NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 SUPER Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains a single head-to-head comparison between the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 SUPER. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RTX 5060 scores 3628, while the RTX 5080 SUPER scores 3075. This gives the RTX 5060 an 18% advantage in this specific workload. The delta is substantial and places the lower-tier card clearly ahead in this particular benchmark.

However, the broader picture from the database is more complicated. The RTX 5060 has an average benchmark score of 26331 across ten recorded tests, which places it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 860M (average score 26401, delta of -0.3%), the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (average score 26421, delta of -0.3%), the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (average score 26553, delta of -0.8%), and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (average score 26011, delta of 1.2%). These deltas are all within roughly a percentage point, meaning the RTX 5060 sits in a tightly contested performance cluster.

The RTX 5080 SUPER, by contrast, has only one benchmark recorded: the same 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test with a score of 3075. Its average benchmark score is therefore also 3075, and it falls into the 19th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro P1000 (average score 3163, delta of -2.8%), the NVIDIA GeForce 820A (average score 2983, delta of 3.1%), the Intel Arc Pro B60 (average score 3182, delta of -3.4%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M (average score 2967, delta of 3.6%). These rivals are all older or lower-tier parts, and the deltas are small, indicating the RTX 5080 SUPER's recorded score does not place it in a strong competitive position.

The win count favors the RTX 5060: it holds 1 win in the head-to-head comparison, while the RTX 5080 SUPER holds 0. This is a narrow dataset, but the single available datapoint shows a clear margin. The RTX 5060 outperforms the RTX 5080 SUPER by 553 points in absolute terms on this test. The RTX 5080 SUPER's score is lower than the RTX 5060's score by 15.2% when calculated from the lower base, or the RTX 5060 leads by 18% when calculated from the higher base. The data does not explain this outcome, which suggests the RTX 5080 SUPER may be limited by other factors in this particular workload.

Architecture Differences

Both cards belong to the GeForce 50-series and use NVIDIA's Blackwell 2.0 architecture, but they are built on different chips. The RTX 5060 uses the GB206 chip, while the RTX 5080 SUPER uses the GB203 chip. Both are fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, and the transistor densities are nearly identical: 121.0M per mm² for the RTX 5060 and 120.6M per mm² for the RTX 5080 SUPER. The die sizes differ significantly, with the RTX 5060 at 181 mm² and the RTX 5080 SUPER at 378 mm². Transistor counts scale accordingly: the RTX 5080 SUPER packs 45,600 million transistors versus 21,900 million on the RTX 5060, a difference of roughly 2.1 times.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The RTX 5060 has 8 GB of GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 5080 SUPER has 24 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 1.02 TB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock also differs: the RTX 5060 runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective), while the RTX 5080 SUPER runs at 2000 MHz (32 Gbps effective). This gives the RTX 5080 SUPER more than double the memory capacity and roughly 2.3 times the bandwidth.

Compute resources show a similar scaling pattern. The RTX 5060 has 3840 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, 48 ROPs, 30 RT cores, and 120 tensor cores. The RTX 5080 SUPER has 10752 shading units, 336 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 84 RT cores, and 336 tensor cores. These are approximately 2.8 times the shading units, 2.8 times the TMUs, 2.3 times the ROPs, 2.8 times the RT cores, and 2.8 times the tensor cores. Pixel rate and texture rate scale similarly: the RTX 5060 achieves 119.9 GPixel/s and 299.6 GTexel/s, while the RTX 5080 SUPER achieves 293.1 GPixel/s and 879.3 GTexel/s.

Clock speeds are closer than the compute resources. The RTX 5060 has a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz. The RTX 5080 SUPER has a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2617 MHz. The boost difference is only 4.8%, yet the FP32 throughput difference is much larger: 19.18 TFLOPS for the RTX 5060 versus 56.28 TFLOPS for the RTX 5080 SUPER. This is a 2.9 times advantage for the RTX 5080 SUPER, driven primarily by the higher shader count rather than clock speed. FP16 performance is identical to FP32 on both cards, listed as 1:1.

Power and interface specifications also differ. The RTX 5060 has a TDP of 145 W and uses a single 8-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 300 W. The RTX 5080 SUPER has a TDP of 415 W and uses a single 16-pin connector, with no suggested PSU listed in the database. The bus interface on the RTX 5060 is PCIe 5.0 x8, while the RTX 5080 SUPER uses PCIe 5.0 x16. Physical dimensions vary as well: the RTX 5060 is 241 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 40 mm wide, while the RTX 5080 SUPER is 304 mm long, 137 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. Both are dual-slot cards. Display outputs are identical: 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b. The API support matches across both, with DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins the only recorded head-to-head benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 wins the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test with a score of 3628, compared to the RTX 5080 SUPER's 3075, a lead of 18%.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 SUPER's average benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5080 SUPER's average benchmark score is 3075. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro P1000, scores 3163, which is 2.8% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce 820A scores 2983, which is 3.1% lower. The Intel Arc Pro B60 scores 3182, which is 3.4% higher, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M scores 2967, which is 3.6% lower.

