NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 SE Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 SE presents an unusual comparison case. The RTX 5060 has a complete set of ten benchmark entries in the database, while the RTX 5090 SE currently has no recorded benchmark scores. This absence of data for the RTX 5090 SE means no head-to-head deltas can be calculated from direct measurements, and the wins count for both cards sits at zero.

The RTX 5060's benchmark profile shows a wide range of performance across different test types. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it records a score of 3628. Geekbench results show 112787 in OpenCL and 113321 in Vulkan. The PassMark suite reveals more variation: G2D scores 1154, G3D scores 20891, and GPU compute scores 10899. Legacy DirectX tests show 225 for DX9, 200 for DX11, 127 for DX10, and 77 for DX12. These figures place the RTX 5060 at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 26331.

Since the RTX 5090 SE has no benchmark entries, its percentile ranking sits at 50 by default, and its average score is recorded as 0. This is a data absence rather than a measured performance value. The nearest rivals for the RTX 5060 provide context for its relative standing. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT averages 26011, placing it 1.2% behind the RTX 5060. The AMD Radeon 860M averages 26401, which is 0.3% ahead. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 averages 26421, also 0.3% ahead. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary averages 26553, 0.8% ahead. These are the closest measured competitors in the database for the RTX 5060, with all four within a narrow 2% band around its average score.

The RTX 5090 SE's lack of benchmark data prevents any direct numerical comparison between the two cards in this section. The specification sheet for the RTX 5090 SE suggests substantially higher theoretical throughput, but without recorded test scores, the database cannot confirm how that translates into real-world benchmark results.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5060 wins in every category where data exists, simply because it has recorded measurements and the RTX 5090 SE does not. The RTX 5060 delivers a complete benchmark profile across modern and legacy APIs. Its strongest results appear in Geekbench Vulkan at 113321 and Geekbench OpenCL at 112787, nearly identical scores that indicate consistent compute performance across both API paths.

In the PassMark suite, the RTX 5060 shows a clear split between graphics and compute workloads. The G3D score of 20891 dominates the legacy DirectX tests, which range from 77 to 225. The GPU compute score of 10899 sits between the G3D and G2D results, indicating that compute throughput is substantial but distinct from rasterization performance. The G2D score of 1154 is the highest 2D result in its profile, which reflects desktop and compositing workloads rather than 3D rendering.

For the RTX 5090 SE, the database records no wins because no benchmark scores exist. The card's theoretical specifications, including 14080 shading units and 66.94 TFLOPS FP32, suggest it should outperform the RTX 5060 in most workloads, but the data does not support any such claim. The wins column for the RTX 5090 SE remains at zero.

The use-case split therefore defaults to the RTX 5060 for every measured workload. Its nearest rivals show where it fits among existing GPUs: it trails the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary by 0.8% in average score, sits 0.3% behind the AMD Radeon 860M and NVIDIA GeForce MX550, and leads the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT by 1.2%. These margins are small, placing the RTX 5060 in a tightly packed performance tier where no single card holds a decisive advantage.

FAQ

Q: Does the RTX 5090 SE have any benchmark scores in the database?

A: No. The RTX 5090 SE has an empty benchmark array, so no recorded scores exist for any test. Its average benchmark score is listed as 0 and it has no nearest rivals.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT?

A: The RTX 5060 averages 26331, which is 1.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT's average of 26011.

Q: What is the RTX 5060's best benchmark result?

A: The highest recorded score for the RTX 5060 is 113321 in Geekbench Vulkan, followed closely by 112787 in Geekbench OpenCL.

Q: What is the RTX 5060's worst benchmark result?

A: The lowest score is 77 in PassMark DirectX 12, which is below its PassMark DirectX 10 score of 127 and DirectX 11 score of 200.

Q: What percentile does each card rank at?

A: The RTX 5060 ranks at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs. The RTX 5090 SE ranks at the 50th percentile, which is the default value when no benchmark data is present.

Q: Are the RTX 5060 and RTX 5090 SE in the same performance tier?

A: The data cannot confirm this. The RTX 5060 has measured scores and a 72nd percentile ranking, while the RTX 5090 SE has no measured scores. Their specifications differ substantially, but benchmark comparison requires recorded data for both.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every hardware specification in the database. The RTX 5060 uses the GB206 chip, while the RTX 5090 SE uses the GB202 chip. Both are built on Blackwell 2.0 architecture at TSMC's 5 nm process, but the transistor counts diverge sharply: the RTX 5060 has 21,900 million transistors on a 181 mm² die, while the RTX 5090 SE has 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. Transistor density is similar at 121.0M per mm² for the RTX 5060 and 122.9M per mm² for the RTX 5090 SE.

