- Nvidia’s RTX 5060 is set to launch May 19 at $299 according to VideoCardz
- It will use 8GB of VRAM and is expected to be the lowest-tier RTX 5000 series GPU despite the RTX 5050 rumors
- Inflation could drastically affect the GPU’s potential success
Nvidia is on the verge of completing its RTX 5000 desktop GPU series launch, with the RTX 5060 on the horizon after its Ti counterpart launched earlier in April – and it’s good news for budget gamers… well, sort of.
According to VideoCardz, the RTX 5060 is set to launch on May 19 at $299 (around £220 / AU$470), at the same price as its predecessor, the RTX 4060. It will utilize 8GB of VRAM, but is anticipated to take a decent performance leap over the last-gen card, using GDDR7 VRAM instead of GDDR6.
Its older brother, the RTX 5060 Ti, has both 8GB and 16GB models with the latter being an easy choice for most PC-builders in terms of gaming performance: 8GB of VRAM is much less desirable for running modern games, as plenty of triple-A titles require more VRAM. While VRAM isn’t always the quintessential element when it comes to performance, it becomes a bigger factor for lower-end GPUs.
This may be one reason that sways potential consumers from buying the RTX 5060, but its price could be the main reason why. The rumored $299 launch price is certainly appealing for a budget GPU, but the trend of the GPU market suggests partner cards sold by retailers will likely cost more.
Just like the 5060 Ti (and the RTX 5070 Ti), if the RTX 5060 doesn’t have a Founders Edition option, then consumers will yet again be left at the hands of retailers with third-party cards – and if you’ve kept a close eye on GPU prices lately, that’s not good at all.
If prices are inflated for partner cards, then just forget about it…
It’s bad enough that GPUs like the RTX 5070 Ti or the RTX 5080 have inflated pricing across multiple retailers, but at the very least, these are powerful cards capable of 4K gaming. The RTX 5060, unsurprisingly, isn’t a powerhouse GPU: it’s expected to be Nvidia’s lowest-tier GPU if the RTX 5050 rumors aren’t legitimate (at least for the desktop PC space, anyway), so it has no business costing more than the purported $299.
However, the state of the GPU market gives us a clear answer: third-party RTX 5060 cards will more than likely cost more than $299, and I think that will instantly destroy anything good it could potentially have going for it. Gamers are already unwilling to pay more for more powerful hardware, so I’d find it hard to imagine budget gamers will accept any price inflation with this GPU.
Let’s not forget that it’s only got 8GB of VRAM, which I must stress again is no longer acceptable for gaming in 2025. Games are becoming more demanding, and we’re continuously getting PC ports that are poorly optimized, so it’s safe to say 8GB won’t cut it anymore.
The only hope I do have for the RTX 5060 is that there actually is a Founders Edition model, and that there’s a good level of availability (particularly since rumors hint that Nvidia is bolstering stock). If not, it’s hard to see where it will succeed…
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