance - 1080p Results

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The MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC is a bit of a 1080p powerhouse when comparing its performance to previous-gen 60 Class GPUs from NVIDIA. Compared to its predecessor, the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti, it's 25% faster for 1080p gaming, according to our 14-game benchmark suite, which includes several titles with ray-tracing enabled. Looking at the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 4060, and RTX 3060, it's 38%, 49%, and 77% faster, respectively. This is the sort of difference you immediately notice, not only when it comes to smoothness but also responsiveness and latency. And with 16GB of GDDR7 memory, the 1% lows are also notably improved.

The 124 FPS average is also enough to be within 6% of the GeForce RTX 4070, with the RTX 5060 Ti matching its performance in a few titles - Black Myth: Wukong, Counter-Strike 2, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Returnal, and Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2. The MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC shows us that the RTX 5060 Ti is a mainstream GPU that you can overclock to get some decent results. However, there is a notable gap between the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti and the RTX 5070, with the latter being 23% faster at this resolution in stock Founders Edition form. AMD's Radeon RX 9070 is also 27% faster, so paying 25-30% more will offer that same amount in additional performance.

Average Gaming Performance - 1440p Results

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1440p is the fastest-growing resolution in the gaming display market. Although 1080p is still the most popular resolution, the increased fidelity at 1440p is noticeable, so gaming at this resolution makes most titles look better. Here, the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti impresses in overclocked form when looking at previous-gen 60 Class GPUs. However, with the GeForce RTX 5070 increasing its lead to 27% at this resolution and the Radeon RX 9070 increasing its lead over the RTX 5060 Ti to 34%, there's an argument to be made to look toward the mid-range market for 1440p performance. Of course, this will all depend on pricing and budgets.

With 16GB of fast GDDR7 memory and DLSS 4, the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti is an excellent option for 1440p. Raw performance at this resolution also sees it get within 6% of the GeForce RTX 4070 while increasing its lead over the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB card to 31%. The MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC's lead over the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti also increases to 41%, with its lead over the RTX 4060 and RTX 3060 increasing to 59% and 82% respectively. The drop-off in performance for the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB when moving from 1080p to 1440p is under 30%, which is great to see.

The good news is that DLSS 4 Super Resolution is already available in well over 100 titles, and using the Quality preset at 1440p delivers better-than-native image quality compared to native rendering with TAA. Ticking this box in a game's settings menu, alongside using the DLSS Override feature in the NVIDIA App, translates to an additional 20% or so more performance. And when you add in DLSS 3's still excellent Super Resolution image quality at this resolution, the RTX 5060 Ti is a GPU that benefits immensely from AI-powered RTX technologies. DLSS is a key selling point for the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti and other RTX 50 Series GPUs.

Benchmarks - 3DMark Synthetic Tests

3DMark offers a suite of synthetic benchmarks built to test GPUs in various scenarios. 3DMark Steel Nomad is a cutting-edge DirectX 12 benchmark with newer, modern rendering techniques designed to push GPUs to their limit. The 'Light' version tests at 1440p, while the main Steel Nomad benchmark tests pure native 4K rendering. Port Royal is a benchmark focusing exclusively on real-time ray tracing for lighting effects like reflections, shadows, and more.

Across Steel Nomad's 1440p and 4K synthetic benchmarks, the MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC delivers scores that match those of several titles. A score is 25% higher than the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti, 40% higher than the RTX 3060 Ti, while within 5% or so of the GeForce RTX 4070. The Steel Nomad and Steel Nomad Light tests also show that the GeForce RTX 5070 is around 30-35% faster than the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti, which is a pretty big gap.

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The ray-tracing-based Port Royal benchmark results showcase that some of the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti's most significant gains come with its ray-tracing performance. This is partly due to the increased VRAM capacity to 16GB, as ray-tracing can be memory-intensive. Here, the MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC's score is 30% higher than the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti and 50% higher than the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's score. This is something that we also saw in our 1440p ray-traced gaming benchmarks, with the MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC's performance in titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Dragon Age: The Veilguard being 36% and 45% faster than the RTX 4060 Ti.

Benchmarks - 1080p Gaming

Benchmarks - 1440p Gaming

DLSS 4, Frame Generation, and the new Multi-Frame Generation

DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation are impressive bits of technology, thanks mainly to the overall improvements to performance and latency on the Frame Generation side and the new 'Transformer' model for Super Resolution and Ray Reconstruction. We used the DLSS 'Quality' mode preset for these benchmarks, often delivering better-than-native image quality.

