Nvidia unveiled the RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti in April 2025, and now the more budget-friendly RTX 5060 is hitting the market, following a reveal at Computex.
Priced at a starting point of $299, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 comes equipped with 3,840 CUDA cores spread across 30 Streaming Multiprocessors, making it a solid choice for 1080p gaming. Nvidia boasts that the RTX 5060 can achieve impressive performance at this resolution, such as reaching 223 fps in Doom: The Dark Ages at 1080p with maximum settings and 4x multi-frame generation.
The key feature Nvidia is highlighting with this new generation of GPUs is Multi-Frame Generation. Even though the RTX 5060 is the entry-level model, it fully supports this technology along with the entire DLSS 4 suite. However, with only 30 SMs, there are still limits to what DLSS can achieve.
It's worth noting that the $299 price is just a starting point. While some models will be available at this price, many versions of the RTX 5060 will be pricier, often featuring enhancements like factory overclocking and RGB lighting.
Reviews Are Coming... Later
Despite the RTX 5060 being a relatively affordable option—provided the $299 MSRP remains consistent—it's wise to hold off on purchasing until performance reviews are available. Nvidia's performance claims are based on Multi-Frame Generation being enabled, and actual performance will only be clear once we can test it in the lab.
Unfortunately, there will be a delay in getting these reviews. Unlike previous launches like the RTX 5090, Nvidia isn't providing an early driver to the press, meaning reviews won't be available for the first week or so after the GPU's release. The RTX 5060 is expected to be a capable 1080p graphics card, but the broader Blackwell series has shown challenges in generational performance improvements.
It's possible that the RTX 5060 might exhibit a similar performance uplift as the RTX 5070 did over its predecessor, especially in traditional gaming without frame generation. When I inquired about the performance increase compared to the RTX 4060, Nvidia claimed the 5060 could deliver up to double the performance with frame generation enabled, but only about a 20% increase in games without ray tracing or frame generation—and that's in the best-case scenario.
As with any high-cost tech purchase, my recommendation is to wait for reviews before making a decision, ensuring you're getting the best value for your money. Those reviews are on their way, but they might take a few days to arrive.