Q: What is the transistor count difference between the two cards?

A: The RTX 5080 SUPER has 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die, while the RTX 5060 has 21,900 million transistors on a 181 mm² die. The RTX 5080 SUPER has roughly 2.1 times the transistor count.

Q: How much memory bandwidth does each card provide?

A: The RTX 5060 provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth with 8 GB of GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus. The RTX 5080 SUPER provides 1.02 TB/s of bandwidth with 24 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus.

Q: What is the FP32 performance difference?

A: The RTX 5060 delivers 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The RTX 5080 SUPER delivers 56.28 TFLOPS, which is approximately 2.9 times higher.

Q: Do the two cards support the same graphics APIs?

A: Yes, both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. They also have identical display outputs: 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification field. The chip is GB206 for the RTX 5060 and GB203 for the RTX 5080 SUPER. The die size is 181 mm² versus 378 mm². Transistors are 21,900 million versus 45,600 million. Base clocks are 2280 MHz versus 2295 MHz, and boost clocks are 2497 MHz versus 2617 MHz. Memory clocks are 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) versus 2000 MHz (32 Gbps effective). Memory size is 8 GB versus 24 GB. Bus width is 128 bit versus 256 bit. Bandwidth is 448.0 GB/s versus 1.02 TB/s. Shading units are 3840 versus 10752. TMUs are 120 versus 336. ROPs are 48 versus 112. RT cores are 30 versus 84. Tensor cores are 120 versus 336. Pixel rate is 119.9 GPixel/s versus 293.1 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 299.6 GTexel/s versus 879.3 GTexel/s. FP32 and FP16 are both 19.18 TFLOPS versus 56.28 TFLOPS. TDP is 145 W versus 415 W. Power connectors are 1x 8-pin versus 1x 16-pin. Suggested PSU is 300 W for the RTX 5060, with no value listed for the RTX 5080 SUPER. Bus interface is PCIe 5.0 x8 versus PCIe 5.0 x16. Dimensions differ: length 241 mm versus 304 mm, height 111 mm versus 137 mm, width identical at 40 mm. The release dates differ, with the RTX 5060 released in 2025-05-18 and the RTX 5080 SUPER in 2025-12-31. The RTX 5060 has a predecessor (GeForce 40) and a successor (GeForce 60), while the RTX 5080 SUPER has neither listed. The launch MSRP is 299 USD for the RTX 5060 and 999 USD for the RTX 5080 SUPER.

The Verdict

The data presents a paradox. The RTX 5080 SUPER has vastly superior specifications: 2.9 times the FP32 throughput, 3 times the memory capacity, 2.3 times the bandwidth, and 2.8 times the shading units. Yet the only recorded benchmark shows the RTX 5060 winning by 18%. The RTX 5080 SUPER's average benchmark score of 3075 places it in the 19th percentile, while the RTX 5060's average of 26331 places it in the 72nd percentile. The RTX 5080 SUPER's nearest rivals are low-end parts like the NVIDIA GeForce 820A and the GTX 860M, which suggests the recorded score may not reflect the card's full potential, or that the single 3DMark test is not representative of its capabilities.

The RTX 5060, by contrast, has ten recorded benchmarks and a competitive position against mid-range rivals like the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, which it edges by 1.2%. The RTX 5080 SUPER's sparse data means the database cannot confirm its expected performance tier. The architecture differences are clear: the RTX 5080 SUPER is built on a larger, more complex chip with significantly more compute resources. The RTX 5060 is a smaller, more modestly configured part. The benchmark outcome contradicts the spec sheet, and the data does not resolve this contradiction.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5060 wins in the single recorded head-to-head benchmark, the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, with a score of 3628 versus 3075. It also wins on the basis of having a much higher average benchmark score across its ten tests, and it holds a higher percentile ranking at 72 versus 19. The RTX 5060's nearest rivals are all within 1.2% of its average score, indicating it competes in a tight mid-range cluster.

The RTX 5080 SUPER wins on every architectural specification that matters for raw compute: shading units, TMUs, ROPs, RT cores, tensor cores, FP32 throughput, memory capacity, bus width, and bandwidth. It also has a higher boost clock (2617 MHz versus 2497 MHz) and a larger die. However, the database contains no benchmark where the RTX 5080 SUPER demonstrates an actual performance win. The card's single recorded score does not reflect its spec-level advantages, and its nearest rivals are all older or lower-tier models. For use cases demanding high memory capacity and bandwidth, such as large dataset handling or high-resolution texture workloads, the RTX 5080 SUPER's specifications suggest it should excel, but the recorded data does not confirm this. For the one measured workload, the RTX 5060 is the clear winner.