RTX 5060 reviews are reportedly in jeopardy — Nvidia allegedly withholding pre-release drivers from reviewers

May 8, 2025 - 22:30

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RTX 5060 reviews are reportedly in jeopardy — Nvidia allegedly withholding pre-release drivers from reviewers

(Image credit: Gigabyte)

Reports from multiple independent reviewers and publications suggest that Nvidia is barring access to pre-release drivers for the upcoming budget-oriented RTX 5060. Apparently, Nvidia is dropping drivers for RTX 5060 GPUs with the retail embargo. Igor's Lab, HardwareLuxx, and Hardware Unboxed have all posted about the issue on their websites or on social media.

Without the drivers, proper day-one reviews from tech publications will be impossible, and the drivers will drop as many reviewers travel to Computex in Taipei.

Nvidia typically optimized pre-release drivers as part of the review kit. Nvidia typically releases the public-facing enablement drivers for a new GPU on the day of its retail launch. If proper drivers aren't installed, the system may either fail to detect the GPU or the results obtained from benchmarking the card will be unreliable at best.

Nvidia didn't send RTX 5060 Ti 8GB models to reviewers, leading them to acquire retail units at their own expense. As expected, that GPU struggles at 4K, at 1440p, and even at 1080p in a handful of titles compared to its 16GB sibling. The RTX 5060 and its 8GB may face similar woes, but that's at least somewhat counteracted by its cheaper price point. It's conceivable that internal software issues may be causing driver delays, if you want to give Nvidia the benefit of the doubt.

Can confirm! For us this has the implications, that we will be not able to tests the RTX 5060 on May 19th, because almost the whole team will be at Computex. This also means no testing for the Computex week. Not only bad for us, but above all for consumers. https://t.co/VDOpybbFqPMay 8, 2025

The RTX 5060 is set to hit shelves on May 19th, exactly one day before Computex kicks off. This leaves reviewers with virtually no time for independent testing, so day-one impressions will largely be based on Nvidia's first-party metrics and the few reviewers who aren't traveling.

Ironically, potential RTX 5060 supply constraints at launch might be a blessing in disguise this time around, giving buyers just enough time to see independent reviews before jumping the gun.

On paper, the RTX 5060 offers 25% more CUDA cores (3,840) than the RTX 4060, suggesting a noticeable performance uplift. At its suggested $299 MSRP, the RTX 5060 might be a decent pick as long as you're aware of its limitations. Further down the stack, Nvidia is reportedly preparing an RTX 5050, but based on early specifications, don't expect it to perform any miracles. At the same time, rumors allege AMD is also scheduling its budget RX 9060 XT series for Computex, reigniting the company's rivalry on the low end of the hardware stack.

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Hassam Nasir is a die-hard hardware enthusiast with years of experience as a tech editor and writer, focusing on detailed CPU comparisons and general hardware news. When he’s not working, you’ll find him bending tubes for his ever-evolving custom water-loop gaming rig or benchmarking the latest CPUs and GPUs just for fun.

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