Preliminary test results of the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB in 3DMark have leaked, thanks to VideoCardz, where we see the new GPU stride 20% ahead of the RTX 4060 Ti 16GB. This data was likely sourced from a reviewer, so it should be indicative of the card's performance in these specific synthetic tests. Still, as these numbers are not official, we should tread lightly and season them with a pinch of salt.
Multiple leakers have already confirmed the RTX 5060 Ti's specifications, with an alleged April 16 launch date (this coming Wednesday). Carrying the genes of its predecessor, the RTX 5060 Ti will reportedly arrive in 8GB and 16GB flavors; the latter being more expensive. Both GPUs are said to feature the same GB206-300-A1 core with 4,608 CUDA cores (36 SMs) and a standard 128-bit memory interface. While the supposed 180W TGP can be handled by a single 8-pin connector, custom models are rumored to use the infamous 12V-2x6 connector.
According to VideoCardz's sources, Nvidia is restricting AIB partners from sending out 8GB models of the RTX 5060 Ti for testing. With reviews likely to be dominated by the 16GB version, customers should be wary, as there can be a significant performance gap between the two in VRAM-intensive workloads.
In any case, the data provided by VideoCardz suggests a 20% performance jump gen-on-gen with the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, despite similar core counts. Across the 3DMark suite, the most pronounced improvements can be seen in Speed Way, Fire Strike Ultra, Port Royal, and Fire Strike Extreme. In other news, leaked Geekbench tests suggest a 14% delta between the two cards, so your mileage may vary depending on the application.
Furthermore, the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB trails the RTX 5070 by almost 33%, which is quite significant but a similar gap to what we saw last generation. With a potential RX 9070 GRE on the horizon, a $400-$450 price bracket for the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB looks most probable. GB206 is small (likely under 250mm2), so hopefully it won't gobble up Nvidia's wafer supply from TSMC, most of which is probably reserved for its AI accelerators.
The funny thing is, RTX 5070s are available at MSRP in Europe (some are even cheaper), but are actively collecting dust as there's only so much folk will pay for an RTX 4070 Super sidegrade. All eyes are set on Nvidia as the RTX 5060 Ti is supposed to drop in three days, and we'll get the official MSRP and full suites of independent benchmark results to pore over.
