If you're on the hunt for a budget-friendly Blackwell graphics card tailored for 1080p gaming, the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti stands out as the top choice. It's crucial to opt for the **16GB variant** over the 8GB model to ensure optimal performance. Currently, you can find the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB GPUs starting at $489.99 on Amazon and Walmart. While this price is higher than the initial launch price of $429.99 for a reference model, it's still a reasonable markup compared to other RTX 50 series cards.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti GPU Starting From $489.99
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Windforce OC 16GB Graphics Card
$489.99 at Amazon
Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB Twin Edge OC Graphics Card
$489.99 at Amazon
MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB Ventus 2X Plus Graphics Card
$489.99 at Walmart
Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB AMP Graphics Card
$499.99 at Amazon
MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16G Ventus 2X OC Plus Graphics Card
$499.99 at Walmart
The RTX 5060 Ti is an exceptional GPU for 1080p gaming, offering a performance boost of about 20% over the RTX 4060 Ti and 40% over the RTX 3060 Ti. Its advantage becomes even more pronounced in games that support DLSS 4. If you're considering the RTX 5070, which starts at $609.99, the additional cost might not be justified for 1080p gaming unless you're chasing extremely high frame rates. Always choose a model with 16GB of VRAM, as the 8GB versions can bottleneck performance in newer, more demanding games and at higher resolutions like 1440p.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti GPU Review by Jacqueline Thomas
"The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti is a robust choice for 1080p gaming, even when compared to its predecessor. It can handle most games at maximum settings at this resolution. In more challenging titles like Assassin's Creed Shadows, you might need to adjust ray tracing settings for better performance. However, the 8GB version of the card is a significant caveat. While the 16GB model is highly recommended, especially if you're upgrading from something older than the 3060 Ti, the 8GB variant may struggle with future, more demanding games. It's unfortunate that both versions share the same name, which can lead to confusion when shopping for a 1080p graphics card."
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 Windforce OC GPU for $609.99
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 Windforce OC 12GB Graphics Card
$609.99 at Amazon
For those looking to game at higher resolutions like 1440p, the GeForce RTX 5070 GPU is the way to go. Amazon offers the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 Windforce OC 12GB Graphics Card exclusively for Amazon Prime members at $609.99, with free shipping and a voucher for the upcoming Doom: The Dark Ages game. The RTX 5070 matches the performance of the RTX 4070 Super, which was already a stellar card for 1440p gaming. Although the raw performance improvement from the last generation might be modest, the RTX 5070 excels in games that support DLSS 4 and multi-frame generation, making it a more future-proof option that will benefit from ongoing driver optimizations.