NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct benchmark comparison between the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is stark, but the data available comes entirely from the RTX 5060 side. The RTX 4060 AD106 has no recorded benchmark scores in the database, while the RTX 5060 delivers a substantial set of measurements. The RTX 5060's average benchmark score of 26331 places it at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs, a significant elevation over the RTX 4060 AD106's 50th percentile standing. This percentile gap alone indicates that the newer card operates in a distinctly higher performance tier.

The RTX 5060's benchmark suite reveals consistent strengths across several test types. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RTX 5060 records a score of 3628, a strong showing for a modern DirectX 12 workload. Geekbench results are particularly impressive: the OpenCL score reaches 112787, while the Vulkan score is marginally higher at 113321, indicating balanced compute performance across different API abstractions. PassMark testing further details the RTX 5060's capabilities, with a G3D score of 20891 and a GPU compute score of 10899. The DirectX 11 score of 200 and DirectX 9 score of 225 show legacy API performance remains robust, while DirectX 12 scores 77 and DirectX 10 scores 127 in PassMark's specific sub-tests.

The nearest rivals in the database for the RTX 5060 provide context for interpreting these numbers. The AMD Radeon 860M posts an average score of 26401, which is 0.3 percent higher than the RTX 5060, effectively a statistical tie. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 also sits 0.3 percent above at 26421. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary reaches 26553, 0.8 percent higher. On the other side, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT trails the RTX 5060 by 1.2 percent with a score of 26011. This clustering shows the RTX 5060 sits within a narrow band of competing hardware, neither dominating nor being dominated by its immediate peers.

Since the RTX 4060 AD106 has no benchmark entries, the head-to-head comparison is one-sided. The recorded data indicates the RTX 5060 achieves its 72nd percentile ranking through strong compute throughput, evident in the Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan figures exceeding 112000 points. The PassMark G3D score of 20891 reinforces that rasterization performance is competitive with the rival cards listed, all of which score within roughly 500 points of the RTX 5060's average. The RTX 4060 AD106, lacking any recorded scores, cannot be positioned against these numbers directly, but its 50th percentile suggests it sits near the median of all GPUs, a far lower tier than the RTX 5060's upper-third placement.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split between these two NVIDIA cards is fundamental. The RTX 4060 AD106 uses the AD106 chip built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, part of the GeForce 40 generation. The RTX 5060 shifts to the GB206 chip on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, representing the GeForce 50 generation. Both are manufactured by TSMC on a 5 nm process node, but the transistor counts differ slightly: the RTX 4060 AD106 contains 22,900 million transistors on a 188 mm² die, while the RTX 5060 packs 21,900 million transistors into a slightly smaller 181 mm² die. Transistor density is nearly identical, at 121.8 million per mm² for the older card and 121.0 million per mm² for the newer one.

Compute resources expand noticeably on the RTX 5060. Shading units increase from 3072 to 3840, a 25 percent rise. Texture mapping units grow from 96 to 120, while raster operation units remain fixed at 48. Ray tracing cores jump from 24 to 30, and tensor cores scale from 96 to 120. These increases translate directly into higher throughput figures: FP32 performance rises from 15.11 TFLOPS on the RTX 4060 AD106 to 19.18 TFLOPS on the RTX 5060, and FP16 performance matches at the same 1:1 ratio for both cards. Texture rate climbs from 236.2 GTexel/s to 299.6 GTexel/s, while pixel rate stays nearly flat at 118.1 GPixel/s versus 119.9 GPixel/s.

Clock speeds also move upward. The RTX 4060 AD106 runs a base clock of 1830 MHz and boosts to 2460 MHz. The RTX 5060 starts higher at 2280 MHz base and boosts to 2497 MHz. Memory technology changes generationally: the RTX 4060 AD106 uses GDDR6 at 2125 MHz with 17 Gbps effective data rate, while the RTX 5060 upgrades to GDDR7 at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective. Both cards use a 128-bit memory bus and 8 GB of memory, but bandwidth improves dramatically from 272.0 GB/s to 448.0 GB/s, a 65 percent increase that directly benefits memory-bound workloads.

Power and connectivity differ as well. The RTX 4060 AD106 has a 115 W TDP and uses a single 12-pin power connector, while the RTX 5060 draws 145 W with a standard 8-pin connector. Both suggest a 300 W power supply. The PCIe interface advances from 4.0 x8 on the older card to 5.0 x8 on the newer one. Display outputs change from 1x HDMI 2.1 with 3x DisplayPort 1.4a to 1x HDMI 2.1b with 3x DisplayPort 2.1b. Physical dimensions are specified only for the RTX 5060, which measures 241 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 40 mm in width; both cards are dual-slot designs.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RTX 5060's memory bandwidth compared to the RTX 4060 AD106?

A: The RTX 5060 delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth versus 272.0 GB/s on the RTX 4060 AD106, an increase of 176 GB/s. This comes from upgrading GDDR6 memory at 17 Gbps effective to GDDR7 at 28 Gbps effective, while keeping the same 128-bit bus width and 8 GB capacity.

Q: What is the difference in compute performance between the two cards?

A: The RTX 5060 achieves 19.18 TFLOPS in both FP32 and FP16, while the RTX 4060 AD106 achieves 15.11 TFLOPS in both. The RTX 5060 also has 3840 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, 30 ray tracing cores, and 120 tensor cores, compared to 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, 24 ray tracing cores, and 96 tensor cores on the older card.