Clock speeds differ in direction. The RTX 5060 has a higher base clock at 2280 MHz versus 1740 MHz for the RTX 5090 SE, but the boost clocks are closer: 2497 MHz for the RTX 5060 and 2377 MHz for the RTX 5090 SE. Memory clocks are identical at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed, and both use GDDR7 memory. Memory capacity, bus width, and bandwidth are vastly different: the RTX 5060 has 8 GB on a 128-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RTX 5090 SE has 24 GB on a 384-bit bus with 1.34 TB/s bandwidth.

Compute resources scale with the larger chip. The RTX 5060 has 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 30 RT cores, and 120 tensor cores. The RTX 5090 SE has 14080 shading units, 440 TMUs, 160 ROPs, 110 RT cores, and 440 tensor cores. Pixel and texture rates follow suit: 119.9 GPixel/s and 299.6 GTexel/s for the RTX 5060, versus 380.3 GPixel/s and 1,045.9 GTexel/s for the RTX 5090 SE. FP32 and FP16 throughput are identical within each card at a 1:1 ratio, but the values differ: 19.18 TFLOPS for the RTX 5060 and 66.94 TFLOPS for the RTX 5090 SE.

Power and physical specs also differ. The RTX 5060 has a TDP of 145 W, uses a single 8-pin power connector, and requires a 300 W suggested PSU. The RTX 5090 SE has a TDP of 500 W, uses a single 16-pin connector, and requires a 900 W suggested PSU. Both cards are dual-slot, but the RTX 5060 is 241 mm long while the RTX 5090 SE is 267 mm long. Height and width are identical at 111 mm and 40 mm. The RTX 5060 uses a PCIe 5.0 x8 interface, while the RTX 5090 SE uses PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs are the same: one HDMI 2.1b and three DisplayPort 2.1b. The RTX 5060 has a launch MSRP of 299 USD, while the RTX 5090 SE has a launch MSRP of 1,499 USD.

Architecture Differences

Both cards share the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and the GeForce 50 generation, with TSMC as the foundry and a 5 nm process node. The architectural difference lies in the chip design and resource allocation rather than the underlying architecture generation. The RTX 5060's GB206 chip is a smaller implementation, while the RTX 5090 SE's GB202 chip is a much larger one, nearly four times the die area and transistor count.

The RT core and tensor core counts scale with the chip size. The RTX 5060 has 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores, while the RTX 5090 SE has 110 RT cores and 440 tensor cores. This represents a 3.7x increase in both ray tracing and AI acceleration resources, which correlates with the FP32 throughput jump from 19.18 TFLOPS to 66.94 TFLOPS. The memory architecture also differs fundamentally: the RTX 5060 uses a 128-bit bus with 8 GB of GDDR7, while the RTX 5090 SE uses a 384-bit bus with 24 GB. The 1.34 TB/s bandwidth of the RTX 5090 SE is exactly three times the 448.0 GB/s of the RTX 5060, matching the bus width ratio.

The API support is identical for both cards: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Both cards use the same display outputs and the same memory type and speed. The production status for both is listed as Active, and both share the same predecessor (GeForce 40) and successor (GeForce 60) in the database. Release dates differ, with the RTX 5060 dated 2025-05-18 and the RTX 5090 SE dated 2025-12-31.

The Verdict

The database presents a clear data asymmetry. The RTX 5060 has a full benchmark profile, a 72nd percentile ranking, and a set of nearest rivals within a 2% performance band. The RTX 5090 SE has no benchmark scores, a default 50th percentile, and no rivals to compare against. Any verdict must therefore be drawn strictly from measured data, and the measured data only supports the RTX 5060.

Users seeking a card with confirmed benchmark results should consider the RTX 5060, which demonstrates competitive performance against the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, AMD Radeon 860M, NVIDIA GeForce MX550, and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary. Its average score of 26331 places it in a tight cluster where the largest margin among rivals is 1.2% in either direction. The RTX 5090 SE cannot be evaluated on performance grounds because the database contains no measurements for it. Its specification sheet indicates higher theoretical capacity, but without recorded scores, no performance claim can be substantiated.

The RTX 5090 SE's launch MSRP is 1,499 USD, while the RTX 5060's is 299 USD. That price difference aligns with the specification gap, but the benchmark data does not yet confirm whether the RTX 5090 SE delivers proportional performance gains. For now, the RTX 5060 is the only card in this comparison with verifiable results.