Latest news with #RTX5060
Digital Trends
4 days ago
- Digital Trends
GPUs with 8GB VRAM are 2025's real budget trap
It has become increasingly hard to justify buying a graphics card with only 8GB of VRAM. Once the standard for midrange GPUs, it is now a hard bottleneck in modern games and the cracks are showing more than ever. Whether you're planning to upgrade or building a new budget PC, it's time to reconsider what you actually get with that 8GB label. Let's be clear, this isn't about raw performance alone. As we pointed out during the launch of the RTX 5060, the problem lies less in core count or clock speeds, and more in how 8GB of VRAM caps your long-term usability. Even if the card is decent at 1080p right now, it's the kind of hardware decision you'll regret two years from now. Recommended Videos Take Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a 2024 release that made headlines for its high system requirements. As per testing done by Computer Base, the game chews through VRAM at 1080p using ultra textures, forcing cards like the RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti 8GB to drop frames or crash entirely. That's not just limited to a particular title, it's becoming the new norm. Games like The Last of Us Part I, Hogwarts Legacy, and Alan Wake 2 are similarly harsh on VRAM, especially at higher settings. And no, simply lowering textures doesn't always 'fix' the problem as it can still result in texture pop-in, long asset loading, and a generally compromised experience. VRAM is the real limiting factor The conversation around GPU performance often fixates on frames per second, but in 2025, VRAM capacity is increasingly the thing separating playable experiences from broken ones. When modern game engines request more than your card can handle, it results in poor performance including stutters and crashes. It doesn't matter if your 8GB GPU technically has enough shader power, it becomes a glorified bottleneck. Worse still, newer cards with 8GB are often misleadingly marketed. Nvidia's RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti (8GB variants) look appealing on paper, with Blackwell efficiency and support for DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation. But when they choke on big textures or fail to keep up in open-world games, the real-world experience often falls short. AMD hasn't been much better. Recent cards like the RX 9070 XT and 9060 XT do bump up to 16GB, but the 8GB RX 9060 XT and even older options like the RX 7600, 6600 XT, and 6650 XT still populate store shelves with 8GB VRAM and tempting discounts. False economy in 2025 It's easy to think you're saving money by buying an 8GB card, but that short-term gain quickly erodes. As games become more demanding and AI workloads become more memory-intensive, you'll end up running into performance walls sooner than you'd expect. That leads to either compromises like dropping settings or resolution, or spending more to replace your GPU sooner than planned. If you're buying a card in 2025, aim for at least 12GB of VRAM, preferably 16GB if you want the system to stay relevant for 3–4 years. Cards like the RTX 5060 Ti (16GB), RTX 5070 (12GB), RX 9060 XT (16GB), and even some budget 7700 XT (12GB) models offer a far better long-term experience, even if they're a bit more expensive. Exceptions to the rule? Despite the growing irrelevance of 8GB GPUs in modern AAA gaming, there are still select scenarios where these cards make sense, provided the buyer understands their limitations. Esports titles like Valorant, League of Legends, and Counter-Strike 2 remain light on VRAM requirements and are designed to run at high frame rates even on modest hardware. For gamers who stick to 1080p resolution and play older or well-optimized games, 8GB cards can still deliver decent results. Similarly, budget-constrained builders, those with less than $300 to spend on a GPU, may find that 8GB cards are their only option unless they opt for second-hand GPUs with higher VRAM but lower efficiency and weaker features. There are also workloads where VRAM isn't the primary bottleneck. Media-centric systems, such as HTPCs or dedicated streaming rigs, can benefit from the video encode/decode capabilities of modern 8GB cards, especially if AV1 support or low power draw is a priority. Small form factor (SFF) builds or compact office PCs often can't accommodate large or high-wattage GPUs, and in such contexts, a compact 8GB card may be the most practical choice. Some users also rely on cloud services like GeForce Now or Adobe's AI-based rendering tools, where the heavy lifting is offloaded to remote servers. In these hybrid workflows, the local GPU serves more as a bridge than a workhorse, making an 8GB card a tolerable, if not an ideal solution. These use cases won't apply to everyone, but they do highlight that there's still a narrow but valid market where 8GB GPUs haven't been completely left behind. Final thoughts The writing is on the wall: 8GB GPUs are no longer a smart buy in 2025. Between games that already exceed that memory envelope and hardware cycles moving quickly toward more demanding workloads, buying an 8GB card today is like buying a smartphone with 64GB of storage. It technically works, but you'll regret it the moment you use it in the real world. If you want to build a PC that lasts, gives consistent performance, and doesn't force you to dial back settings in every new game, skip the 8GB options. It's no longer enough.
