Zotac GeForce RTX 5060 8GB Solo Review – Compact Powerhouse for 1080p Gaming

Today we bring you our in-depth look at the Zotac GeForce RTX 5060 8GB Solo. With no NVIDIA reference or Founders Edition card available, this model effectively serves as our baseline, priced at NVIDIA’s official $300 MSRP and featuring reference-level clock speeds.

The GeForce RTX 5060 officially launched on May 19, but its debut was overshadowed by Computex 2025. We didn’t have press drivers in time to benchmark before the expo, so this review comes a little later. The RTX 5060 follows the footsteps of its predecessors in the xx60 lineup, aiming to dominate the mid-range market. Designed for maxed-out 1080p gaming with ray tracing, it also brings new technologies like DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation to enhance performance and visual quality.

This launch comes after the RTX 5060 Ti, which debuted in April with both 8GB and 16GB versions. While the 8GB Ti holds its own at 1080p, the 16GB variant offered stronger performance in ray-traced and higher-resolution scenarios. With the RTX 5060, NVIDIA is sticking with just an 8GB configuration to avoid overlapping too much with the $380 RTX 5060 Ti.

Under the hood, the RTX 5060 uses the same GB206 Blackwell silicon as the 5060 Ti. Instead of the full 36 SMs, it features 30 SMs, delivering 3,840 CUDA cores, 120 Tensor cores, 30 RT cores, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Memory matches the 5060 Ti 8GB: 28 Gbps GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus, for 448 GB/s bandwidth. Core clocks are slightly reduced, with a 2497 MHz boost compared to 2572 MHz on the 5060 Ti. However, this cutback comes with a notable advantage—lower 145W TGP, versus 180W, making it more power efficient.

The highlight is NVIDIA’s Blackwell architecture, introducing Neural Rendering—leveraging AI models to dynamically create assets during gameplay. Microsoft’s DirectX 12 has even been adapted to work with the new AI Management Process (AMP), ensuring AI processing and graphics rendering run seamlessly in tandem.

With DLSS 4, the card replaces older CNN-based models with Transformer AI models for improved image reconstruction, ray reconstruction, and Multi Frame Generation, allowing up to three AI-generated frames per rendered frame. This feature significantly boosts frame rates in supported titles.

Zotac’s Solo edition keeps things simple and compact. It uses a basic heatsink with a single 70mm fan, which runs continuously even when idle. Measuring only 16.5 cm, it’s perfect for ITX and SFF builds, drawing power from a single 8-pin PCIe connector—plenty for its efficient 145W TGP.

At $300, the Zotac GeForce RTX 5060 Solo is an affordable, compact, and capable entry point into Blackwell-powered gaming, offering excellent performance at 1080p with ray tracing and DLSS 4 enhancements.