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Multi Frame Generation is currently exclusive to the GeForce RTX 50 Series. As we've seen with higher-end models, it can be an excellent tool for improving the overall smoothness of a game's presentation without affecting latency. Compared to native rendering, you often get significantly lower latency, and it's a great way to match your display's refresh rate or capabilities. As we're talking about up to three AI-generated frames, there's no real reason to push 250 FPS on a 144 Hz display. Seeing Cyberpunk 2077 go from 32 FPS to 98 or even 171 FPS with lower latency is impressive, as is seeing Dragon Age go from a solid 61 FPS to 127 or 215 FPS.

Our benchmarks here used the DLSS 4 Quality preset, which delivers fantastic image quality, and Multi Frame Generation is a smart way to increase the smoothness and performance. And you can play around with various combinations to find the right balance. In fact, for the RTX 5060 Ti, we found that using the DLSS 4 Balanced preset for Super Resolution with Multi Frame Generation 3X was the sweet spot for image quality, smoothness, and responsiveness.

Path Tracing Performance - 1080p

Path Tracing, or Full Ray Tracing, arrived with the GeForce RTX 40 Series and DLSS 3 and is leveling up with the GeForce RTX 50 Series and DLSS 4. It's only possible thanks to AI technologies like DLSS Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction, and RTX Neural Shader technology like RTX Mega Geometry. It's designed specifically for these technologies, and we're only including native or rasterized performance to highlight just how intensive it is on a GPU like the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti. In fact, outside of the massive increase in performance, these games also look notably worse without DLSS 4.

The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is a GPU that can deliver a playable 1080p Full Ray Tracing experience. However, it almost always feels right there with one foot on the starting line. The GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB offers a much more playable entry-level Path Tracing experience, up to 50% faster, bringing a new level of cutting-edge rendering to the 60 Class line-up. Multi Frame Generation 2X offers an excellent 100+ FPS in Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 with responsive controls and decent image quality.

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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is one of the better-performing Full-Ray Tracing games out there. Once you reign in the texture pool size, the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti is still 35% faster than the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti. 79 FPS with DLSS 4's Quality preset and Ray Reconstruction offer great image quality, with Multi Frame Generation pushing performance up to 200+ FPS for high refresh-rate displays. The performance in this title was awe-inspiring, so much so that the MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC can still deliver 100+ FPS at 1440p using the DLSS 'Balanced' preset and Multi Frame Generation.

Temperature and Power Efficiency

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With its premium build, high-quality components, and near-silent performance, the MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC is a GPU that barely breaks a sweat. The 57 degrees we saw after running a stress test for a continuous 20 minutes also had a conservative fan curve. Overclocking the GPU and memory by around 250 and 150 MHz, we saw the temperature climb a couple of degrees, but not enough that we felt we needed to increase fan speeds. And with an average power draw of 156W when gaming with overclocked specs at 1440p, the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti is the most efficient GPU on the market, delivering this level of performance.

Final Thoughts

MSI's Gaming Trio design is not only one of the best-looking of the current GPU generation, but also slim and relatively compact for a card with a triple-fan cooling design. However, as a premium model, it carries a price premium, which diminishes some of the impressive performance it delivers. With a generous OC, it's 31% faster than the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti for 1440p gaming, and 41% faster than the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti.

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We've reached a point where there are no bad GPUs. Looking at pure performance, the MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC delivers a fantastic experience for gamers. It offers incredible ray-traced and path-traced visuals, impressive triple-digit competitive performance, outstanding features for creators, and impressive efficiency. As an upgrade path for those with an Ampere-based RTX 3060 or RTX 3060 Ti, it's a fantastic choice until you zoom out and look at the bigger picture.

Granted, the MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC real-world $549 price is in line with the premiums placed on mid-range cards like the Radeon RX 9070 and GeForce RTX 5070 - but it feels different. Mainstream GPUs like the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti kind of have to remain affordable to make sense. Otherwise, you're competing with more powerful mid-range offerings. If the MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Gaming Trio 16GB OC were priced at $429 or even $399, it would instantly become one of the best value and most sought-after GPUs out there, like the mythical Radeon RX 9070 XT for $599.