Tom's Guide
6 days ago
- Business
- Tom's Guide
This is the cheapest RTX 5070 gaming PC I've ever seen! Plus, get $200 off my favorite MacBook and more — Power Picks
Friday's power picks are, well, powerful — you can get a massive $700 off the MSI Aegis gaming PC with RTX 5070 power, $200 off the M4 MacBook Pro, 20% off one of my favorite gaming headsets and more! What was funny about these is that retailers are not advertising them heavily. These are definitely the savings that they don't want you to know about — probably because all of these are either price matching or are lower than what we saw at Prime Day. And as has become pretty customary, yesterday's power picks are still available! That means an RTX 5060 gaming PC can be yours for $920 off, and the 49-inch ultrawide curved monitor I'm working on right now (my favorite ever) is $225 off. But for now, let's get into today's top deals. This $700 price cut brings this mighty MSI Aegis gaming PC into must-buy territory. Alongside that beasty RTX 5070 GPU, you'll find an Intel Core Ultra 265K CPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 2TB SSD. All of which is packed into a gorgeous case with plenty of RGB cooling to really add some flair to your desk. If I'm buying a laptop, I'll always go with the M4 MacBook Pro for its scary fast performance and power efficiency — slowly sipping that battery life while I dig into a complex 4K edit. For most creative enthusiasts (like me), the M4 chip is more than enough horsepower to get the job done, alongside 16GB of unified memory and a 512GB SSD. Everyone's favorite game is back: can you buy an RTX 50-series GPU for MSRP? The answer, unfortunately, is no. But with this 17% saving, this brings the RTX 5070 to just $30 over that $549 retail price. Plus, it's a triple fan-cooled and overclockable, and in my own time with the 5070, the ceiling on how much more performance you can get out of it (frame rates up by 15% before crashing) is impressive. Like a cable-free gaming setup? Asus' ROG Delta II wireless headset is one of the best you can get — packing giant 50mm titanium-plated drivers to deliver immersively deep sound, a 10mm super-wideband mic for comms and a 110-hour battery life. And if you're the work-from-home kinda person, a better webcam than the potato on your laptop is essential. That's where the OBSBOT Meet SE really comes into its own at under $60 — packing a sharp 1080p picture with a 100FPS refresh rate, alongside HDR and gesture control. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Tom's Guide
7 days ago
- Tom's Guide
Nvidia wants to make 8GB GPUs great again with AI texture compression — but I'm not convinced
If you're annoyed by just getting 8GB of video memory (VRAM) on your Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti, RTX 5060 or RTX 5050 GPU, there may be a fix coming. And just like a lot of Team Green's work, it's all about AI. In 2025, when plenty of games are requiring more than this from the jump, it's simply not enough (and PC gamers are letting Nvidia and AMD know with their wallets). Which is why Nvidia is looking to neural trickery — it's bread and butter with the likes of DLSS 4 and multi-frame gen. You may already know of Neural Texture Compression (or NTC), which is exactly what it says on the tin: taking those detailed in-game textures and compressing them for efficiency of loading and frame rate. As WCCFTech reports, NTC has seemingly taken another giant step forward by taking advantage of Microsoft's new Cooperative Vector in DirectX Raytracing 1.2 — resulting in one test showing an up-to-90% reduction in VRAM consumption for textures. To someone who is always wanting to make sure people get the best PC gaming bang for their buck, this sounds amazing. But I'm a little weary for three key reasons. As you can see in tests run by Osvaldo Pinali Doederlein on X (using a prerelease driver), this update to make the pipeline of loading textures more efficient with AI is significant. Texture size dropped from 79 MB all the way to just 9 MB — dropping the VRAM consumption by nearly 90%. How does it perform? Disabling v-sync, RTX 5080, demo at the startup position: (explained next tweet)Default: 2,350fps / 9.20MBNo FP8: 2,160fps / 9.20MBNo Int8: 2,350fps / 9.20MBDP4A: 1,030fps / 9.14MBTranscoded: 2,600fps / 79.38MBJuly 15, 2025 Just like DLSS 4 and other technologies extracting a higher frame rate and better graphical fidelity out of RTX 50-series GPUs, NTC requires developers to code it in. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. And while Nvidia is one of the better companies in terms of game support for its AI magic (so far over 125 games support DLSS 4), it's still a relatively small number when you think of the many thousands of PC titles that launch every year. Of course, this is not a burn on Doederlein here. This testing is great! But it is one example that doesn't take into account the broader landscape of challenges that are faced in a game — a test scene of a mask with several different textures isn't the same as rendering an entire level. So while this near-90% number is impressive nonetheless, when put to a far bigger challenge, I anticipate that number will be much lower on average. But when it comes to 8GB GPUs, every little bit helps! So yes, on paper, Nvidia's NTC could be the savior of 8GB GPUs, and it could extract more value from your budget graphics card. But let's address the elephant in the room — graphics cards with this low amount of video memory have been around for years, games in 2025 have proven that it's not enough and neural texture compression looks to me like a sticking plaster. I don't want to ignore the benefits here, though, because any chance to make budget tech even better through software and AI is always going to be a big win for me. But with the ever-increasing demands of developers (especially with Unreal Engine 5 bringing ever-more demanding visual masterpieces like The Witcher 4 to the front), how far can AI compression really go? Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Digital Trends
