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Do not buy the RTX 5060

28.5.2025

Translation: Patrik Stainbrook

Before the launch of the Geforce RTX 5060 on 19 May, Nvidia only allowed «curated» tests – basically, the GPU designer specified what and how to test. This was obviously a calculated move to rule out any overly negative assessments from the outset. Because, as we now know from independent tests, the RTX 5060 doesn’t really impress.

It’s no secret that manufacturers like to influence reviews. But you rarely see such a brazen and clumsy approach as Nvidia displayed for the launch of the RTX 5060. Only people who adhered to predefined games, settings and comparison models were given test cards. Many tech portals weren’t even offered the cards, others didn’t agree to the specifications. All the necessary drivers were also only made available shortly before release. The timing of the release also suggested that Nvidia wanted as little publicity as possible for the card. On 19 May, the eyes of the PC component world were on Taiwan, where the Computex tech trade fair was taking place. As a result, only a few tests were published on release.

If that wasn’t reason enough not to buy the card, independent tests now support this notion. The new graphics accelerator doesn’t perform quite as badly as Nvidia’s tactic would suggest, but none of the testers want to praise it either. Why? Easy: it simply won’t last.

Okay performance increase, but too little memory

W1zzard from Techpowerup writes that the RTX 5060 is 26 per cent faster than the RTX 4060 in classic Rasterizer games at 1080p resolution. Compared to other cards from the Blackwell generation, that’s a major increase in performance. Next to the RTX 3060, however, it’s only up by 45 per cent. Historically, double the performance over two generations has been the norm.

Steven Walton from Techspot sees the increase in performance compared to the predecessor similarly. In his tests, it’s up 22 per cent at 1080p resolution and 27 per cent at 1440p. However, Walton and W1zzard both believe the RTX 5060 should only be used for 1080p gaming. This is due to the limited graphics memory at eight gigabytes, which already isn’t enough for maximum details in certain titles – all the more true if you want to play ray tracing games.

Digital Foundry’s test takes a similar stance: graphics cards with eight gigabytes of memory aren’t a good idea in 2025. Although the RTX 5060 is a passable card after some tweaking, it simply has too many hangups. In addition to the minimal memory, there’s the PCIe 5.0 x8 interface, say, which severely limits you on a motherboard with a PCIe 3.0 slot. Alternatively, the RX 9060 XT will release soon, which looks much better on paper.

Great value for money, but there's a catch

At first glance, Walton considers the price decent value for money. One frame on the RTX 5060 costs just 5.35 US dollars at the recommended retail price. Only Intel’s Arc B580 and AMD’s RX 9070 can beat that. W1zzard also attests to the card’s excellent value for money. However, both emphasise the limited memory, which will cloud the current good picture in the future. It’s why neither can really recommend the card.

Good efficiency

Only W1zzard addresses the card’s efficiency. He writes that the RTX 5060 requires little power in idle mode compared to other cards in the RTX 50 series. When gaming, the GPU itself draws a maximum of 145 watts.

Header image: Screenshot Youtube / HardwareUnboxed

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Kevin Hofer

Senior Editor

kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.ch

From big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.

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