If you don’t take into account the performance gains from DLSS with multiple frame generation, all the top 50-series positions, with the exception of the flagship GeForce RTX 5090, have made only a formal step forward compared to their predecessors and are more like the corresponding models of the previous generation with the double SUPER prefix than fundamentally new products. GeForce RTX 5060 Ti, which continued the series of NVIDIA releases last time, left the impression that it couldn’t get any worse. And that’s true – it got better!
⇡#Specifications, prices
The GeForce RTX 5060 is based on the GB206 GPU that debuted in the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti, but the younger model’s die only contains 30 active SMs out of 36, which means a difference of 768 FP32-capable shader ALUs. In addition, the GPU clock speeds have been reduced to 2,280 and 2,497 MHz (base and game clocks, respectively). As a result, there is a 24% gap in theoretical performance between the GeForce RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti. However, if we take the base version of the GeForce RTX 4060 as a starting point, we are talking about an impressive 27% increase in FP32 throughput. Among other 50-series devices, only the GeForce RTX 5090 can boast such intergenerational progress.
The VRM configuration of the GeForce RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti is identical: both graphics cards use GDDR7 chips with a bandwidth of 28 Gbps on a 128-bit bus. This means that the GeForce RTX 5060 also has a 65% advantage over the RTX 4060 in terms of total memory bandwidth.
The RTX 5060 has a reference power consumption of 145W, which is significantly higher than the RTX 4060, which has a power reserve of 115W.
NVIDIA released the GeForce RTX 5060 at the same recommended price as the GeForce RTX 4060 – $299, and the minimum price on the Russian market during the review was 32,499 rubles – slightly higher than the RTX 4060. We will test the GeForce RTX 5060 using the example of a Palit video card under the Infinity 3 brand, which is one of the most affordable partner versions of the RTX 5060 with a price starting at 33,799 rubles.
⇡#Design
The graphics card takes up the space of two expansion slots in the PC case, but its 292 mm length allows for three fans with an impeller diameter of 82 mm to be placed under the cooling system casing. The device lacks any LED backlighting.
Due to the fact that the accelerator’s printed circuit board is much smaller than the full dimensions of the Palit GeForce RTX 5060 Infinity 3, half of the radiator is blown through through the grille in the protective plate on the back side of the PCB.
The GeForce RTX 5060 uses the same radiator as the RTX 5060 Ti model of the same name, but two of the three 6 mm heat pipes remain. The GPU crystal is covered with a copper base, under which the heat pipes converge, and the GDDR7 chips and transistor assemblies of the power supply system transfer heat to plates soldered directly to the fins of the radiator.
The backplate on the Palit GeForce RTX 5060 Infinity 3 is plastic, so it does not help cool the PCB.
⇡#Printed circuit board
Despite the superficial similarity with the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti PCB in the Palit Infinity 3 version, the PCB of the junior model has pads for only six GPU power phases, and four of them are used. The VRM of the graphics processor is equipped with an Alpha & Omega AOZ73004CQI PWM controller and Vishay SIC653A power stages with a rated current of 50 A. The power supply for the video memory chips is two-phase.
The GDDR7 chips themselves, manufactured by Samsung and marked K4VAF325ZC-SC28, operate at a standard speed of 28 Gbps.
The printed circuit board lacks a backup BIOS chip with alternative settings for clock frequencies or rotation speed of the cooling system fans.
⇡#Test stand, testing methodology
In most games, the average and minimum (we report the 1st percentile of the distribution) frame rates are derived from an array of individual frame rendering times or the instantaneous frame rate obtained using a built-in benchmark. The exceptions are games that do not have a built-in benchmark and most tests that use frame generation: in these cases, we use OCAT to capture interframe intervals.
The power of video cards is recorded separately from the CPU and other PC components using the NVIDIA PCAT device. For load tests, the Cyberpunk 2077 game is used with maximum graphics quality settings and ray tracing enabled or disabled at maximum screen resolution (up to 3840 × 2160, depending on the amount of video memory). All parameters are measured after the video card has warmed up, when the temperature and clock frequencies have stabilized.
⇡#Test participants
The following video cards took part in performance testing:
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (2280/2497 MHz, 28 Gbps, 8 GB);
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti (2407/2572 MHz, 28 Gbps, 8 GB);
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti (2407/2572 MHz, 28 Gbps, 16 GB);
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (2325/2512 MHz, 28 Gbps, 12 GB);
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (1830/2460 MHz, 17 Gbps, 8 GB);
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti (2310/2550 MHz, 18 Gbps, 8 GB);
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (1920/2475 MHz, 21 Gbps, 12 GB);
- AMD Radeon RX 9070 (1440/2700 MHz, 20 Gbps, 16 GB);
- AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (2029/2810 MHz, 18 Gbps, 16 GB);
- AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (1700/2544 MHz, 18 Gbps, 12 GB).
