G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

L40S

2022

Why buy it

✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (48 GB vs 16 GB).

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025).
❌Weaker long-term outlook: Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌
2049% HIGHER MSRP
$7,500 MSRPvs$349 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.7 vs 58.3 G3D/$ ($7,500 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
❌87.5% higher power demand at 300W vs 160W.

Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB

2025

Why buy it

✅Costs $7,151 less on MSRP ($349 MSRP vs $7,500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 2084.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 58.3 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $7,500 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025).
✅More future proof: RDNA 4.0 (2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 160W instead of 300W, a 140W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 16 GB vs 48 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

L40S

2022

Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB

2025

Why buy it

✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (48 GB vs 16 GB).

Why buy it

✅Costs $7,151 less on MSRP ($349 MSRP vs $7,500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 2084.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 58.3 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $7,500 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025).
✅More future proof: RDNA 4.0 (2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 160W instead of 300W, a 140W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025).
❌Weaker long-term outlook: Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌
2049% HIGHER MSRP
$7,500 MSRPvs$349 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.7 vs 58.3 G3D/$ ($7,500 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
❌87.5% higher power demand at 300W vs 160W.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 16 GB vs 48 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB better than L40S?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 20,023 vs 20,352 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, FSR Upscaling + Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1, plus much lower power draw (160W vs 300W).

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2025 generation instead of 2022, better upscaling support with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack and better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 4nm process instead of 5nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $349 MSRP. Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB is about $7,151 cheaper on MSRP at $349 MSRP versus $7,500 MSRP, and you are getting 1.6% higher G3D Mark. Moving to $349 MSRP gets you newer hardware, lower power draw (160W vs 300W), and FSR Upscaling + Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1.

Is L40S still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. L40S is still a strong gaming card in 2026: it is excellent for 1080p, very strong for 1440p, and still capable at 4K with sensible settings or upscaling. Price is really the swing factor here. If you find it at or below $7,500 MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and FSR Upscaling + Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

L40S Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB
1080p
low	287 FPS	220 FPS
medium	256 FPS	201 FPS
high	216 FPS	174 FPS
ultra	136 FPS	158 FPS
1440p
low	256 FPS	199 FPS
medium	214 FPS	166 FPS
high	158 FPS	136 FPS
ultra	98 FPS	128 FPS
4K
low	117 FPS	134 FPS
medium	98 FPS	113 FPS
high	68 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	59 FPS	83 FPS

Open L40S Open Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB
1080p
low	784 FPS	446 FPS
medium	629 FPS	365 FPS
high	478 FPS	265 FPS
ultra	416 FPS	206 FPS
1440p
low	646 FPS	267 FPS
medium	528 FPS	223 FPS
high	411 FPS	166 FPS
ultra	332 FPS	133 FPS
4K
low	338 FPS	129 FPS
medium	273 FPS	109 FPS
high	240 FPS	89 FPS
ultra	201 FPS	68 FPS

Open L40S Open Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB
1080p
low	901 FPS	859 FPS
medium	721 FPS	698 FPS
high	601 FPS	611 FPS
ultra	451 FPS	458 FPS
1440p
low	676 FPS	658 FPS
medium	541 FPS	528 FPS
high	451 FPS	452 FPS
ultra	338 FPS	343 FPS
4K
low	451 FPS	456 FPS
medium	360 FPS	362 FPS
high	300 FPS	304 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	229 FPS

Open L40S Open Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB
1080p
low	483 FPS	694 FPS
medium	422 FPS	597 FPS
high	376 FPS	509 FPS
ultra	288 FPS	440 FPS
1440p
low	345 FPS	554 FPS
medium	312 FPS	478 FPS
high	274 FPS	397 FPS
ultra	209 FPS	343 FPS
4K
low	224 FPS	342 FPS
medium	193 FPS	305 FPS
high	153 FPS	273 FPS
ultra	117 FPS	229 FPS

Open L40S Open Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of L40S and Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB

L40S

The L40S is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 13 2022. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1110 MHz to 2520 MHz. It has 18176 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 142 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 20,023 points.

Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB

The Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 4 2025. It features the RDNA 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1700 MHz to 3130 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 32 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 20,352 points. Launch price was $349.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The L40S scores 20,023 and the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB reaches 20,352 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The L40S is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB uses RDNA 4.0, both on 5 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 18,176 (L40S) vs 2,048 (Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB). Raw compute: 91.61 TFLOPS (L40S) vs 25.64 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB). Boost clocks: 2520 MHz vs 3130 MHz. Ray tracing: 142 RT cores (L40S) vs 32 (Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB) with 568 Tensor cores.

Feature	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB
G3D Mark Score	20,023	20,352+2%
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	RDNA 4.0
Process Node	5 nm	4 nm
Shading Units	18176+788%	2048
Compute (TFLOPS)	91.61 TFLOPS+257%	25.64 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	2520 MHz	3130 MHz+24%
ROPs	192+200%	64
TMUs	568+344%	128
L2 Cache	48 MB+1100%	4 MB
Ray Tracing Cores	142+344%	32

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The L40S lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.

Feature	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The L40S comes with 48 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB has 16 GB. The L40S offers 200% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 960 GB/s (L40S) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB) — a 200% advantage for the L40S. Bus width: 384-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 48 MB (L40S) vs 4 MB (Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB) — the L40S has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB
VRAM Capacity	48 GB+200%	16 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	960 GB/s+200%	320 GB/s
Bus Width	384-bit+200%	128-bit
L2 Cache	48 MB+1100%	4 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.2 (L40S) vs 12 Ultimate (Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB
DirectX	12.2+2%	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.3	1.4+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 8th Gen (L40S) vs VCN 5.0 (Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs VCN 5.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,AV1 (L40S) vs H.264,H.265,AV1,VP9 (Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB).

Feature	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB
Encoder	NVENC 8th Gen	VCN 5.0
Decoder	NVDEC 5th Gen	VCN 5.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265,AV1	H.264,H.265,AV1,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The L40S draws 300W versus the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB's 160W — a 60.9% difference. The Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 800W (L40S) vs 550W (Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB). Power connectors: 16-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 260mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 78.

Feature	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB
TDP	300W	160W-47%
Recommended PSU	800W	550W-31%
Power Connector	16-pin	8-pin
Length	267mm	260mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	85°C	78-8%
Perf/Watt	66.7	127.2+91%

💰

Value Analysis

The L40S launched at $7500 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB launched at $349. The Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB costs 95.3% less ($7151 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.7 (L40S) vs 58.3 (Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB) — the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB offers 2059.3% better value. The Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB is the newer GPU (2025 vs 2022).