I dunno why, but every time I look at graphics cards, I start thinking about cars. It’s like, they both want to go fast, look nice, and not suck up too much gas—or electricity, I guess. And like cars, they can either drain your wallet or be just enough to get you from Point A to Point B. Honestly, not everyone’s gonna fork over five grand for a Ferrari-like graphics card. Most of us just need a functional ride.
Gamers—yep, that’s what we’re talking about—need their games to not look like pixel soup, you know? Most are hopping on the PC vibe because consoles are great and all, but PCs can be both fancy and not-so-pricey. Enter the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060. It’s new, and people are curious.
First off, let’s clear this up—this ain’t a hard-hitting review. Call it a sneak peek. Nvidia gave us a taste, but the full deal—like the actual drivers—weren’t even ready. So, no major data points today. Just an appetizer of what this $300 gadget can dish out.
Three hundred bucks. It’s that tempting sweet spot where dropping it into an older PC feels smart. And yep, it’s part of Nvidia’s ‘50 series’ so you’re getting the latest RTX goodies. Ever heard of ‘multi frame generation’? It’s some AI trickery that juices up frame rates in games that support it. Kinda wild.
Anyway—wait a sec, gotta mention—this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this price tag. Back in 2019, the RTX 2060 was $350, and the 4060 debuted at $300. Now, if you zoom out to 2016, before all the ‘RTX’ buzz, things were cheaper. But that’s like ancient history in tech years. The expectations have shifted big time since then. And that’s kinda my point with this card preview. Nvidia mostly likes to highlight the shiny bits, so bear that in mind.
The games they suggested for testing—Cyberpunk and Doom The Dark Ages—are pretty demanding. Doom’s been a go-to for testing because of its insatiable need for speed and ray-tracing. I zeroed in on these two because… well, why not?
With only 8GB of VRAM, there’s a bottleneck, sure. But let’s keep it real. This card is for gaming at 1080p or 1440p. It’s an RTX card, so you’ll definitely want DLSS switched on in modern games. Nvidia’s testing even nudged us in that direction, suggesting using DLSS and Multi-Frame Generation.
If you’re okay with the idea of AI helping render your frames or making peace with ‘upscaling,’ great. For me, as long as it looks fab, I’m cool with it. Purists might balk, though. They’d likely need to save up for beefier hardware. But if you’re all about how games feel and look, this card ain’t a bad deal.
So, back to Doom—it became crystal clear. DLSS4 jumps in and carries a lot of weight here. Set the game to ‘Ultra Nightmare,’ toggle on DLSS4 and 3x MFG, and you’re looking at over 200fps. For $300? Yeah, not bad.
Switching lanes to Cyberpunk, this beast of a game demands more. With RT Overdrive settings, using those extra features keeps it chugging along, though there were some stutters in heated moments. Could updates smooth this out? Maybe, but let’s not hold our breath. You get those highs, but with some trade-offs, which is typical for an entry-level card.
So yeah, a lot rests on whether you’re down with what this card offers. Is 1080p cool in 2025? Do you mind if the frames aren’t technically ‘real’? That might mean dealing with some vague visuals. But hey, that’s the trade off. A load of folks will probably shake on that deal for a chance at a smoother 200fps Doom experience at $300.
This card’s more than just raw power, but those extra tricks sure do sweeten the deal. Nvidia ups its game in frame generation and scaling tech—this card’s now the cheapest ticket into the latest gen. We’ll really see how it compares to its cousins like the 4060 soon. Fingers crossed on that one.
In the end, it’s like wanting a pricey dinner on a fast-food budget. You’re not getting champagne for the cost of a cheap brew, but no way. Still, this isn’t your average card. It tries hard to be more. And those fancied up frames? They pull it off pretty well, at least in the games they pushed. How it handles beyond that is something we gotta check out yet. Stick around.