Approx. The basic and Boost-frequency GPUs are indicated in the brackets.
⇡#Clock speeds, power consumption, temperature, noise and overclocking
The Palit GeForce RTX 5060 reaches a power consumption of 142W under gaming load, which is in line with the reference specifications. The GB206 GPU maintains a relatively low clock speed of 2.65 GHz.
The temperature of the GPU and VRAM chips does not exceed 70 °C. The cooling system of Palit Infinity 3 works quietly, but among budget video cards there are models with a lower noise level.
Despite the fact that the test modification of the GeForce RTX 5060 does not allow for increasing the GPU power reserve, the video card overclocks perfectly. The actual clock frequency of the GPU in the gaming test increased by 361-393 MHz, and the GDDR7 chips reached a bandwidth of 34 Gbps. Overclocking did not have a practically significant effect on the power consumption, component temperature, and the noise level of the cooling system.
⇡#Game tests (1920 × 1080)
The GeForce RTX 5060 handled most of our test games at maximum graphics quality in 1080p mode. Only in the most resource-intensive titles did the average frame rate drop below 60 FPS.
In comparative terms, the GeForce RTX 5060 outperforms the budget graphics cards of the previous generation, the GeForce RTX 4060 and Radeon RX 7600 XT, by 29 and 17%. The lack of VRAM in the GeForce RTX 5060 is evident in selected games, but does not have a big impact on the average ratings: the RTX 5060 Ti versions with 8 and 16 GB of video memory outperform the new product by 13 and 17%, respectively. Among the formally outdated NVIDIA offerings, the closest analogue of the new product is the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti with the same VRAM: the difference is only 5% FPS in favor of the GeForce RTX 5060.
⇡#Game tests (2560 × 1440)
In games at 1440p resolution on maximum settings, the GeForce RTX 5060 most often does not allow you to count on a comfortable frame rate of 60 FPS. The only exceptions are the most undemanding titles.
The average performance of the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti in modifications with 8 and 16 GB of VRAM exceeds the results of the RTX 5060 by 16 and 20%, respectively. At the same time, the RTX 5060 turned out to be 28 and 16% faster than the GeForce RTX 4060 and Radeon RX 7600 XT, and surpasses the younger version of the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti by 4% FPS.
⇡#Game tests (3840 × 2160)
None of the budget graphics cards in this comparison are suitable for comfortable 4K gaming, at least not without aggressively reducing graphics quality or upscaling frames.
However, judging by the results of those competitors of the GeForce RTX 5060 that have 16 GB of VRAM, the new product could have achieved an acceptable frame rate in some titles if not for the lack of video memory. Thus, the GeForce RTX 4060 lags behind the RTX 5060 by 17% FPS, and the Radeon RX 7600 XT – by only 2%. In turn, the 8-gigabyte modification of the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti outperforms the RTX 5060 by 16% FPS, and the 16-gigabyte one – by 46%. The average performance of the GeForce RTX 5060 and RTX 4060 Ti with 8 GB of video memory is almost the same.
⇡#Ray-traced gaming tests
Without frame scaling, the GeForce RTX 5060 allows you to count on a comfortable frame rate of 60 FPS only at a resolution of 1080p and in the most forgiving titles.
In such conditions, the amount of video memory significantly limits the capabilities of the GeForce RTX 5060. At various screen resolutions, the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti with 8 GB of VRAM outperforms the younger model by 7–16%, and the RTX 5060 Ti with 16 GB of video memory by 94–250%.
The advantage of the GeForce RTX 5060 over the RTX 4060 has shrunk to no more than 13%, and in some games the last-generation accelerator even outperforms its successor. The difference between the GeForce RTX 5060 and RTX 4060 Ti is 3-18% depending on the screen resolution. Finally, the Radeon RX 7600 XT has twice the VRAM of the RTX 5060, but in most games it is no match for the new NVIDIA product.
⇡#Gaming tests with ray tracing and frame scaling
Balanced upscaling allowed the GeForce RTX 5060 to reach 60 FPS+ in hybrid titles at resolutions up to 1440p, but fully raytraced games (with the exception of Alan Wak 2 at 1080p) require more aggressive scaling.
Compared to the GeForce RTX 4060, the 60th model’s performance increased by 8-19%, and the average advantage of the RTX 4060 Ti over the RTX 5060 does not exceed 5%. As for the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti, the model with 8 GB of video memory outperforms the GeForce RTX 5060 by 14-17, and the 16 GB modification by 25-79%. Thanks to the fact that upscaling reduced the requirements for VRAM, the GeForce RTX 5060 demonstrated a confident advantage over the Radeon RX 7600 XT by 22-45% FPS.
