The little sister of the Nvidia RTX 5000 family is not far away: the RTX 5060 arrives on May 19th with all the new features inherent to the new generation, a rather reasonable price... and still the same uncomfortable questions about the relevance of this entry-level model.
As expected, it will benefit from the main innovations of this latest generation, starting with the inclusion of DLSS4 with Multi Frame Generation. As a reminder, this is a new version of the feature that injects synthetic frames, generated by an AI model instead of being calculated by the game engine, into the rendering pipeline. Even if the quality isn't always there (latency, visual artifacts, etc.), this still allows you to considerably increase the number of frames per second.
The benefit of this feature isn't always obvious on high-end models, which are already powerful enough to aim for high frame rates without compromising on quality. But it's already more useful on entry-level models, which have more difficulty aiming for optimal fluidity.
Only 8 GB of VRAM
And this is likely to be particularly true with this RTX 5060, which remains rather modest in terms of raw power. Count on 3840 CUDA cores, almost 800 fewer than the 5060 Ti released last month... and above all, only 8 GB of VRAM.
Sure, this is the new GDDR7, significantly faster than the GDDR6 and GDDR6X of previous generations. But this very limited volume is still likely to raise some eyebrows. Based on these figures, there is a good chance that this card will start to suffocate when confronted with recent titles, in high quality and at 1440p resolution.
We can therefore legitimately question its relevance in the current ecosystem; is it really worth investing in a new card to play in 1080p? Even if it means sacrificing resolution, many gamers will probably prefer to wait until the release of the RTX 5050, expected in the second quarter.
A recommended price that could explode
Another potentially problematic point: the price. The base price, set at $299, fortunately remains quite reasonable. But in reality, the bill tends to be significantly higher. The economic context must also be taken into account. It is not out of the question that the customs duties implemented by the Trump administration will push the bill well beyond this reference price.
So we'll see you in a little less than two weeks to find out what gamers are in for. Who knows; maybe it will be the pleasant surprise of this generation which, until now, hasn't exactly been a hit...
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