Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5060 family is here and finally on shelves — technically.
This budget-friendly Nvidia GPU comes in two variations: a higher-powered version with 16GB of GDDR7 VRAM and a more wallet-friendly variation with 8GB of GDDR7 VRAM. The RTX 5060 Ti 16GB retails for $429 while the 8GB model will set you back $379.
The entry-level RTX 5060 will launch next month and comes with 8GB of DDR7 VRAM for a price of just $299.
While the price and specs of the RTX 5060 family are certainly compelling, how has the 5060 Ti held up in reviewers' hands?
Reviews roundup
So far, reviews of the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB have landed squarely in the 4-star range, offering decent gen-on-gen uplifts compared to the RTX 4060 Ti, but question how good of a bargain the 16GB model is.
As Engadget's Devindra Hardawar states, "NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5060 Ti aims at a very niche group of gamers." Because of the 5060 Ti's price-point, it exists in that middle ground between "budget" and "mid-range" which can often be a no-man's land.
But the 5060 Ti does make a case for itself. Hardawar awarded the 5060 Ti 16 GB a score of 85/100, reasoning, "In terms of raw rendering power, it's a minor upgrade over the previous RTX 4060 Ti. But thanks to the power of DLSS 4 AI upscaling, as well as 4X frame generation (the ability to create three interpolated frames for every one that's rendered), the RTX 5060 Ti can reach surprisingly high fps scores in 1080p and even 1440p."
Tom's Hardware's Jarred Walton gave the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB a 4 out of 5 stars, reporting that the "Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB delivers 15% more performance than its 4060 Ti 16GB predecessor, at a theoretically lower price and with a lot more memory bandwidth. It's a good choice, assuming you can find it at a reasonable price."
However, Walton does caution that retail pricing and GPU availability will be critical considerations, as "Nvidia's MSRPs have looked good, but outside of a few RTX 5070 cards (which are out of stock for the time being), almost nothing has actually sold at MSRP."
PCGamer's Jacob Ridley awarded the 5060 Ti an 81/100, thanks to its GDDR7 VRAM, lower MSRP than the previous generation, cool running temps, and 20% gen uplift for just 20 additional watts of power.
Ridley recommends the 5060 Ti as a solid choice for those on 30-series cards and older, arguing "You can probably live without the extra 20% and Multi Frame Generation if you're already rocking an RTX 40-series graphics card. However, as someone on an older card, the RTX 5060 Ti offers a great upgrade path, providing it's something close to MSRP."
Jason England of Tom's Guide gifted a 4/5 star rating to the 5060 Ti, as the card is "a real statement piece for DLSS 4 — showcasing huge framerates in plenty of top games at an impressive cost. It’s not worth it for 40-series owners, given the small gains in raw rendering and content creation performance. But if you’re on older cards or looking to get into PC gaming for the first time, this is a great start."
Phil Hayton of GamesRadar also stuck with the 4-star review rating, as "The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti offers up great 1440p abilities for under $450 and can pull off 4K tricks with DLSS 4 enabled.
In an ideal world, this card would serve as a nice option for players tempted to make the jump from older 60-class GPUs, but since there’s no Founder’s Edition, the 16GB model is at risk of losing its value incentive due to higher third-party pricing and the potential impact of US tariffs."
Is it worth your time and money?
As many of the RTX 5060 Ti reviews point out, Nvidia's 5060 family of graphics cards aren't getting a Founder's Edition run, so the likelihood of finding a 5060 Ti at it's $379 (8GB) or $429 (16GB) MSRP is low.
In fact, a quick check of PC component retailers like Microcenter and Newegg shows steep markups on both the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB and 16GB models, ranging from $419 for the 8GB model up to $604 for the 16GB model.
Add in the volatility of the U.S. tech tariffs and GPU scarcity with Nvidia's 50-series GPUs, the 5060 Ti could see even greater price hikes than what's already on the market.
Based on the lack of reviews for the 8GB variant of the RTX 5060 Ti, it appears Nvidia may not be confident in the performance of the lower-tier card.
So, if you were looking at the 8GB model, it may make more sense to wait for the May launch of the RTX 5060. Alternatively, you could spend a bit more and opt for the 16GB version of the 5060 Ti at $489 and spend just a bit more for a 5070 at $549.
While the RTX 5070 isn't the perfect GPU, it may be a better option than the RTX 5060 Ti for someone upgrading from a 20 or 30-series GPU.
Assuming you can get it at MSRP and not for a higher price. Otherwise, it seems the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB is currently the best option for solid performance at an affordable price point.
More from Laptop Mag
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- Nvidia says it's going to build AI supercomputers in the U.S. as soon as this year
- Nvidia: Switch 2 has ray tracing, DLSS, and is 10x more powerful than original
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