Q: Which card has a higher benchmark percentile ranking?

A: The RTX 5060 sits at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs, while the RTX 4060 AD106 sits at the 50th percentile. The RTX 5060's average benchmark score is 26331, whereas the RTX 4060 AD106 has no recorded benchmark scores in the database.

Q: Do the two cards use the same manufacturing process?

A: Yes, both are built by TSMC on a 5 nm process node. The RTX 4060 AD106 has 22,900 million transistors on a 188 mm² die, and the RTX 5060 has 21,900 million transistors on a 181 mm² die. Transistor density is 121.8 million per mm² for the older card and 121.0 million per mm² for the newer one.

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: The RTX 4060 AD106 has a 115 W TDP and uses a 1x 12-pin power connector. The RTX 5060 has a 145 W TDP and uses a 1x 8-pin connector. Both cards recommend a 300 W power supply and are dual-slot designs.

Q: What display outputs does each card provide?

A: The RTX 4060 AD106 provides 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The RTX 5060 provides 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b. The newer card also supports PCIe 5.0 x8, while the older card uses PCIe 4.0 x8.

Specification Differences

The two cards diverge on nearly every internal specification. The chip changes from AD106 to GB206, and the architecture moves from Ada Lovelace to Blackwell 2.0. Transistor count drops slightly from 22,900 million to 21,900 million, while die size shrinks from 188 mm² to 181 mm². Transistor density is marginally lower on the newer card at 121.0 million per mm² versus 121.8 million per mm².

Clock speeds rise across the board. Base clock increases from 1830 MHz to 2280 MHz, and boost clock from 2460 MHz to 2497 MHz. Memory clock shifts from 2125 MHz with 17 Gbps effective to 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective, reflecting the GDDR6 to GDDR7 transition. Memory bandwidth jumps from 272.0 GB/s to 448.0 GB/s, despite identical 8 GB capacity and 128-bit bus width.

Compute resources expand significantly. Shading units increase from 3072 to 3840, TMUs from 96 to 120, RT cores from 24 to 30, and tensor cores from 96 to 120. ROPs remain unchanged at 48. FP32 and FP16 both rise from 15.11 TFLOPS to 19.18 TFLOPS. Pixel rate moves marginally from 118.1 GPixel/s to 119.9 GPixel/s, while texture rate jumps from 236.2 GTexel/s to 299.6 GTexel/s.

Power and physical specs differ. TDP increases from 115 W to 145 W. Power connectors change from 1x 12-pin to 1x 8-pin. PCIe interface advances from 4.0 x8 to 5.0 x8. Display outputs upgrade from HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4a to HDMI 2.1b and DisplayPort 2.1b. The RTX 5060 has recorded dimensions of 241 mm length, 111 mm height, and 40 mm width; the RTX 4060 AD106 has no recorded dimensions. Production status differs, with the RTX 4060 AD106 end-of-life and the RTX 5060 active. Release dates are March 31, 2024 for the older card and May 18, 2025 for the newer one. The launch MSRP for the RTX 5060 is 299 USD. API support is identical, with both cards offering DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5060 wins on every measurable performance metric in the database. Its 19.18 TFLOPS FP32 compute is 4.07 TFLOPS higher than the RTX 4060 AD106's 15.11 TFLOPS. Memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s crushes the older card's 272.0 GB/s, a decisive advantage for high-resolution textures and memory-intensive workloads. The 3840 shading units versus 3072 provides more parallel execution capacity, and the 30 RT cores versus 24 improves ray tracing throughput. The 120 tensor cores versus 96 gives the newer card more headroom for AI-accelerated features. The 72nd percentile ranking versus 50th confirms the RTX 5060 occupies a higher performance class.

The RTX 4060 AD106 retains advantages in power efficiency and physical requirements. Its 115 W TDP is 30 W lower than the RTX 5060's 145 W, making it the lower-power option for systems with strict thermal or electrical budgets. Both cards recommend the same 300 W power supply, so the power supply requirement is identical, but the older card draws less under load. The RTX 4060 AD106 also uses the 12-pin connector, which may suit certain power supplies, while the RTX 5060's 8-pin connector is more universal. The older card's end-of-life status means it may appear in clearance channels, though pricing data is not recorded.

For use-case selection, the RTX 5060 is the choice for anyone prioritizing performance. Its benchmark scores, particularly the Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan results above 112000, indicate strong compute for rendering, simulation, and GPU-accelerated tasks. The PassMark G3D score of 20891 shows competitive rasterization against rivals like the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, which trails by 1.2 percent, and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary, which leads by 0.8 percent. The RTX 5060's nearest rivals all cluster within 1.2 percent, meaning the card is well-positioned in a tight competitive field.

The RTX 4060 AD106, with no recorded benchmarks, cannot demonstrate any performance win. Its 50th percentile places it at the median of all GPUs, and the lack of data means no specific workload advantage can be quantified. For applications where lower power draw matters more than raw throughput, the RTX 4060 AD106 holds a theoretical edge due to its 115 W TDP. The newer card's 5 nm process and larger transistor count, despite a smaller die, deliver more compute per watt, but the recorded data does not include efficiency metrics. The RTX 5060 also brings PCIe 5.0 x8 connectivity and DisplayPort 2.1b outputs, enabling newer display technologies that the RTX 4060 AD106 cannot support with its PCIe 4.0 x8 and DisplayPort 1.4a.