In NVIDIA’s most recent lineup, the GeForce RTX 5060 is a mid-range product that aims to bridge the gap between the well-liked RTX 4060 and the more expensive RTX 4060 Ti. Built on the GB206 architecture, this card offers substantial improvements in shader count and memory bandwidth, yet it is saddled with a limited 8GB of VRAM.
As developers push modern titles to demand ever more resources, the adequacy of 8GB remains a contentious point. We’ll examine the RTX 5060’s specifications, our testing methodology, its performance across a diverse slate of games at both 1080p and 1440p resolutions, and the real-world value proposition when you factor in MSRP and street pricing.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Specifications
The RTX 5060 is built on the same GB206 silicon as the 5060 Ti, featuring an 181mm² die with 21.9 billion transistors. NVIDIA disables 17% of the cores to arrive at the 5060 variant, yet you still get 25% more cores than the RTX 4060. Memory bandwidth sees a striking 65% uplift through the use of 28 Gbits per second GDDR7, pushing throughput to 448GB/s.
Regrettably, the model ships with only 8GB of VRAM on a narrow PCIe 5.0×8 interface. While the bus width can be a bottleneck on PCIe 5.0 systems, it becomes downright prohibitive on older PCIe 3.0 platforms. Such constraints set the stage for mixed results in memory heavy titles.
Test System and Methodology
For consistency, we tested the RTX 5060 on an AM5 platform built around a Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, paired with G.Skill Trident Z5 DDR5-6000 CL30 memory and a high-performance NVMe SSD. We waited until official NVIDIA drivers were publicly available to ensure real world relevance.
Throughout our benchmarking suite, we prioritized the Epic preset at 1080p and Maximum Quality at 1440p, where VRAM allowed, and noted when frame-time stuttering or texture pop-in indicated memory exhaustion. Every title was run multiple times to smooth out variances, and averages were reported for clarity.
1080p Gaming Performance
In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the RTX 5060 delivered just 48fps on average, mirroring the performance of the older RTX 3060 Ti and trailing the RTX 4060 Ti by a significant margin. Here, the 8GB VRAM cap precludes Epic preset play, choking at texture loads and forcing me back to High-quality presets for a stable experience.
Moving to Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Remastered, we observed 45fps at 1080p with Epic settings—on par with both the RTX 4060 Ti and RTX 3070. While 25% faster than the RTX 4060, the card still ran into VRAM limits when pushing textures at 1440p, yielding 34fps with 1% lows dipping to 18fps. In such scenarios, I advise stepping down presets rather than relying on the RTX 5060’s fragile 8 GB buffer.
In Delta Force, the card shone more brightly, mustering 138fps at 1080p—even if that still only reflects RTX 3060 Ti class performance. At 1440p, the RTX 5060 sat between the RTX 3060 Ti and RTX 3070 but remained closer to the 3060 Ti in absolute terms. This game’s lighter texture footprint allowed me to maintain High settings without hiccups.
Turning to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, the RTX 5060 rendered 47fps at 1080p on Medium presets—again matching an RTX 3060 Ti and registering only a 9% boost over the 4060. When We tried 1440p, the 8GB VRAM limit led to a disastrous 6fps average, effectively precluding higher resolution play.
In esports centric titles like Counter Strike 2, the 5060 proved itself a capable contender. At 1080p on Medium, I saw 370fps on average—27% faster than the 4060 and matching the RTX 3070. The 1440p result of 370fps likewise outpaced the Radeon 7700 XT by a slim margin, making the 5060 a solid pick for competitive gamers on a budget.
1080p Continued: AAA and Modern Titles
AAA blockbusters revealed the strengths and weaknesses of the 5060 in equal measure. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 ran at 100fps on average at 1080p—23% faster than the RTX 4060 and emulating a Radeon 7700 XT light experience. Star Wars Jedi Survivor produced 95fps, slotting into RTX 4060 Ti and RTX 3070 territory, and outperformed the RTX 4060 by 30%. Meanwhile, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 yielded a mere 75fps at 1080p, only 10% better than the RTX 4060 and 7% behind the RTX 3070.
Next gen RPGs like A Plague Tale: Requiem showed a modest 5% boost over the RTX 3070, yet 36% ahead of the RTX 4060 at 1080p. Starfield was less impressive, matching the RTX 3060 Ti at 55fps. Open world behemoths such as Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty averaged 100fps with DLSS Quality at 1080p, equating to RTX 4060 Ti performance and outpacing the RTX 4060 by 28%. God of War Ragnarök surprised me with 128fps—a 45% uplift over the RTX 4060, though that margin narrowed at 1440p.
