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MSI just unveiled another tiny RTX 5060, this time with a “nostalgic” design

MSI is cutting down GPUs in size, and the Cyclone is a bit of a throwback
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MSI just unveiled another tiny RTX 5060, this time with a “nostalgic” design
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MSI doesn’t seem to be a fan of oversized GPUs as it unveils yet another small form factor graphics card. Not quite the low-profile cards we once saw, but at least an ITX model that is shorter and thinner to be compatible with pretty much any case and build. This news follows on from the Inspire ITX model it launched recently: now we have the Cyclone OC RTX 5060.

The choice of model is crucial for achieving this model design. While the RTX 5060 isn’t a massively popular choice, it does have a low TBP that doesn’t require a lot of cooling to move that heat away from the card. That allows MSI to create these new and different designs that might just make someone interested in buying the GPU.

Legacy design for a modern GPU

The MSI Cyclone is a throwback to some of the company’s original card designs from the early 2000s. Only using one fan with a radial heatsink just screams of nostalgia and some of those early PC designs. Both CPU coolers and GPUs could be effectively cooled by just this little cooler, but since the power ratings of components go into the hundreds now, it’s not as common.

For the design, the Cyclone introduces a snow camo design in the sparse areas with no shroud and sticker area, mainly on the fan front, with just a couple of guards around the edge. The fan in the center of the heatsink is a basic old design with a white sloped design compared to the axial connected up ones we see nowadays, but optimized for airflow and pressure.

There are also two heat pipes that extend out of the top and transfer the heat out to the outer edges of the heatsink. All of which is rather open and allows for plenty of airflow to pass through freely.

The backplate, in turn, is a solid metal that provides strength to the card to prevent any bending, culminating in a rather impressively small card that can still perform well, at least depending on what you think of the 5060 performance. It is a model that has been overclocked and is capable of exceeding factory rates.

Model NameG5060-8CC
Core ClocksExtreme Performance: 2535 MHz (MSI Center)
Boost: 2527 MHz
CUDA Cores3,840
Memory Speed28Gbps
Memory8GB GDDR7
Memory Bus128-bit
Video Output3x DisplayPort v2.1b
1x HDMI 2.1b
Power Consumption145W
Power Connectors1x 8-pin
Recommended PSU550W
Card Dimensions161x125x42mm
Weight (card/package)451/761g
Cyclone RTX 5060 8G specs, source: MSI
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About the Author

With a fascination for technology and games, Seb is a tech writer with a focus on hardware and deals. He is also the primary tester and reviewer at BGFG and PCGuide.