NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 8GB Graphics Card Unveiled
NVIDIA has just pulled the wraps off its GeForce RTX 5060 8GB graphics card. This new GPU is squarely aimed at delivering a fantastic 1080p gaming experience, especially when paired with the magic of DLSS 4 for those smooth frame rates in AAA titles.
Smooth 1080p AAA Gaming is the Goal
NVIDIA is not leaving any doubt: the RTX 5060 is intended for the mainstream 1080p resolution. They're touting robust performance in demanding gaming titles like Alan Wake II, Cyberpunk 2077, and forthcoming S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, suggesting that players can expect over 100 FPS with settings cranked all the way up (with an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and DLSS 4).
While DLSS 4 is the headline performance story, NVIDIA also had some nice words to say about raw performance boost. We're looking at about a 25% increase in traditional rasterization performance compared to its next-in-line, the RTX 4060. Nice upgrade before AI gets a say.
What's Going on Under the RTX 5060
Let us examine the technology behind this new card:
- CUDA Cores: An excellent jump to 3840 CUDA Cores, a 25% increase over the RTX 4060.
- Memory: It's still 8GB of VRAM, but it's the very new GDDR7 memory at 28 Gbps on a 128-bit bus. This translates to a huge bandwidth boost of nearly 65% (some 448 GB/s) over the RTX 4060.
- Performance Metrics: Expect around 19 TFLOPs of shader performance, a big 614 AI TOPS for its DLSS mathematics, and 58 TFLOPs for ray tracing.
- New Features: It comes with the new 9th Gen NVIDIA Encoders and 6th Gen Decoders, PCIe Gen 5.0 support (though on an x8 interface), and newest DisplayPort 2.1b outputs.
- Power Draw: A small bump in power consumption. The TDP of the RTX 5060 is 25W higher than that of the RTX 4060, which is around 145W.
Key Points against RTX 4060:
- 25% More CUDA Cores
- Up to 25% better unadulterated gaming performance
- Same 8GB VRAM capacity
- Much, much faster GDDR7 memory and 64% bandwidth
- 22% More power draw
- Still retains the same $299 launch position
Although the 8GB of VRAM might pause for thought for some future-proofing enthusiasts, the faster memory and core boost should provide a noticeable increase for gaming at 1080p.
Pricing and Availability: Your Wallet Will Like This.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 GPUs are coming out at a starting price of $299 USD. That's the same MSRP the RTX 4060 launched at, and it's good news for cost-conscious builders.
You won't be able to see an NVIDIA Founders Edition model this time around. In its place, you have a vast array of custom designs by NVIDIA's board partners (AICs) to pick from, which will be available today.
RTX 5060 Power for Laptops Too.
NVIDIA is also suggesting that this GPU will be powering a new generation of mainstream gaming laptops. Those laptops as well will get the Blackwell architecture and DLSS 4, pushing for 144 FPS at Ultra in games and silky-smooth 8K video editing. Expect those RTX 5060 laptops to start appearing from $1099 USD.
So, whether you're building a new budget build desktop or looking to purchase a high-performance gaming laptop, the GeForce RTX 5060 is definitely a new entrant worth watching out for.
