Nvidia RTX 5060 Launched: Consider Waiting Before Buying

Nvidia unveiled the RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti in April 2025, and the more budget-friendly RTX 5060 is now hitting the market, following an announcement at Computex.

Priced at a starting point of $299, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 packs 3,840 CUDA cores across 30 Streaming Multiprocessors, making it well-suited for 1080p gaming. Nvidia boasts that the RTX 5060 can deliver impressive performance at this resolution. For example, they claim it can achieve 223 fps in Doom: The Dark Ages at 1080p with max settings, albeit with multi-frame generation set to 4x.

The key feature Nvidia is promoting with this new generation of GPUs is Multi-Frame Generation, and the RTX 5060, despite being the most affordable option, fully supports this along with the entire DLSS 4 technology suite. However, with only 30 SMs, there are limits to what DLSS can achieve.

It's important to note that the $299 price is just the starting point. While some models will be available at this entry-level price, many RTX 5060 variants will be pricier, often featuring extras like factory-tuned overclocking and RGB lighting.

Reviews Are Coming... Later

Even though the RTX 5060 is relatively affordable, especially if the $299 MSRP is maintained, it's wise to hold off on purchasing until performance reviews are available. Nvidia's performance claims are impressive but are based on tests with Multi-Frame Generation enabled. Without independent reviews, we won't know the real-world performance until it's tested in labs.

Unfortunately, we'll need to wait a bit longer for those reviews. Unlike previous launches in this generation, such as the RTX 5090, Nvidia isn't providing an early driver to the press. This means there won't be many reviews in the first week or so of the RTX 5060's release. The RTX 5060 is likely to be a solid 1080p graphics card, but the rest of the Blackwell lineup has shown limited generational improvement.

There's a chance the RTX 5060 will see a performance increase similar to what the RTX 5070 achieved over its predecessor, especially in traditional gaming without frame generation. When I inquired about the performance gain over the RTX 4060, Nvidia stated that the 5060 could potentially double its performance with frame generation enabled, but only about 20% in games without ray tracing or frame generation – and that's under optimal conditions.

As with any costly tech purchase, it's advisable to wait for reviews before making a decision, ensuring you get the best value for your money. Those reviews are on their way, but they might take a few days to surface.