The RTX 5060 โ NVIDIA’s new entry-level to mid-range graphics card โ and its slightly beefier sibling, the RTX 5060 Ti, have been on the market for several months now. They’re readily available from major retailers like Currys, Scan, and Overclockers UK at prices hovering around ยฃ300 for the 5060 and roughly ยฃ400 for the Ti variant. These cards have quickly become firm favourites amongst gamers looking to boost their PC’s performance without breaking the bank.
If you’re contemplating picking up an RTX 5060 or RTX 5060 Ti, we’ve put both NVIDIA graphics cards through their paces and compiled a comprehensive review to help you decide which one best suits your needs.
What is the RTX 5060, and Why is it Causing Such a Stir?
Let’s start with the RTX 5060 โ the graphics card NVIDIA is positioning as the most accessible option in its new generation. The RTX 5060 is set to flood the market thanks to its launch price of just ยฃ299 (still the going rate for models from Gigabyte and ZOTAC), and it makes full use of the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture with hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-powered Multi Frame Generation.
It comes equipped with 8 GB GDDR7 VRAM, 32 MB of L2 cache, a 128-bit memory bus (~448 GB/s), and a theoretical performance of around 19 TFLOPS, all running on a power draw of just 145 W. Admittedly, that’s a notable jump from the RTX 4060’s 115 W โ roughly 25% more โ but that extra power consumption translates into considerable improvements in key technologies that significantly enhance overall performance.
This GPU is essentially tailor-made for gamers who want a genuinely capable PC without spending a fortune, and it’s also ideal for anyone looking to offload productivity tasks from their CPU. It’ll run the vast majority of games beautifully at 1080p Ultra or 1440p High settings, and deliver impressive results with demanding Adobe suite applications.
RTX 5060 vs. RTX 4060: What’s the Difference?
| RTX 5060 | RTX 4060 | |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Blackwell 2.0 | Ada Lovelace |
| CUDA Cores | 3840 | 3072 |
| VRAM | 8 GB GDDR7 (28 Gbps) | 8 GB GDDR6 (17 Gbps) |
| Memory Bus | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | ~448 GB/s | ~272 GB/s |
| Boost Clock Speed | 2.5 GHz | 2.5 GHz |
| Power Consumption | 145 W | 115 W |
| Launch Price | ยฃ299 | ยฃ299 |
๐ Click and Read More about: RTX 4060: A Complete Analysis of Performance, Efficiency and Price
RTX 5060 vs. RTX 5060 Ti: Key Differences
Given that the RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti launched simultaneously and their starting prices aren’t vastly different, many gamers and professionals might find it worthwhile to opt for the RTX 5060 Ti. Mind you, the 5060 Ti is rather more demanding in terms of power consumption, but it’s worth considering if you’re after roughly 20% more performance than the standard 5060 in both gaming and productivity โ particularly if you go for the 16 GB version.
| RTX 5060 | RTX 5060 Ti | |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Blackwell 2.0 | Blackwell 2.0 |
| CUDA Cores | 3840 | 4608 |
| VRAM | 8 GB GDDR7 (28 Gbps) | 8 GB / 16 GB GDDR7 (28 Gbps) |
| Memory Bus | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | ~448 GB/s | ~448 GB/s |
| Boost Clock Speed | ~2.50 GHz | ~2.57 GHz |
| Power Consumption | 145 W | 180 W |
| Launch Price | ยฃ299 | ยฃ379 (8 GB) / ยฃ429 (16 GB) |
Performance in Games and Creative Tasks
If you’re after a graphics card for gaming, the main distinction between the RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti comes down to the resolution at which they can deliver ultra-quality visuals. With the RTX 5060, you’ll comfortably game at 1080p HD resolution, whilst the RTX 5060 Ti can squeeze every last drop of graphical fidelity from games at 1440p โ that’s proper high-resolution gaming. Naturally, the rest of your system needs to keep pace as well.
As for productivity tasks, you’ll almost certainly prefer the RTX 5060 Ti with 16 GB for editing lengthy video projects, as it can deliver up to 25% more performance than the RTX 5060. Exports in Adobe Premiere can be up to 30% faster, and those 16 GB prevent stuttering when you’re working with massive files in Premiere, Illustrator or Photoshop.
For lighter workloads, such as streaming or less graphically demanding games, both cards offer virtually identical performance. However, it’s worth noting that if you’re multi-streaming, the RTX 5060 Ti’s 16 GB provides superior headroom, whereas the standard RTX 5060 can occasionally struggle. That said, both are excellent choices for most use cases. The 5060 Ti simply goes that bit further than the 5060.
RTX 5060: What Does it Cost?
The MSRP for the 5060 is $299, which typically translates directly to ยฃ299 in the UK market. Several months after launch, it’s still readily available at around these prices. The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5060 Eagle OC, for instance, retails at exactly ยฃ299.90 from most stockists, with other variants hovering around the ยฃ319 mark.
Considering that the remaining RTX 4060 stock is priced similarly to its new-generation counterpart, the 4060 doesn’t really represent a sensible way to save money. As long as prices remain comparable, the logical choice is the 5060 โ at least until we see whether prices climb in 2026, which seems increasingly likely given the insatiable demand from AI data centres.
What Might the RTX 5060 Cost in 2026?
