Nvidia is expanding its RTX 50-series reach into the mainstream PC gaming segment, officially announcing the GeForce RTX 5060 family. This introduction arrives after the reveal of the higher-end RTX 5090 and 5080 models during CES 2025 earlier this year. Kicking off the new wave is the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti, set to be available starting April 16th. It launches first in a 16GB GDDR7 configuration carrying a $429 price tag, while an 8GB GDDR7 variant at $379 will follow shortly afterwards, according to Nvidia.
Looking ahead to May, the baseline GeForce RTX 5060 is scheduled for release, equipped with 8GB of GDDR7 memory and priced at $299. May also marks the debut of the first laptops featuring the mobile RTX 5060 GPU, with models from vendors including Acer, Asus, Dell, Gigabyte, HP, Lenovo, MSI, and Razer expected to start at $1,099 and incorporating Blackwell Max-Q technologies for mobile efficiency.
Blackwell Architecture Meets the Mid-Range
These new graphics cards bring Nvidia’s Blackwell architecture, the company’s latest GPU design focused on enhancing AI computations and ray tracing efficiency, to more accessible price points. Underpinning the RTX 5060 Ti is the GB206-300-A1 graphics processor.
The chip includes 4,608 CUDA cores for general parallel processing tasks, supported by specialized hardware: 144 Tensor cores optimized for AI operations like DLSS, and 36 RT cores dedicated to accelerating ray tracing calculations. The configuration also features 144 Texture Mapping Units and 48 Render Output Units, crucial components in the graphics pipeline.
Clock speeds for the 5060 Ti range from a 2.4GHz base frequency up to a 2.57GHz boost clock. An interesting technical detail, noted in leaked GPU-Z information, is the card’s use of a PCIe 5.0 x8 interface; while this provides half the lanes of a full x16 slot, it’s generally considered sufficient bandwidth for GPUs in this performance tier.
The RTX 5060 Ti has a Total Graphics Power (TGP) — the expected maximum power draw for the card itself — rated at 180W. The standard RTX 5060 uses a slightly scaled-back configuration with 3,840 CUDA cores and operates at a lower 145W TGP. Both cards adopt the faster GDDR7 memory standard, connected via a 128-bit bus, and feature DisplayPort 2.1 with UHBR20 support, enabling high-bandwidth connections needed for future 8K or high-refresh displays.
Nvidia is foregoing its own Founders Edition designs for these cards, meaning supply and specific models will come exclusively from board partners such as ASUS, Colorful, Gainward, GALAX, GIGABYTE, INNO3D, KFA2, MSI, Palit, PNY, and ZOTAC, as listed in the official announcement.
AI Features Take Center Stage
A major focus for the Blackwell generation is its suite of AI-driven graphics technologies, which the RTX 5060 family fully supports. DLSS 4 (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is the headline feature, especially its Multi-Frame Generation (MFG) component. This technique aims to multiply frame rates by generating up to three additional frames for every one traditionally rendered frame. This works alongside DLSS Super Resolution (AI upscaling) and Ray Reconstruction (AI denoising/enhancement for ray tracing), both now utilizing updated transformer AI models.
Nvidia stated during the January driver update reveal that the latest model (Preset K) provides “improved temporal stability, reduced ghosting, and enhanced detail in motion.” Further control comes via DLSS Overrides, a feature added through the Nvidia App in January, allowing users to force these newer AI models in many compatible games.
Exclusive to the RTX 50-series GPUs is Nvidia Smooth Motion AI. This is a distinct frame interpolation technology, separate from MFG, designed for DirectX 11 and 12 games that lack native Frame Generation support. When activated by the user, Smooth Motion analyzes two consecutive rendered frames and infers an intermediate frame, aiming to double the perceived fluidity, especially helpful when native frame rates are lower. System latency, a key factor in competitive gaming, is addressed by Nvidia Reflex, now updated to Reflex 2. This iteration employs predictive rendering techniques, dubbed Frame Warp, which Nvidia demonstrated at CES 2025 could potentially cut latency by up to 75 percent.
Performance Claims Meet Market Realities
Nvidia’s marketing emphasizes the performance multiplier effect of its AI features, often stating the RTX 5060 family offers “twice as fast” performance relative to the previous generation when these AI features are fully engaged.
Performance charts provided by Nvidia showcase this, with the RTX 5060 hitting figures like 148fps in Cyberpunk 2077 and 234fps in Hogwarts Legacy (at 1080p Max settings with Frame Generation), and similar ~2x gains shown for the RTX 5060 Ti versus the 4060 Ti in titles like Alan Wake 2 and Black Myth: Wukong under equivalent settings.
However, when considering traditional gaming performance without AI frame generation, Nvidia Senior Director Justin Walker provided more modest estimates during a press briefing reported by The Verge: “In a game that doesn’t support Multi Frame Gen, you’ll see about a 20-25 percent performance improvement gen over gen on the RTX 5060… You’ll see about 20 percent on the RTX 5060 Ti.” This baseline uplift aligns broadly with early leaked synthetic benchmarks for the 16GB 5060 Ti which pointed to roughly a 20% average gain over the 16GB 4060 Ti in tests like 3DMark.
The memory configuration, particularly the use of 8GB of VRAM on the $299 RTX 5060 and the base $379 RTX 5060 Ti model, has generated considerable discussion and criticism from tech commentators and gaming communities. Concerns focus on whether 8GB remains adequate for future high-texture, high-resolution gaming, especially with ray tracing enabled, and note that it represents a step back from the 12GB offered on the older RTX 3060. Addressing this, Walker framed it as a balancing act: “We are trying to optimize price and performance… When you get to a GPU like the RTX 5060, you have to look really hard at trade offs.” He also defended the pricing structure: “The RTX 2060 was $349, and that was years ago… The RTX 3060 was $329… I think you’ll find that $299 for a GPU is a pretty good price.” Complicating early comparisons, reports suggest Nvidia limited initial review samples of the 5060 Ti to the 16GB model, potentially delaying independent data on the 8GB version’s performance.
Availability and Target Audience
Nvidia clearly aims the RTX 5060 family at users looking to upgrade from older hardware, targeting what it describes as “over 50 million GeForce gamers using previous generation 60 Class and 50 Class graphics cards.” The company’s official messaging concludes that “By ensuring image quality, frame rates and latency are optimized, GeForce RTX 5060 Family graphics cards deliver a substantial upgrade to tens of millions of gamers.”
The staggered launch begins April 16th with the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, followed by the 8GB Ti variant, and then the RTX 5060 desktop card alongside RTX 5060 laptops in May. Prospective buyers will need to monitor availability from Nvidia’s partners and consider their system’s power supply capabilities alongside the ongoing VRAM debate.
