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

✅500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (48 GB vs 8 GB).

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025).
❌Weaker long-term outlook: Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌
2408.4% HIGHER MSRP
$7,500 MSRPvs$299 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.7 vs 66.5 G3D/$ ($7,500 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌100% higher power demand at 300W vs 150W.

Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB

2025

Why buy it

✅Costs $7,201 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $7,500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 2390.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 66.5 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($299 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 150W instead of 300W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 48 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

L40S

2022

Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB

2025

Why buy it

✅500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (48 GB vs 8 GB).

Why buy it

✅Costs $7,201 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $7,500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 2390.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 66.5 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($299 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 150W instead of 300W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025).
❌Weaker long-term outlook: Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌
2408.4% HIGHER MSRP
$7,500 MSRPvs$299 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.7 vs 66.5 G3D/$ ($7,500 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌100% higher power demand at 300W vs 150W.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 48 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Quick Answers

So, is L40S better than Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 20,023 vs 19,883 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer L40S is the overall package: you are getting no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

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

Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB 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 8GB can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $299 MSRP. L40S is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. L40S is about 2408.4% more expensive on MSRP at $7,500 MSRP versus $299 MSRP, and you are getting 0.7% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB is the newer 2025 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture, lower power draw (150W vs 300W), and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB make more sense than L40S?

Yes. Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is very strong for 1080p, good for 1440p, and more limited at 4K. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (150W vs 300W), future-proofing, and staying closer to $299 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of L40S. The trade-off is that L40S currently gives you 0.7% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

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 8GB Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB
1080p
low	287 FPS	172 FPS
medium	256 FPS	152 FPS
high	216 FPS	132 FPS
ultra	136 FPS	112 FPS
1440p
low	256 FPS	144 FPS
medium	214 FPS	116 FPS
high	158 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	98 FPS	91 FPS
4K
low	117 FPS	90 FPS
medium	98 FPS	77 FPS
high	68 FPS	61 FPS
ultra	59 FPS	54 FPS

Open L40S Open Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB
1080p
low	784 FPS	437 FPS
medium	629 FPS	360 FPS
high	478 FPS	257 FPS
ultra	416 FPS	191 FPS
1440p
low	646 FPS	259 FPS
medium	528 FPS	214 FPS
high	411 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	332 FPS	120 FPS
4K
low	338 FPS	125 FPS
medium	273 FPS	104 FPS
high	240 FPS	84 FPS
ultra	201 FPS	62 FPS

Open L40S Open Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB
1080p
low	901 FPS	827 FPS
medium	721 FPS	675 FPS
high	601 FPS	593 FPS
ultra	451 FPS	447 FPS
1440p
low	676 FPS	640 FPS
medium	541 FPS	516 FPS
high	451 FPS	443 FPS
ultra	338 FPS	336 FPS
4K
low	451 FPS	443 FPS
medium	360 FPS	354 FPS
high	300 FPS	298 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	224 FPS

Open L40S Open Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB
1080p
low	483 FPS	693 FPS
medium	422 FPS	596 FPS
high	376 FPS	509 FPS
ultra	288 FPS	440 FPS
1440p
low	345 FPS	554 FPS
medium	312 FPS	477 FPS
high	274 FPS	396 FPS
ultra	209 FPS	336 FPS
4K
low	224 FPS	342 FPS
medium	193 FPS	304 FPS
high	153 FPS	273 FPS
ultra	117 FPS	224 FPS

Open L40S Open Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of L40S and Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB

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 8GB

The Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB 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 150W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 32 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 19,883 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The L40S scores 20,023 and the Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB reaches 19,883 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The L40S is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB uses RDNA 4.0, both on 5 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 18,176 (L40S) vs 2,048 (Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB). Raw compute: 91.61 TFLOPS (L40S) vs 25.64 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB). Boost clocks: 2520 MHz vs 3130 MHz. Ray tracing: 142 RT cores (L40S) vs 32 (Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB) with 568 Tensor cores.

Feature	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB
G3D Mark Score	20,023	19,883
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 8GB 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 8GB
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 8GB has 8 GB. The L40S offers 500% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 960 GB/s (L40S) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB) — 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 8GB) — the L40S has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB
VRAM Capacity	48 GB+500%	8 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 12.2 (Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB
DirectX	12.2	12.2
Vulkan	1.3	1.4+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 8th Gen (L40S) vs VCN 5.0 (Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs VCN 5.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,AV1 (L40S) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB).

Feature	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB
Encoder	NVENC 8th Gen	VCN 5.0
Decoder	NVDEC 5th Gen	VCN 5.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265,AV1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The L40S draws 300W versus the Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB's 150W — a 66.7% difference. The Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 800W (L40S) vs 500W (Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB). Power connectors: 16-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 240mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75°C.

Feature	L40S	Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB
TDP	300W	150W-50%
Recommended PSU	800W	500W-38%
Power Connector	16-pin	8-pin
Length	267mm	240mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	85°C	75°C-12%
Perf/Watt	66.7	132.6+99%

💰

Value Analysis

The L40S launched at $7500 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB launched at $299. The Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB costs 96% less ($7201 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.7 (L40S) vs 66.5 (Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB) — the Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB offers 2363% better value. The Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB is the newer GPU (2025 vs 2022).