Asus swaps out the PCIe x16 connector for x8 on new RTX 5060 Ti GPUs — Gigabyte does the opposite with x16 upgrade to its WindForce Max card

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As observed by hardware enthusiast Uniko’s Hardware, Asus and Gigabyte have launched new versions of their GeForce RTX 5060 Ti models, which are among the best graphics cards currently available. In the case of Asus, the new Evo-branded SKU is more compact but also involves several noticeable downgrades. Conversely, in Gigabyte’s case, the update appears to be solely an aesthetic modification.

The primary, and arguably most significant, modification in Asus and Gigabyte’s updated models pertains to the PCIe connector. Asus has transitioned to a PCIe x8 connector on the Dual GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Evo 16GB GDDR7, replacing the PCIe x16 connector present in the original Dual GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB GDDR7. Conversely, Gigabyte has implemented the opposite adjustment by adopting a PCIe x16 connector on the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti WindForce Max 16G in place of the PCIe x8 connector used in the previous GeForce RTX 5060 Ti WindForce 16G.

The GeForce RTX 5060 and GeForce RTX 5060 Ti operate efficiently with a PCIe x8 connector, as Nvidia has engineered these graphics cards to function optimally on this interface. Although a PCIe x16 connector can be installed on either of these mid-range, Blackwell-powered models, they are electrically configured to operate at x8. Therefore, the performance is unaffected whether the graphics card uses a PCIe x16 or x8 connector.

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Asus and Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Specifications

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Brand	Model	Dimensions (Inches)	Boost Clock (MHz)	CUDA Cores	Memory	Part Number
Asus	Dual GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Evo 16GB GDDR7	8.85 x 4.72 x 1.65	2,602	4,608	16GB GDDR7	DUAL-RTX5060TI-16G-EVO
Asus	Dual GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB GDDR7	9.01 x 4.72 x 1.97	2,602	4,608	16GB GDDR7	DUAL-RTX5060TI-16G
Gigabyte	GeForce RTX 5060 Ti WindForce Max 16G	8.19 x 4.72 x 1.57	2,572	4,608	16GB GDDR7	GV-N506TWF2MAX-16GD
Gigabyte	GeForce RTX 5060 Ti WindForce 16G	8.19 x 4.72 x 1.57	2,572	4,608	16GB GDDR7	GV-N506TWF2-16GD

The primary rationale for downgrading from a PCIe x16 to a PCIe x8 connector is cost reduction, as the former is more expensive due to its larger size and additional data lanes. While this may apply to Asus, it is also possible that Gigabyte recycles surplus PCBs for this purpose.