7 days ago
- Digital Trends
Grab this Alienware gaming laptop with RTX 5060, 32GB of RAM while it's $400 off
If you were planning to wait for Black Friday to take advantage of gaming laptop deals, the good news is that Dell has rolled out the bargains early in its Black Friday in July sale. Here's an offer that we highly recommend — the Alienware 16 Aurora with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 graphics card with a $400 discount that brings it down from $1,500 to just $1,100. That's an excellent price for this gaming laptop, and you're going to want to proceed with the transaction immediately while stocks are still available. Why you should buy the Alienware 16 Aurora gaming laptop The Alienware 16 Aurora gaming laptop shouldn't be confused with the Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop, but they're both excellent machines for playing the best PC games. The gaming laptop combines the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 graphics card with the Intel Core 7 240H Series 2 processor and 32GB of RAM, which our guide on how much RAM do you need says is necessary if you're thinking about streaming or running multiple apps while you're playing. The 16-inch screen of the Alienware 16 Aurora offers WQXGA resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, which will give justice to the gaming laptop's processing capabilities. The device also comes with a 1TB SSD, which will fit several AAA titles with all of their DLCs and updates, and Windows 11 Home out of the box so that you can start installing video games right after turning it on for the first time. Additionally, unlike previous Alienware gaming laptops, the Alienware 16 Aurora doesn't need a thermal shelf for cooling as it features the brand's Cryo-Chamber structure, so it's smaller and lighter for added portability. There's no shortage of amazing discounts on gaming laptops in Dell's Black Friday in July sale, and this is one of our favorites — the Alienware 16 Aurora with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 graphics card at $400 off, so you can get it for $1,100 instead of its sticker price of $1,500. There's a chance that stocks are gone by tomorrow though, so there's no time to waste if you want to pocket the savings. Push forward with your purchase of the Alienware 16 Aurora gaming laptop right now while you can still grab the discount.
Tom's Guide
7 days ago
- Business
- Tom's Guide
Get over $200 off the best ultrawide monitor I've ever used, $250 off a beasty RTX 5070 gaming PC and more — Power Picks
Closing in on the weekend, today's power picks are really taking it up a notch — you can get $225 off my personal daily driver ultrawide gaming monitor, the HP Omen with RTX 5060 is 23% off, and there's a shockingly good RTX 5070 gaming tower for $250 off. And just like I usually do, I've cross-checked these prices alongside what we saw during Prime Day and yes — these are even matching or are lower prices than what popped off during Amazon's big event. But you're not just limited to these, as yesterday's power picks are still going strong! That means you can still get the best gaming chair for $200 off, a $220 reduction on a great back to school laptop, and the Xreal One AR glasses for $80 off! But for now, let's get into today's top deals. I wrote about ditching my dual monitor setup for this OLED ultrawide back at the beginning of this year, and several months down the line, my obsession with it has only grown stronger. The 5K2K resolution on a 49-inch 32:9 aspect ratio with 144Hz refresh rate is a buttery smooth immersive experience with gorgeous OLED color and deep contrast for gaming. Meanwhile, for productivity, it is a giant canvas for multitasking. Not only is it one of the best monitor deals right now, it's also the prettiest too. I quite like RTX 5060 gaming laptops for their balance of strong 1080p performance and access to DLSS 4 with multi-frame gen to use AI trickery for an additional boost in frame rate. The HP Omen at $330 off is a great 16-inch gaming option to put this to full use with an AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX CPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD — all in a sleek chassis with great ergonomics. For a pre-built like this, this is a seriously good price. On top of that RTX 5070 GPU, you've got a lightning quick AMD Ryzen 7 7700X CPU, 32GB of DDR5 and a 1TB SSD — all combined with a stellar AIO cooling system and topped off with a $250 saving! Yes, you did read that right — that's a $920 saving on an RTX 5060 gaming PC. In reality, any 5060 desktop should be at or slightly below $1,000, and this discount puts it into buyable territory. That RTX 5060 is ideal for 1080p gaming, paired nicely with an Intel Core i5-14400F CPU, 32GB DDR4 RAM and a 1TB SSD. To finish off your gaming setup, you need a good mouse. Not only is the Redragon M916 Pro a strong gaming pointer with a 49q weight, 26K DPI sensor for ultra sensitivity and a great ergonomic build, but at $31, it's dirt cheap too. Bear in mind that for this, you'll need to be a Prime member. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