The ever-growing hardware demands of AI data centres are putting enormous pressure on RAM, SSD and graphics card prices. By late 2025, DDR5 RAM prices had already shot up considerably, with SSDs and 16 GB graphics cards seeing roughly 20% increases. This trend is expected to intensify over the coming months, so it’s well worth keeping a close eye on it.
In the graphics card market, those with higher VRAM capacities are most in demand at data centres, so you’ve got slightly more breathing room with the 5060, given that data centres aren’t particularly fussed about it โ for now, at least. However, should we see another shortage akin to what happened with graphics cards in 2020, you can be fairly certain the 5060 won’t remain at ยฃ300 โ it could well climb to ยฃ500 or even higher.
RTX 5060 vs. Previous Generations: Is it Worth Upgrading?
Let’s examine whether it’s actually worth swapping out your ageing graphics card for an RTX 5060. Naturally, if money’s no object and you enjoy having the latest kit each year, crack on and grab the best RTX 5060 Ti you can find. But if you need to balance your budget and upgrade your PC more selectively, here’s what improvements the RTX 5060 offers over its predecessors.
RTX 5060 Upgrade Guide
Is It Time to Upgrade? A Sensible Assessment for Your Current GPU
A Generational Leap Worth Taking
With a gap of three or four generations, it’s definitely time for a change. That said, you should consider not just the improvements the RTX 5060 brings, but whether your motherboard can support it, and any potential bottleneck from your RAM or CPU. If you need a complete PC overhaul, it’ll be a fair investmentโbut it’s now or never. AI data centres are devouring the market.
Weigh Up Your Options Carefully
Here we’re entering ‘it depends’ territory. Although the 3060 is two generations behind the RTX 5060, it still delivers remarkably solid performance in HD gaming and most productivity tasks, and holds up reasonably well in 4K too. Base your decision more on your budget than on the RTX 5060’s advantagesโhowever numerous they may be.
Hold Off Unless Money’s No Object
Generally speaking, there’s no pressing need to upgrade from an RTX 4060 to an RTX 5060 given the improvements this generational jump offers. Although the Blackwell architecture’s Multi Frame Generation technology is rather temptingโwith its ability to multiply FPS like never beforeโthe upgrade only makes sense if you can genuinely afford it.
๐ Further reading: How to Choose the Right Low-Profile Graphics Card for Your PC
Who is the RTX 5060 Best Suited For?
To summarise, the RTX 5060 is the ideal choice for mainstream gamers who want to enjoy the best games in HD without spending a small fortune on a new graphics card. It’ll serve you brilliantly for your favourite titles, provided you don’t try forcing 4K resolution at ultra settings โ that’s where it might start to stutter a touch โ and it should remain future-proof for at least five years without any bother.
It’s also superb for content creators who don’t require professional-grade editing continuously, as you’ll have a card that’s more than adequate for streaming and performs excellently for light to moderate edits in Premiere or After Effects. What’s more, being more compact than options like the RTX 5070, it’s also ideal if you’ve got a small form factor case.
So, Should You Buy the RTX 5060 Now?
If you’re thinking of upgrading your graphics card and have around ยฃ300 to spend, the short answer is yes, absolutely. Not merely because of the excellent value the RTX 5060 offers โ its Multi Frame Generation technology is particularly appealing โ but especially because prices are expected to rise in 2026. If demand from AI data centres continues to grow, RTX 5060 cards currently priced at ยฃ300โยฃ320 could easily jump to ยฃ400 or ยฃ500.
Even if you’re still comfortable with an RTX 3060, the RTX 5060 isn’t just a straightforward hardware improvement โ it also incorporates new AI technologies that boost gaming performance even further. As for productivity performance, consider your current workload and what you anticipate in future, as it might be more sensible to opt for the RTX 5060 Ti’s 16 GB.
Frequently Asked Questions About the RTX 5060
When was the RTX 5060 released?
The RTX 5060 launched in May 2025, and since then, various models from Gigabyte, Asus, Zotac and MSI, amongst other major brands, have become available. At present, there are no supply issues with the 5060 in the UK.
Is the RTX 5060 better than the RTX 4060?
Yes, the RTX 5060 offers considerably improved specifications over the RTX 4060 in both gaming and productivity. As a rough guide, you can expect the RTX 5060 to perform between 10% and 20% better than the RTX 4060, albeit with higher power consumption.
RTX 5060 or RTX 5060 Ti: which should I choose?
If you’re on a tight budget, you’re happy gaming at 1080p ultra, or you work on productivity tasks that aren’t particularly demanding, the RTX 5060 is your best bet. But if you can stretch to a bit more, want to enjoy your games in 1440p/4K, or work with demanding applications, the RTX 5060 Ti with 16 GB is the better choice.
Is the 16 GB RTX 5060 Ti necessary for gaming?
Not at all. Its 16 GB of VRAM makes it ideal for gamers who want to enjoy the most demanding titles at 4K, but the 8 GB 5060 will cope admirably with the vast majority of games at HD resolution.
What is the actual price of the RTX 5060?
The MSRP for the RTX 5060 is ยฃ299, and most manufacturers are sticking fairly close to this figure. As of December 2025, you can pick up the RTX 5060 for around ยฃ300โยฃ320 across various brands, though prices may well increase in 2026 if demand from AI data centres continues to climb.
