The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 may soon make a comeback to retail shelves, according to recent leaks surrounding Nvidia’s GPU production plans. Following its resurgence to the forefront of Steam’s Hardware Survey as the most-used GPU last month, a new batch of this five-year-old mid-range card could be available by June. This development promises to alleviate the ongoing scarcity of budget-friendly graphics cards.
Reviving a Budget Favorite
Upon its initial release, the RTX 3060 was celebrated as one of the best options for gamers seeking an economical graphics solution. Nvidia is now positioning it as an excellent upgrade for users still relying on older models or those embarking on their first budget gaming PC build.
Speculation about Nvidia reviving the RTX 3060 began earlier this year, with reports indicating that production of the GA106 GPU had resumed at Samsung, its original manufacturer. This is particularly noteworthy as current-generation GPUs from both AMD and Nvidia are predominantly produced by TSMC, which is currently operating at full capacity, catering to high-profile clients like Apple and Qualcomm. By shifting production to Samsung, Nvidia aims to manufacture these chips in sufficient quantities to maintain competitive pricing.
While the exact pricing for the RTX 3060 remains uncertain, it is anticipated to fall within the range of the RTX 5060, priced around 0, and the RTX 5050, which retails for approximately 0. Despite utilizing a two-generation-old architecture, the RTX 3060 boasts a greater number of CUDA cores compared to the RTX 5050, while matching the core count of the RTX 5060. Additionally, it is expected to feature 12GB of GDDR6 VRAM, surpassing both the RTX 5060 and RTX 5050, which are limited to 8GB.
Initially, a new version of the RTX 5050 with 9GB of VRAM was anticipated to launch concurrently with the RTX 3060. However, recent rumors suggest that this release may be delayed or even canceled.
The latest insights regarding these launches have emerged from the well-known tech leaker, MEGAsizeGPU. In a post on X, they indicated that the “RTX 5050 9G is delayed, launch becomes pretty uncertain now,” and that the “newly produced RTX 3060 will fill the gap, ETA June 2026.” Given MEGAsizeGPU’s strong track record, this leak carries a degree of credibility, although it is wise to approach such news with caution until Nvidia provides official confirmation.
The significance of these launches lies in the potential limitations of 8GB graphics cards, which can struggle with VRAM shortages, leading to performance issues in certain games. By increasing the VRAM on its budget offerings, Nvidia could address these concerns effectively.
For instance, our evaluations of the RTX 5060 revealed performance challenges with titles like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, particularly at 1080p with Ultra settings. The card struggled to perform adequately at 1440p with similar settings. In contrast, the RX 9060 XT, which offers comparable performance, excels in these scenarios thanks to its 16GB of VRAM.
While instances of VRAM-related issues are relatively rare, they have garnered significant media attention. Consequently, I currently recommend the RTX 5060 as the best budget graphics card, despite our initial reservations during its launch review. Its price has remained relatively stable compared to competitors, providing reasonable value in today’s graphics card landscape while still delivering satisfactory performance in most scenarios.
Importantly, the RTX 5060 fully supports the latest DLSS features, offering top-tier upscaling and multi-frame generation capabilities. While these features can be polarizing, they have the potential to enhance frame rates at higher resolutions and detail settings. Should the anticipated RTX 3060 arrive in June, it will only support DLSS upscaling, lacking the frame generation feature, at least officially.
