RTX 5060 Review | Performance, Specs, and Is It Worth the Upgrade?

RTX 5060 Review | Performance, Specs, and Is It Worth the Upgrade?

As time passes, game developers promise to deliver an unreal gaming experience to consumers, and we can clearly see it happening. Companies like Rockstar, Ubisoft, and Activision have elevated the typical gaming experience to the next level, offering more realism and setting high benchmarks. However, the only downside of these games is that they demand advanced hardware to run smoothly, which can dent our wallets. Although focused on delivering performance in a pocket-friendly budget, NVIDIA has launched its 5000-series GPUs to offer exceptionally excellent performance compared to its predecessors. But is it worth buying? To know that, read the article and explore more about RTX 5060.

The issue with the predecessors of the RTX 50 Series

NVIDIA has a graphics card line known as RTX, and the GPUs in this range are famous for having advanced features such as ray tracing and AI capabilities that offer a more realistic gaming experience. However, NVIDIA's RTX 40 series was quite a black spot in popularity. The RTX 40 series not only faced some initial challenges but also went through a lot of criticism. The users of this series reported facing performance issues, crashes, and huge FPS drops, while the price didn't suit its performance. NVIDIA has surely learned something and aims to deliver better performance with its upcoming GPU range while making it a little affordable. Let's learn more about the new RTX 50 series. 

NVIDIA RTX 5060 Ti specifications 

Both variants show the exact specifications displayed on paper, the only difference being VRAM capacity. Based on the performance of RTX 4060 Ti, we know that additional VRAM can deliver a performance drop when it is at its power limits. However, the RTX 50 series is a Blackwell GPU range, which offers a 20W higher TGP than its predecessors. Both GPUs of this series have the capability to push limits higher, and that's the type of tuning we usually see in higher-tier card models. These Blackwell Processors use GDDR7 memory, and with RTX 5060 Ti running at 28 Gbps, they increase the total memory bandwidth by 56%. Below, we have briefly compiled the specifications of the new RTX 5060 Ti:

(i) NVIDIA RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB

• Architecture: GB206
• Process Technology: TSMC 4N 
• Transistors (Billion): 21.9
• Die Size (mm^2): 181
• Streaming Multiprocessors: 36
• GPU Shaders (ALUs): 4608
• Tensor/AI Cores: 144
• Ray Tracing Cores: 36
• Boost Clock (MHz): 2572 
• VRAM Speed (Gbps):28 
• VRAM (GB): 16
• VRAM Bus Width: 128 
• L2 Cache: 32
• Render Output Units: 48
• Texture Mapping Units: 144
• TFLOPS FP32 (Boost): 23.7
• TFLOPS FP16 (FP4/FP8 TFLOPS): 190(759)
• Bandwidth (GB/s): 448
• TBP (watts): 180
• PCIe Connection: PCIe 5.0 x8
• Launch Date: Apr 2025
• Launch Price: $429

(ii) NVIDIA RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB

• Architecture: GB206
• Process Technology: TSMC 4N 
• Transistors (Billion): 21.9
• Die Size (mm^2): 181
• Streaming Multiprocessors: 36
• GPU Shaders (ALUs): 4608
• Tensor/AI Cores: 144
• Ray Tracing Cores: 36
• Boost Clock (MHz): 2572 
• VRAM Speed (Gbps):28 
• VRAM (GB): 8
• VRAM Bus Width: 128 
• L2 Cache: 32
• Render Output Units: 48
• Texture Mapping Units: 144
• TFLOPS FP32 (Boost): 23.7
• TFLOPS FP16 (FP4/FP8 TFLOPS): 190(759)
• Bandwidth (GB/s): 448
• TBP (watts): 180
• PCIe Connection: PCIe 5.0 x8
• Launch Date: Apr 2025
• Launch Price: $379

Pros and Cons of RTX 5060

The new RTX 5060 was developed to offer better performance without draining our wallets. It delivers a notable performance boost compared to its predecessors. The GPU also boasts an addition of DLSS 4 and frame generation, although there is a potential disadvantage to this GPU. This drawback comes from its 8GB VRAM, which could be a limiting factor. Before buying this GPU, consider going through the pointers below, so that you will have a proper idea of the pros and cons of this GPU:

(i) Pros

• The new RTX 5060 outperforms the RTX 4060 by unlocking frame rates above 100 FPS because of its DLSS 4. 
• 15-25% improved gaming performance compared to RTX 4060 Ti. 
• GDDR7 16GB memory fulfils the demand of future games. 
• Ray tracing has improved by up to 41% (72 TFLOPS vs 51 TFLOPS)
• Even after having the same 128-bit bus, the memory bandwidth increases by 56%. 
• Better performance of content creation, particularly for video editing. 
• Better performance-per-watt ratio
• Lower MSRP than the 4060 Ti 16GB at launch ($429 vs $499)
• More advanced AI Capabilities with FP4 operations support. 
• The GPU boasts a 9th-gen NVENC encoder featuring 4:2:2 colour format support. 

(ii) Cons

• GPU is limited by a 128-bit memory bus.
• 8GB variants are possibly causing some issues in modern games. 
• The retail price might be more than the official MSRP. 
• Performance depends on the workload it's experiencing (8-39%)
• Not a significant upgrade jump from the predecessor 4060 Ti.
• PCIe 3.0 systems are most likely to see a performance penalty (around 4% on average)
• More power consumption compared to the 4060 Ti. 

Is it worth the Upgrade, and under what conditions should you buy it?

Whether it is worth it depends on your preference. Based on its performance, specifications, and experience, it is not that different from the 4060 Ti. On paper, it delivers 15-25% faster and better performance, but it is not a significant upgrade from 4060 to 5060. The upgrade will be worth it if you upgrade your GPU from RTX 3060 Ti or GPUs older than that, where you will see a 30-40% better performance jump. If you want to purchase an upgrade, it would be beneficial if you buy the RTX 5060 Ti if:

• You are upgrading from an older GPU, such as RTX 3060 or older
• You are seeking a 16GB VRAM for content creation or future-proofing. 
• If you want to experience a 1440p gaming performance with higher frame rates. 
• You are looking for ray tracing and DLSS 4 features.
• If you want to run some AI models but do not have a budget to purchase a higher-tier card. 
• You expect better performance in memory-intensive applications. 
• Are you interested in the improved NVENC encoder for streaming or work related to video creation? 

Conclusion

NVIDIA's previous GPU series fell short of the hype, but this time, they return with a new series that is anticipated to meet expectations. Ultimately, it hinges on whether you're looking for an upgrade or waiting for the next GPU.