RTX 5060: A Real Option for Sim Racing in 2025?

On May 19, Nvidia released the RTX 5060, its new entry-level GPU for the 50 series. Its launch wasn’t exactly quiet—it’s arrived surrounded by questions, technical limitations, and a fair amount of controversy. But here, we’re not sticking to headlines.

We’ll analyze real-world performance with an honest, simracing-focused perspective.

8 GB in 2025… Seriously?

Yes, seriously. But that doesn’t make it any less concerning.

While many racing simulators are starting to demand more than 8 GB of VRAM for high-resolution textures, Nvidia decided to stick with that amount. This might be enough for 1080p with decent quality, but if you’re aiming for a smooth, detailed, uncompromising experience at 1440p, you’re likely to hit a bottleneck sooner than you’d like.

Architecture: Reasonable Cuts… To a Point

The RTX 5060 uses the same chip as the 5060 Ti, but with 20% fewer CUDA, RT, and Tensor cores. This means that you’re still getting access to Nvidia’s new generation features, including the controversial but promising multi-frame generation—exclusive to the 50 series.

What does this mean for simracing? Higher frame rates, especially in graphically demanding moments like crowded starts or night races in the rain.

Power and Compatibility

If you’re upgrading from an older build, here’s the silver lining: power consumption stays low, with a 145W TGP and a traditional 8-pin connector. You won’t need to change your PSU if you already have a 650W 80 Plus Bronze certified unit.

This makes the RTX 5060 a reasonably accessible option for those looking to upgrade just their GPU without overhauling their whole system.

How Does It Handle Simracing?

Without naming specific titles, synthetic benchmarks show that the RTX 5060:

• Outperforms the 4060 by about 25–30% in raw performance.
• Gets very close to the 4060 Ti, with nearly negligible differences in many scenarios.
• Falls just short of the 5060 Ti, as expected.

In simracing terms, this means smooth gameplay at 1080p and acceptable performance at 1440p—but with a clear warning: you’ll need to lower visual settings if you want to avoid stuttering due to memory limits.

Price-to-Performance

When it comes to cost per frame, the RTX 5060 holds up fairly well:

• €3.4 per frame at 1080p, just below AMD’s RX 7600.
• At 1440p, the number rises to €5.15 per FPS, trailing Intel’s B580 which offers 12 GB of memory at a more aggressive price.

So, if your budget is under €350 and 1080p is your resolution of choice, the RTX 5060 is a valid option. But at 1440p, it starts to struggle, especially when thinking long-term.

The VRAM Dilemma

This is the big one. In simracing, VRAM isn’t everything, but when you run out, you feel it. High-res tracks, quality mods, triple-screen setups or VR—all of them can quickly choke an 8 GB GPU.

It’s frustrating that, four years after the RTX 3060 (which had 12 GB), we’re still stuck at 8 GB, even with the promise of faster GDDR7 memory. In practice, capacity still matters more than speed in many scenarios.

DLSS 4 and Multi-Frame Generation: Nice to Have, Not a Game-Changer

With the 50 series, Nvidia introduced major improvements to its AI-based upscaling and frame generation, moving from convolutional networks to transformer models. In theory, this enhances image quality and memory usage efficiency.

In practice, the technology isn’t flawless: it can introduce latency, visual artifacts, and inconsistent behavior.

Is it useful? Yes. Is it critical for simracing? No. It’s a nice extra, not a reason to buy.

Is the RTX 5060 Good for Simracing?

Yes, with caveats.

I recommend it if:

• Your budget is under $350.
• You’ll mostly play in 1080p.
• You want Nvidia features like DLSS and prefer their ecosystem.

I don’t recommend it if:

• You plan to play in 1440p or higher.
• You want a future-proof GPU for the next 3–4 years.
• VRAM matters to you, especially for high-detail or mod-heavy experiences.

For me, the issue isn’t performance—it’s the decision to still release 8 GB GPUs in 2025 for over $300. In simracing, where frame stability is just as important as visual fidelity, this feels like a limitation that could’ve been avoided.

If I were building a system today, I’d look for at least 12 GB of VRAM for 1440p, even if it meant compromising a bit on raw performance. Because when your frame rate dips mid-corner in a 24-hour race, you’ll remember every missing gigabyte.

See you on the track!