01
Introduction
The GeForce RTX 5060 Ti has been on the market for some time now, but most of the available models are the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB version. Rumors have circulated that the performance gap with the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB version is significant, with claims suggesting that NVIDIA may have intentionally limited the 8GB VRAM model.
This article compares the gaming performance of the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB and GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB to assess whether 8GB of VRAM is still sufficient in 2025, how large the performance gap is, and whether the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB is worth purchasing.
02
Specifications
The GeForce RTX 5060 Ti was released on April 16, 2025, and uses the GB206-300 GPU chip, built with TSMC’s 4nm process. It features 4608 CUDA cores, 144 texture units, 48 raster units, 36 SM units, 144 tensor cores, 36 ray tracing units, and 32MB of L2 cache.
Its base clock speed is 2407MHz, with a boost clock of up to 2572MHz. It comes with either 8GB or 16GB of GDDR7 memory, running at 28Gbps, with a 128-bit memory interface and memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The FP32 performance is 23.70 TFLOPS, and power consumption is 180W. The 8GB version is priced at $379, while the 16GB version costs $429.
03
Test Platform Configuration
The main configuration is as follows:
Processor: Ryzen 7 9800X3D
Motherboard: MSI MPG X670E CARBON
Memory: 32GB DDR5 6000MHz
Graphics Cards: GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB and GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB
Storage: Two Samsung 970 EVO 1TB SSDs
Operating System: Windows 11
04
Game Testing (RTX 5060 Ti 8GB vs 16GB)
Seven games were tested, all using 1440P maximum graphics settings. In the image series below, the left represents the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB platform, and the right represents the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB platform.
Game 1: God of War
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB: Average FPS 94, Min FPS 81, Frame Time 10.6ms, CPU Usage 13%, CPU Power 48W, CPU Temp 52°C, Memory Usage 12.7GB, GPU Usage 99%, VRAM Usage 6.6GB, GPU Power 151W, GPU Temp 55°C.
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB: Average FPS 93, Min FPS 85, Frame Time 10.3ms, CPU Usage 16%, CPU Power 53W, CPU Temp 52°C, Memory Usage 12.3GB, GPU Usage 100%, VRAM Usage 6.6GB, GPU Power 154W, GPU Temp 53°C.
Summary: CPU usage is 3% higher, memory usage 0.4GB lower, GPU usage and VRAM usage are similar. Slight differences in power and temperature. Performance is effectively a draw.
Game 2: Ghostwire: Tokyo
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB: Average FPS 61, Min FPS 49, Frame Time 16.5ms, CPU Usage 12%, CPU Power 42W, CPU Temp 48°C, Memory Usage 10.7GB, GPU Usage 99%, VRAM Usage 6.4GB, GPU Power 157W, GPU Temp 54°C.
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB: Average FPS 61, Min FPS 49, Frame Time 15.9ms, CPU Usage 12%, CPU Power 38W, CPU Temp 47°C, Memory Usage 13.1GB, GPU Usage 100%, VRAM Usage 6.9GB, GPU Power 155W, GPU Temp 54°C.
Summary: Identical performance; memory usage higher on 16GB card. Overall a draw.
Game 3: Cyberpunk 2077
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB: Average FPS 54, Min FPS 37, Frame Time 20.4ms, CPU Usage 25%, CPU Power 61W, CPU Temp 55°C, Memory Usage 15.3GB, GPU Usage 99%, VRAM Usage 7.6GB, GPU Power 154W, GPU Temp 55°C.
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB: Average FPS 57, Min FPS 46, Frame Time 17.5ms, CPU Usage 29%, CPU Power 61W, CPU Temp 55°C, Memory Usage 14.8GB, GPU Usage 99%, VRAM Usage 8.9GB, GPU Power 160W, GPU Temp 53°C.
Summary: 16GB version shows a noticeable advantage—3 FPS higher average, 9 FPS higher minimum, 3ms lower frame time. 8GB version close to VRAM limit.
