Colorful GeForce RTX 5060 NB EX 8 GB Graphics Card Review – Triple-Fan Cooling For An Entry-Level Design

Conclusion - Huge Cooler For Entry-Level GPU

We finally got the chance to test NVIDIA's latest entry-level product, the GeForce RTX 5060, a $299 US-priced offering for the gaming masses. A lot has been said about this graphics card on the web, and while most of the criticism about the card is valid, I think more reviewers should put their input regarding this product, so here's ours.

Trades Blows With The RTX 4060 Ti, But Ultimately A Small Upgrade Over RTX 4060 & Lowly 8 GB VRAM

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 once again adds a 20% uplift over the RTX 4060, which is decent, but given the generation jumps that we have seen in the past, such as the likes of the GTX 1060, the 60 series gains are getting smaller. These cards used to compete with the 80-class competition of the past generation, but that isn't the case anymore.

The performance differences get slimmer at high resolutions such as 1440p and 2160p as the 8 GB VRAM becomes a limiting factor. There is more bandwidth thanks to GDDR7, but that isn't enough, given there are plenty of AAA games these days require more than 8 GB VRAM and in this regard, Intel has done a fine job with its Battlemage B-series which boasts 10 GB at minimum and up to 12 GB in its sub $300-class GPU.

DLSS4 Is The Game Changer: Better Image Quality Than DLSS3 With Transformers Gunning For 1440P 240Hz Gaming

DLSS4 is huge! With the updated upscaling technology, NVIDIA is taking image quality to the next level. The model they have been training is in the most advanced state yet, with the image quality improving day by day. DLSS4 is a visual upgrade over DLSS 3, and all RTX gamers can enjoy its benefits. With the faster transformer model on the Blackwell GPUs, you will see limited losses in terms of performance when switching from the older CNN model to the newer transformer model.

Now, DLSS has been plagued with the "Fake Frames" controversy regarding the frame-gen tech, but it does offer better performance and smoothness. NVIDIA is quadrupling the frame rate with a 4x mode, which boosts FPS dramatically. This is enough for those who want to utilize the potential of their 4K & 1440P 240Hz monitors.

Yes, there will be certain artifacts when using DLSS4 with frame generation enabled, but like I said, the DLSS model is improving, and this is DLSS at its finest. We can expect DLSS4 to receive countless amounts of updates in the coming months, and during the time I spent trying it out, there were just minor artifacts that you can only notice when focusing on a certain section of the frame. It is almost indistinguishable from the native render.

For the RTX 5060, DLSS 4 is a major caveat, on one hand, it offers a uplift that can boost your FPS and provide smoother gameplay but then, if you dwell too much into online discussions, there's not a lot of good you can read about frame generation or upscaling as mentioned above. I talked to someone a while ago about this, and one interesting comment made by the person was that if you look at it, each frame, even a native frame, can be considered a fake one, since it's being generated by the GPU. It's an interesting take on this, and well, frame-generation is getting to the point where it not only offers better image quality and stability than a native frame, but at a faster throughput. There are definitely some concerns that are being addressed by the engineering minds at NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel, so hopefully, at the pace things are going, frame generation may not be as hated as it is right now.

NVIDIA's Blackwell Is Built For The Future of Gaming, But We Might Have to Wait

The NVIDIA Blackwell architecture is designed with AI in mind. While DLSS 4 and its 4x Multi-Frame Generation technology are one aspect, there's also support for FP4, which would help in certain AI workloads.

Things we liked about the Colorful GeForce RTX 5060 Battle NX 8 GB:

• Decent performance jump (around 20% over 4060 8 GB)
• Great Perf/$ if available at MSRP
• Designed With Next-Gen Neural Rendering
• Next-Gen Blackwell Architecture With Several AI Additions
• New GDDR7 Memory
• DLSS4 Offers Better Image Quality
• DLSS4 MFG Offers 4x FPS Boost
• Compact design & SFF Approved
• Triple-Fan cooling solution with RGB
• Low noise output with 0 dB operation
• Next-Gen Video Encode/Decode Engines
• DP2.1b (UHBR20) support
• PCIe Express 5.0 technology

The big gun is the neural shaders support, along with several new Neural rendering approaches that the company has highlighted and discussed. While the company hasn't yet announced any major game partnerships that will make use of these technologies, we are anxiously waiting for NVIDIA's update in this regard, as that would further unlock the architectural potential of NVIDIA's Blackwell architecture.

Things we didn't like about the Colorful GeForce RTX 5060 Battle NX 8 GB:

• Performance is not a big uplift over 4060
• Lower power rating
• GDDR7 Memory runs hot
• Only 8 GB VRAM
• Comes at a premium
• No factory OC despite a strong cooler
• A few games with next-gen RTX features at launch

So, what do I think of the RTX 5060? Well, it seems like a passable product that would entice some gamers running much older GPUs, such as the GTX 1060, RTX 2060, or even the RTX 3060 crowd, if you can find it at the right price. If you are accustomed to NVIDIA's ecosystem and its gaming features, then RTX 5060 can be a decent entry-level product. But there are some other options too, such as the 12 GB Arc B580 and the Radeon RX 9060 XT.

The RTX 5060 is good for 1080p gaming and maybe for 1440p eSports gaming too, and DLSS 4 offers a compelling reason to get Blackwell. Besides that, well, there isn't a lot going on, which is underwhelming for the majority of gamers who can easily be tilted to whatever makes the most sense for them in terms of value, & features, and this should at least push NVIDIA to do better for mainstream gamers with future products. Let's see if we get any upgraded VRAM models at similar prices shortly.

You can find additional information about our hardware review process and ethics policy here.

Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.