NVIDIA RTX 5060 Ti review roundup: A "decent enough product" that launched into a chaotic tech market

Palit RTX 5060 Ti
A look at the Palit RTX 5060 Ti reviewed by our colleagues at Tom's Guide. (Image credit: Future | Tom's Guide)

NVIDIA officially announced its GeForce RTX 5060 Ti and RTX 5060 graphics cards today, and reviews are now live.

There are three XX60 cards in total; the RTX 5060 Ti comes in 8GB and 16GB variants, and it's set to launch on April 16.

There's also an 8GB RTX 5060 GPU expected to arrive in May.

Despite the relatively attractive $429 MSRP for the 16GB RTX 5060 Ti and $379 MSRP for the 8GB RTX 5060 Ti — yes, NVIDIA is charging $50 for an extra 8GB — the reception from third-party reviewers isn't exactly glowing.

👉 Related: Where to buy NVIDIA's RTX 5060 Ti on launch day

NVIDIA and its board partners provided reviewers with the 16GB RTX 5060 Ti version, steering clear of the 8GB card. That move is likely intended to avoid negative press, as NVIDIA is no doubt aware of the chagrin surrounding 8GB cards in 2025.

Here's a roundup of RTX 5060 Ti (16GB) opinions to help you get a clear idea of what to expect on launch day.


  • Tom's Hardware (80%): "Nvidia's RTX 5060 Ti 16GB delivers a solid combination of performance for the suggested $429 base MSRP. However, as we've seen with every other GPU launch of the past five months, retail prices can be much higher. It's impossible to separate performance from pricing when looking at the overall value of a GPU, and the only thing concrete that we can point to are the MSRPs. Except those can run the gamut from being at least moderately accurate to being completely nonsense."
  • PC Gamer (81%): "A solid pick for an entry-level graphics card, especially at its lower-than-last-gen price. The RTX 5060 Ti would make a mean upgrade for someone still using an ageing GPU, provided you can get one close to MSRP."
  • Tom's Guide (80%): "Nvidia’s RTX 5060 Ti is a real statement piece for DLSS 4 — showcasing huge framerates in plenty of top games at an impressive cost. It’s not worth it for 40-series owners, given the small gains in raw rendering and content creation performance. But if you’re on older cards or looking to get into PC gaming for the first time, this is a great start."
  • TechSpot: "At face value, the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB appears to be a decent product. It offers a modest overall performance upgrade over the previous generation, with some notable gains in certain scenarios. However, those gains alone aren't enough to generate real excitement around the product – and Nvidia knows it."
  • OC3D: "When comparing to the 4000 range you have to be a card number better to be worthwhile. So if you’ve a RTX 4070 a RTX 5080 will provide a noticeable improvement, a RTX 5070 will be better but you’d have to look closer to see those extra frames. With the price and stock problems, it’s probably not worth going out of your way. The RTX 5060 Ti is the first of the new Nvidia cards where we feel the extra performance isn’t enough for anyone with a 4000 card to consider upgrading. Yes you get Multi Frame Gen, so perhaps if you only play Cyberpunk or Alan Wake II then it’s worth investigating."
  • Wired (70%): "Frame generation could be the thing to squeeze some more life out of these cards while still saving some cash, even if it’s technically a compromise. If you already own a decent 1080p card, there likely isn't a reason to upgrade, but if your older RTX 20 or 30 series card is on the fritz, and you can snag of of these for retail, it's a worthwhile gaming companion."
  • Club386 (70%): "Much as I believe $400 would be closer to a perfect price tag for what’s on offer here, Nvidia’s $420 MSRP isn’t far off the mark. I must stress that paying the extra $50 for a 16GB framebuffer is the smartest play, and I don’t recommend grabbing the 8GB model if possible. Lack of availability snuffs out whatever threat RX 7700 XT posed at its $449 MSRP, but it shouldn’t be long now until RX 9060 Series sets a new bar for RTX 5060 Ti to meet. For the moment, it has the mainstream market all to itself."
  • Igor's Lab: "It is a particularly attractive option for upgrades from the RTX 3000 or RX 6000 generation. The 8 GB version, on the other hand, should be viewed critically, as it quickly reaches its limits, especially in WQHD and memory-intensive scenarios, and cannot provide a complete picture of the performance of this GPU generation, even if you can perhaps save a one-off 50 USD. In other words, a card with two faces, where the only slightly cheaper offer is clearly the worse one."
  • Engadget (85%): "If you're still using an RTX 3060 or an older GPU, you'll see some huge speed boosts from the RTX 5060 Ti. But think twice before spending well over $500. If the GPU market stabilizes in the future, you may be able to snag an AMD Radeon RX 9070 or an NVIDIA RTX 5070 for $549. The Radeon is likely the better alternative, since it scored higher than the 5070 in most of our tests."
  • GamesRadar (80%): "The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti offers up great 1440p abilities for under $450 and can pull off 4K tricks with DLSS 4 enabled. In an ideal world, this card would serve as a nice option for players tempted to make the jump from older 60-class GPUs, but since there’s no Founder’s Edition, the 16GB model is at risk of losing its value incentive due to higher third-party pricing and the potential impact of US tariffs."
More Marketing BS: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Review & Benchmarks vs GTX 1060, 4060 Ti, & More - YouTube More Marketing BS: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Review & Benchmarks vs GTX 1060, 4060 Ti, & More - YouTube
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  • Gamers Nexus:"The 5060 Ti is 13 to 27% better than a 4060 Ti at 1440p; it's typically in the 20 to 25% better range. And at 1080p, the new card is typically 11 to 24% better. That's a big range though, so most commonly we saw it at 18 to 20% better than a 4060 Ti."
The Not Great, Not Terrible GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB.... Review & Benchmarks - YouTube The Not Great, Not Terrible GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB.... Review & Benchmarks - YouTube
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  • Hardware Unboxed: "At face value, the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB seems like a decent enough product, granted it is a very small performance upgrade over the previous generation. But there are still some decent gains to be had at times. But the gains alone aren't really good enough to create any real excitement around this product, and NVIDIA knows it."
From GTX 1660 Ti to RTX 5060 Ti - A Review for Upgraders - YouTube From GTX 1660 Ti to RTX 5060 Ti - A Review for Upgraders - YouTube
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  • Hardware Canucks: "Is this a viable upgrade solution for people like a lot of you guys and me who might want to upgrade their 60-class GPUs from quite a few generations ago. And the answer to that is ... actually, Yes. But at the same time there are a ton of roadblocks in this card's way."