Game 4: Horizon Forbidden West
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB: Average FPS 71, Min FPS 62, Frame Time 13.6ms, CPU Usage 39%, CPU Power 84W, CPU Temp 70°C, Memory Usage 12.4GB, GPU Usage 99%, VRAM Usage 7.6GB, GPU Power 143W, GPU Temp 55°C.
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB: Average FPS 70, Min FPS 63, Frame Time 14.0ms, CPU Usage 35%, CPU Power 77W, CPU Temp 64°C, Memory Usage 12.7GB, GPU Usage 99%, VRAM Usage 7.7GB, GPU Power 146W, GPU Temp 52°C.
Summary: Nearly identical results. Slight advantage in minimum FPS for the 16GB version. Overall a draw.
Game 5: STALKER 2
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB: Average FPS 48, Min FPS 41, Frame Time 23.3ms, CPU Usage 24%, CPU Power 58W, CPU Temp 58°C, Memory Usage 17.1GB, GPU Usage 99%, VRAM Usage 7.5GB, GPU Power 142W, GPU Temp 55°C.
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB: Average FPS 48, Min FPS 41, Frame Time 21.6ms, CPU Usage 20%, CPU Power 58W, CPU Temp 54°C, Memory Usage 17.4GB, GPU Usage 98%, VRAM Usage 7.5GB, GPU Power 142W, GPU Temp 51°C.
Summary: Equal FPS, slightly better frame time on 16GB version. Very minor performance edge.
Game 6: Silent Hill 2
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB: Average FPS 80, Min FPS 59, Frame Time 12.7ms, CPU Usage 14%, CPU Power 59W, CPU Temp 57°C, Memory Usage 12.7GB, GPU Usage 98%, VRAM Usage 6.9GB, GPU Power 135W, GPU Temp 56°C.
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB: Average FPS 79, Min FPS 64, Frame Time 12.7ms, CPU Usage 14%, CPU Power 48W, CPU Temp 46°C, Memory Usage 11.6GB, GPU Usage 98%, VRAM Usage 7.1GB, GPU Power 134W, GPU Temp 50°C.
Summary: Same average FPS, higher minimum FPS for 16GB. Temperature and power efficiency better on 16GB. Performance draw.
Game 7: The Last of Us Part II
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB: Average FPS 64, Min FPS 36, Frame Time 17.5ms, CPU Usage 23%, CPU Power 52W, CPU Temp 50°C, Memory Usage 16.1GB, GPU Usage 99%, VRAM Usage 7.6GB, GPU Power 136W, GPU Temp 55°C.
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB: Average FPS 79, Min FPS 50, Frame Time 14.0ms, CPU Usage 35%, CPU Power 64W, CPU Temp 54°C, Memory Usage 14.8GB, GPU Usage 98%, VRAM Usage 9.7GB, GPU Power 141W, GPU Temp 52°C.
05
Test Conclusion
Overall, in most games, there is no significant performance difference between the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB and the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, with notable differences only in a few demanding, VRAM-intensive AAA titles.
So, what should you choose? If your requirements are modest and you’re mainly playing at 1080P, the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB is a viable option. However, for higher demands, it quickly becomes inadequate, and the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB should be the preferred choice.
In conclusion, 8GB of VRAM is indeed becoming insufficient by 2025. It’s recommended to slightly increase your budget and opt for a graphics card with at least 12GB of VRAM to meet gaming needs for the next three years or so.
Related:
- RX 6800 XT vs RTX 5060: 2K Gaming Battle Results
- RTX 5060 vs RX 9060 XT: Which Graphics Card Wins?
- 64 bit CPU vs 32 bit CPU: What’s the Performance Difference?
- RTX 5060 or RX 6750 XT? Performance Revealed
- RTX 5060 vs 5060 Ti 16GB: Worth the Upgrade?
- RTX 3060 Ti vs 5070: Is the Upgrade Worth It?
- Is RTX 5060 Ti Worth Upgrading from GTX 1660 SUPER?
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