Dying Light 2: Stay Human on DX11 registered RTX 3070 class performance at 1080p, matching the 4060 Ti. Dragon Age: The Veilguard posed a challenge with just 68fps, making the RTX 5060 only 11% faster than the RTX 4060 and notably slower than both the RTX 3070 and RTX 4060 Ti.
Marvel’s Spider Man Remastered offered 159fps on average, letting the RTX 5060 edge past the RTX 4060 Ti and RTX 3070 by 25%. Finally, Hogwarts Legacy ran at 101fps—44% faster than the RTX 4060, despite some minor bottlenecks at 1440p.
1440p Gaming Performance
When We stepped up to 1440p, VRAM limits loomed large across most titles. The RTX 5060 still matched RTX 3070 and RTX 4060 Ti performance in many cases, but texture pop in and stuttering became more frequent. The Last of Us Part I broke the card entirely on Ultra settings, as the 8GB buffer failed to sustain consistent frame rates, while Star Wars Outlaws only managed 31fps at 1440p.
In ray tracing workloads, the RTX 5060’s modest power and tiny VRAM buffer made immersive visuals impractical. Alan Wake II with RT averaged just 36fps at 1080p using DLSS Quality, and 1440p was simply impossible. Cyberpunk 2077 with Ultra RT at an upscaled 1080p resolution hit around 60fps—again, only viable thanks to DLSS. Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered with RT maxed delivered 112fps at 1080p and 109fps at 1440p, almost matching the performance of an RTX 4070. Dying Light 2 with RT saw 72fps at an upscaled 1080p resolution but dropped to 48fps at 1440p.
Cost Per Frame: MSRP vs. Retail Pricing
At MSRP, if all cards were sold at sticker price, the RTX 5060 would represent a $5.35 cost per frame, 21% better than the RTX 4060 and 30% better than the RTX 3060. However, real markets rarely adhere to MSRP. In the US, the RTX 5060 currently lists at $330 on Newegg, approximately 10% over the MSRP.
In practice, this makes it roughly 8% better value than the Radeon 7800 XT, which packs 16GB of VRAM and avoids memory-related issues. Compared to the outgoing RX 7600 stock, the RTX 5060 is 14% better value, and versus the remaining RTX 4060 inventory, it is 21% better value.
Yet, value is more than just dollars per frame. With only 8GB of VRAM, you face texture pop in, stuttering, and outright unplayable scenarios in demanding titles at higher resolutions. If you focus solely on esports or less taxing titles, the RTX 5060 can be a defensible choice. But for future proofing and AAA content beyond 1080p, the lack of memory headroom undermines long term value.
Value Proposition
Overall, the RTX 5060 delivers respectable 1080p performance and, in esports titles, can rival much pricier hardware. It often matches or slightly exceeds RTX 3070 and 4060 Ti performance in rasterized workloads at 1080p and in some ray traced scenarios. However, the 8 GB VRAM limitation and narrow PCIe 5.0×8 interface ensure that, at 1440p or with Ultra settings, you’ll encounter texture absences and stuttering that spoil immersion.
If you’re seeking a budget esports card for 1080p play on Medium or High settings, the 5060 could scratch that itch. But if you aim for richer visual fidelity and higher resolutions or intend to keep your GPU for several years, you’ll want at least 12 GB of VRAM and a wider bus.
As it stands, the RTX 5060 feels like an on sale RTX 4060 Ti offering a 25% discount rather than an actual generational upgrade. You’ll find better long term value in the used market or by waiting for competitors to bring 12 GB options to the table. In 2025, 8 GB above the $200 price point is simply insufficient for a modern AAA gaming experience, regardless of how compelling the core counts and bandwidth may appear on paper.
Check Our Other NVIDIA Articles:
- GeForce RTX 5090 Unleashed: Is NVIDIA’s New Flagship the Ultimate 4K Gaming GPU?
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Review (2025): Still A 4K Gaming Powerhouse?
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Super Performance In Cyberpunk 2077: Path Tracing & DLSS 4.0 Tested
- RTX 5090 Performance Testing In GTA 5 – 1080p, 1440p, and 4K Max Settings Benchmark
- RTX 5090 Laptop Vs. M4 Max MacBook Pro: Ultimate Raw Performance Vs. Battery Endurance
- NVIDIA RTX 5070 Review: Mid-Range Muscle or Marketing Hype?
- RTX 5070 Ti Review: Performance, Thermals & Power Efficiency Tested
- Asus ROG RTX 5090 Astral OC Vs. Founders Edition: The 4K Gaming Benchmark
- ASUS ROG Astral RTX 5090 OC Edition Review: 32GB GDDR7 & 4K Gaming Benchmark
- ASUS GeForce RTX 5090 LC Liquid Cooled GPU Review: Unmatched Silence & Speed
