The Nvidia RTX 50-series hasn’t actually stolen our hearts thus far at PC Gamer thanks largely to low stock-induced scalping and excessive costs. For my half, I’ve been retaining hopes tentatively raised for a less expensive AMD RX 9070 or 9070 XT, below the belief that an RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti are effectively past the close to horizon. As it seems, I may need been fallacious on that assumption.
That’s as a result of, in line with Wccftech, citing their very own sources, the RTX 5060 Ti must be arriving in late March. That’s once we’ll see a 16 GB model of the cardboard arrive, although it is stated that an 8 GB model is coming quickly after, in April. Both variations are stated to have a 180 W TGP.
This launch cadence could be a departure from the earlier technology, during which the 8 GB model of the RTX 4060 Ti launched earlier than the 16 GB model—although this card was a little bit of an oddity.
As a reminder—and you’ll learn our Dave’s circa-summer 2023 abstract right here—loads of avid gamers slated the 8 GB RTX 4060 Ti for having too little VRAM, so Nvidia launched a 16 GB model… for $100 additional. Unsurprisingly, this did not precisely enthral individuals. What many needed was 16 GB from the outset, not for a further $100. The advantages simply weren’t there to justify it.
Whether the advantages might be current sufficient with the lower-end RTX 50-series are but to be seen. The Blackwell structure powering it feels fairly just like Ada Lovelace within the RTX 40-series, which suggests we’re anticipating a low double-digit enchancment over earlier playing cards, consistent with the 15–20% or so enchancment with the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5080, respectively. That, plus DLSS Multi Frame Generation.
How a lot distinction the additional reminiscence will make is determined by the sport being performed. Though there are positive to be advantages in different methods frequent to each rumoured 16 GB and eight GB playing cards. The RTX 5060 Ti is claimed to make use of quick GDDR7, consistent with the remainder of the RTX 50-series, which can mix with a 128-bit reminiscence bus (similar because the RTX 4060 Ti) for greater reminiscence bandwidth than its predecessor.
This all makes for a touch greater TGP at 180 W versus the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB’s 165 W and the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB’s 160 W.
To the extra cynical-minded, releasing a (presumably dearer) 16 GB model first after which an 8 GB model would possibly imply extra of an incentive for avid gamers to really choose up the dearer model. It launches first, which suggests you would possibly as effectively scramble to get one forward of the 8 GB card, which might then function a backup alternative in the event you fail to safe the products on the day.
Taking my cynical cap off, although, there’s something to be enthusiastic about right here—aside from the truth that this hearsay coming to fruition would possibly imply an truly inexpensive 50-series GPU within the close to future. For starters, it can certainly be a extra inexpensive choice in comparison with the RTX 5070 Ti, which regularly offered at launch for round $900, regardless of an MSRP of $750. In the identical vein, nonetheless, the RTX 5060 Ti may also be topic to considerably greater costs than MSRP.
All advised, it is arduous to be optimistic about these playing cards with the state of the market proper now. But here is hoping our gloomy outlook is lifted as soon as these cheaper 50-series playing cards roll round.
That’s reportedly occurring in March, if these rumours are to be believed, which suggests the wheels are very a lot in movement. There’s prone to be a Founders Edition of the RTX 5060 Ti when the time comes, be that for one or each variations, although that is not but confirmed.
Though as all the time we must always take unconfirmed launch dates with a pinch of salt—even when that is the plan proper now, Nvidia can all the time determine to delay on the final minute. Just take a look at AMD with the 9070-series, which, by the way in which, are coming early March now.
