Since upgrading my monitor from a 24-inch to the Lenovo L27-4A (27-inch QHD), I’ve been very satisfied with the setup, but one specific problem arose.
I had been enjoying games like Diablo IV and Path of Exile 2 (POE2) reasonably well at FHD resolution with my Ryzen 5 3600 and RTX 3050. However, once the resolution switched to QHD, the games started to stutter. It seems the RTX 3050’s DLSS upscaling worked fine from 720p to FHD, but pushing from FHD to QHD was too much for it. While I could just play at FHD resolution, the lack of sharpness was noticeable. In the end, I decided to upgrade my graphics card.
I considered buying a used RTX 3060 or RTX 4060, but then I remembered my “Sangsaeng Payback” (local cashback) balance and decided to buy an RTX 5060 from Lotte ON. Even though I knew the Ryzen 3600 CPU might have its limits, I made the purchase with high expectations for DLSS 4 Frame Generation.
The Purchase Experience
My first order was for the Galaxy RTX 5060 Black OC, but it was canceled due to being out of stock. Interestingly, I saw it relisted later at a higher price.
Eventually, I purchased the Gigabyte RTX 5060 Windforce D7, which was the cheapest RTX 5060 model available on Lotte ON that I could buy using Onnuri gift certificates. I bought it for 512,050 KRW ($ 351), but the price has already jumped to 674,540 KRW ($ 463). It seems significant GPU price hikes have officially begun in Korea.
It’s been a long time since I’ve unboxed a brand-new graphics card, as both my previous RTX 1060 and RTX 3050 were purchased used.
The design of the Gigabyte RTX 5060 Windforce D7 8GB is very basic. There are no LEDs or flashy features.
Comparing it to my old RTX 3050, the fan size and overall design actually feel like a bit of a step backward. I still feel a little regret about that canceled Galaxy model.
RTX 5060 Upgrade Performance
The performance boost after moving from an RTX 3050 to an RTX 5060 is quite substantial. Although the RTX 3050 received a lot of criticism, it was a card I personally liked—and I think I’m going to be just as satisfied with the RTX 5060.
1. Raw Performance
Without enabling DLSS 4 Frame Generation, I saw about a 30-40% increase in frame rates. The stuttering in Diablo IV has completely disappeared. In POE2, which lacks DLSS options, it stays slightly under 60 FPS, but it’s still very playable. I do feel like the Ryzen 5 3600 might be bottlenecking the performance a bit.
2. DLSS 4 Performance
In games that support DLSS 4 Frame Generation, the frame rates skyrocket once enabled. I was shocked to see Diablo IV hitting over 150 FPS.
Conclusion
The RTX 5060 seems capable of maintaining around 60 FPS at QHD resolution based on its hardware specs alone. With the help of DLSS, you can enjoy smooth gameplay at QHD. However, due to the VRAM limit, some graphics setting compromises might be necessary.
Since my current monitor only supports up to a 100Hz refresh rate, the RTX 5060 feels like more than enough. I hope DLSS technology continues to evolve even further.