⇡#Overclocked gaming tests
Overclocking the GeForce RTX 5060 by Palit resulted in a 12% increase in gaming performance. This is an excellent result, especially considering that the increased frequencies did not affect the graphics card’s power consumption or the noise level of the cooling system.
⇡#Tests in production applications
Neither the GPU computing power nor the video memory capacity allow us to consider the GeForce RTX 5060 as an accelerator for professional tasks. Nevertheless, we will give a brief commentary on the performance of the new product in a number of work applications.
Surprisingly, Blender didn’t find a significant difference between the GeForce RTX 5060 and RTX 4060 in the hardware ray tracing test, and the older model even leads when rendering on shader ALUs. However, it was the hardware RT logic that allowed the GeForce RTX 5060 to take its place next to the Radeon RX 9070.
The Premiere Pro video transcoding benchmark, on the other hand, revealed a noticeable advantage for the GeForce RTX 5060 over the previous-generation 60 models. Thanks to its powerful hardware media codec, the RTX 5060 is not far behind the older 50-series models (up to the RTX 5070).
Premiere Pro’s GPU effects test also favors the GeForce RTX 5060, with the new model disproportionately outperforming the GeForce RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti.
The DaVinci Resolve transcoding test scores are affected by the hardware media codec, so the GeForce RTX 5060 confidently outperforms the last-gen 60 models and approaches the RTX 5060 Ti and RTX 5070 in results.
DaVinci Resolve’s GPU effects welcome more powerful GPUs than the GB206, but the GeForce RTX 5060 once again significantly outperforms the GeForce RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti.
The SPECviewperf benchmark is a formality for the GeForce RTX 5060: in addition to the weak GPU, the performance of the new product is limited by the drivers of consumer NVIDIA graphics cards, which lack the optimizations needed by certain CAD applications.
⇡#Video encoding / decoding
The junior model of the 50th series has the same NVDEC block as all senior accelerators on Blackwell chips. As a result, when decoding most combinations of video format and resolution, the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti outperforms competing solutions from AMD and Intel.
In turn, the NVENC hardware encoder has the same bandwidth as the GB205 GPU, which gives an advantage to competitors when working with high-resolution HEVC and AV1 video.
⇡#Performance per watt
The specific performance of video cards is calculated based on the results of gaming benchmarks in modes suitable for budget models: 1440p without ray tracing, as well as with ray tracing and frame scaling.
TSMC produces Blackwell chips using the same 5 nm process technology as the previous generation of “green” GPUs. So it’s no surprise that the GeForce RTX 5060 outperforms the old 60 models in terms of energy efficiency by no more than 7%. But if we take the Radeon RX 7600 XT as a starting point, we’re talking about an advantage of 32 or 79% in performance per watt (in rasterized and traced games, respectively).
⇡#Summary results of gaming tests without ray tracing
⇡#Summary results of gaming tests with ray tracing
⇡#Summary results of gaming tests with ray tracing and frame scaling
⇡#Conclusions
After getting acquainted with the senior models of the 50th series, we treated the GeForce RTX 5060 with the usual skepticism and did not dare to expect that at least in the economy class NVIDIA would provide a noticeable increase in performance per dollar. However, the test results speak for themselves: in suitable conditions (screen resolution of 1080p or 1440p), the GeForce RTX 5060 was 28-29% faster than the RTX 4060 without ray tracing, and with ray tracing and frame scaling – 18-19%. Let us recall that the GeForce RTX 4060 at one time achieved at most 15% compared to the RTX 3060.
However, it should be noted that back in 2021, the GeForce RTX 3060 could offer 12 GB of video memory, while the next 60th models are content with 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 5060 is designed for games mainly in 1080p mode, so the problem of VRAM shortage is not acute, but, judging by the results in individual titles, it already exists. In addition, the lack of video memory sometimes leads to the fact that the GeForce RTX 5060 not only does not surpass the RTX 4060, but even lags behind the old model for unknown reasons, be it driver flaws or the specifics of the Blackwell architecture.
The GeForce RTX 5060 has the same recommended price of $299 as the RTX 4060. In Russia, the RTX 5060 also turned out to be slightly more expensive than its predecessor and will certainly be in demand by gamers with a limited budget. It remains to compare the new product with the Radeon RX 9060 XT, which went on sale a few days ago and is sold at sharply inflated prices.
As for the Palit Infinity 3 accelerator, which represents the GeForce RTX 5060 in the review, it works quietly (though not as quietly as other devices with a TBP of up to 150 W) and overclocks very productively without increasing the power reserve: we managed to squeeze 12% additional performance out of the video card.