NVIDIA's RTX 5060 GPUs are official — $299 starting price, massive performance gains

NVIDIA's RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti desktop graphics cards are finally official after weeks of leaks and rumors.

The new entry-level "Blackwell" GPUs join the established stable, which already includes the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070.

Rather than launching just two XX60 cards, NVIDIA has three headed our way. The 5060 Ti comes in 8GB and 16GB versions set to launch on April 16, with the RTX 5060 (non-Ti) expected sometime in May.

The info most enthusiasts have been waiting for — the price — is set, with the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB hitting markets with a $429 MSRP. The RTX 5060 Ti 8GB drops to $379, while the RTX 5060 sits at $299.

These prices are lower than I was expecting, and that could be good or bad news depending on how you look at it.

NVIDIA has had trouble keeping up with demand for its other RTX 50-series GPUs despite prices well above MSRP, and the XX60 cards have always been the most popular.

Compared to the RTX 4060 Ti with 8GB of VRAM, the 5060 Ti with 8GB comes in at $20 less. And comparing the 4060 Ti with 16GB to the new 5060 Ti with 16GB of VRAM, you're looking at a $70 discount.

As for the RTX 5060, it enters the market at the same $299 price as the RTX 4060.

Here's a look at the specs of the new RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti as compared to their 40-series counterparts.

NVIDIA is really playing up the DLSS 4 enhancements here, comparing the 5060 and 5060 Ti to other XX60 cards.

While non-DLSS performance is more of a natural increase, the following graph shows a massive increase with DLSS 4 active.

NVIDIA also showed off latency in relation to framerates generated with DLSS.

Using popular games like Hogwarts Legacy, Alan Wake 2, Cyberpunk 2077, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, and more, it's evident that the massive performance boost from DLSS 4's Multi Frame Generation (MFG) isn't causing extra latency.

Compared to the RTX 4060 Ti, the RTX 5060 Ti slips in just behind, shaving off a few milliseconds.

NVIDIA also presented a similar chart for the RTX 5060's DLSS performance and latency. Again, it pulls ahead of its predecessors.

NVIDIA tested another set of games (with some crossover with the last chart) with the RTX 5060, using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU and a 1080p display.

With DLSS Quality mode selected and the maximum amount of frame generation compatible with each title in place, it's clear that the RTX 5060 is more than capable of handling demanding modern titles.

The review embargo for the RTX 5060 Ti falls on April 16, the same day as launch.

How these cards actually perform in the hands of gamers will be revealed then.

Who should buy an RTX 5060 or RTX 5060 Ti?

NVIDIA's staggered RTX 5000 release saw the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 launch first on January 30, 2025, followed by the RTX 5070 Ti on February 20 and the (delayed) RTX 5070 on March 5.

Windows Central Senior Editor Ben Wilson reviewed the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080, noting that the two most powerful GPUs are overkill for the average PC gamer.

👉 Related: Where to buy NVIDIA RTX 5090 and RTX 5080

The RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti are NVIDIA's upper mid-tier cards, with the latter capable of dabbling in 4K but being much more comfortable at 1440p.

NVIDIA has now arrived at its XX60 "Blackwell" GPUs; the RTX 5060 Ti and RTX 5060.

This tier has proven to be NVIDIA's best seller in past generations, and that won't likely change for this series.

A quick look at Steam's Hardware survey for February 2025 shows the RTX 4060 at the top of the list for most used GPU, followed by the RTX 3060 and RTX 4060 Ti.

NVIDIA's XX60 cards have traditionally offered the right price-to-performance ratio to remain very attractive, and that'll prove to be especially important in the current GPU market.

The RTX 5000 GPUs that NVIDIA has released so far have experienced severe stock shortages, scalped prices, and an unrealistic MSRP, so flooding the market with more affordable cards that are actually in stock would no doubt work out well for NVIDIA.

Fear of not having enough VRAM for modern titles doesn't seem to have slowed RTX 4060 sales, but it remains to be seen how buyers react to the RTX 5060's 8GB of VRAM.

At least, for those who want to future-proof as best as possible despite NVIDIA's claims that VRAM matters less with DLSS 4, the RTX 4060 Ti comes in a 16GB variant.

Is NVIDIA launching an RTX 5050?

Leaks and rumors in the weeks before the GDC 2025 announcement pointed to NVIDIA also unveiling an RTX 5050 model alongside the new 5060 cards.

However, those rumors didn't pan out.

Some of the confusion likely came from the fact that it was undetermined if NVIDIA was unveiling three RTX 5060 GPUs, splitting the 5060 Ti into 8GB and 16GB variants.

I'm still expecting to see an RTX 5050 pop up sometime in the near future, acting as an affordable option for those who want to take advantage of all DLSS 4 improvements without overspending.

NVIDIA RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti FAQ

Here's where you can find some quick answers for the most pressing questions surrounding the new NVIDIA RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti GPUs.