Where are the RTX 5060 Ti (8GB) reviews?

Nvidia Try to Hide the RTX 5060 8GB - YouTube Nvidia Try to Hide the RTX 5060 8GB - YouTube
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You've probably noticed that all of these RTX 5060 Ti reviews focus on the model with 16GB of VRAM.

That's not a coincidence.

According to Hardware Unboxed, NVIDIA has been actively suppressing its board partners when it comes to the release of 8GB samples to reviewers.

Here's a damning quote I pulled from the video posted above:

"Now, while the launch is claimed to be the same day for the two variants, NVIDIA are only sampling the 16GB card for reviews. So that is what will be covered on launch day. But it goes beyond that, because we’ve been told that AIBs will not be supplying the 8GB cards for reviews and, in fact, cannot supply the 8GB card for reviews.

"Despite NVIDIA giving us permission to source 8GB models for day one reviews, board partners told us they were unable to send us a graphics card. In some cases because they weren’t ready, but in other cases because NVIDIA had explicitly prevented them from doing so."

So while you shouldn't expect to see any RTX 5060 Ti (8GB) reviews on launch day, they will arrive at some point.

Should you buy an RTX 5060 Ti?

The general consensus from most RTX 5060 Ti reviewers is that it's worth it if you're coming from a much older card.

Those who have a last-gen GPU from AMD or NVIDIA shouldn't see much reason to spend again, unless DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Gen are absolute requirements.

Keep in mind that all of these reviews focus on the 16GB model, and 8GB models will likely fall under much harsher critiques.

Be sure to check out my guide on where to buy the RTX 5060 Ti if you indeed do want to make the upgrade.

Cale Hunt
Contributor

Cale Hunt brings to Windows Central more than eight years of experience writing about laptops, PCs, accessories, games, and beyond. If it runs Windows or in some way complements the hardware, there’s a good chance he knows about it, has written about it, or is already busy testing it. 

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