RTX 3060 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Mon, 26 Jun 2023 16:49:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png RTX 3060 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Nvidia RTX 4060 outperforms the RTX 3060 12GB variant by 23% in 3DMark https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/nvidia-rtx-4060-outperforms-the-rtx-3060-12gb-variant-by-23-in-3dmark/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/nvidia-rtx-4060-outperforms-the-rtx-3060-12gb-variant-by-23-in-3dmark/#respond Mon, 26 Jun 2023 17:00:07 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=620777 The Nvidia RTX 4060 is rapidly approaching launch and many are currently testing the graphics card to prepare for day-one reviews. As benchmarking gets underway, we tend to see a few leaks through benchmark databases. The latest shows the first RTX 4080 scores in 3DMark.  VideoCardz has managed to obtain some 3DMark scores, giving users …

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The Nvidia RTX 4060 is rapidly approaching launch and many are currently testing the graphics card to prepare for day-one reviews. As benchmarking gets underway, we tend to see a few leaks through benchmark databases. The latest shows the first RTX 4080 scores in 3DMark. 

VideoCardz has managed to obtain some 3DMark scores, giving users a glimpse of where the RTX 4060 might stand in the GPU hierarchy. As a reminder, the RTX 4060 is the first desktop graphics card to feature the AD107 GPU. It packs 8GB of GDDR6 memory, a 128-bit memory bus, and a PCIe 4.0 8x interface. Moreover, Nvidia has stated that the RTX 4060 is targeting 1080p gaming, like the previous RTX 3060 models.

Image credit: VideoCardz

The scores to be compared are from the various 3DMark benchmarks, including Speed Way, Port Royal, TimeSpy (Performance and Extreme), and FireStrike (Performance, Extreme, and Ultra). The systems used for testing the upcoming GPU were using the GPU driver 536.20, but Nvidia should release a new driver on June 29th with support for the RTX 4060.

In Speed Way, the RTX 4060 was 17% faster than the RTX 3060 12GB and 58% faster than the RTX 3060 8GB. As for Port Royal, the RTX 4060 outperformed the RTX 3060 12GB by 17% and the 8GB variant by 31%. Moving on to TimeSpy on the Performance preset, the RTX 4060 was 30% faster than the predecessor's 12GB model and 55% faster than the 8GB model. The performance gap increases on TimeSpy Extreme, where the RTX 4060 scored 33% higher than the RTX 3060 12GB and 61% higher than the RTX 3060 8GB.

Lastly, we have FireStrike's various presets. On the Performance preset, the RTX 4060 was 19.8% faster than the RTX 3060 12GB and 38.0% faster than the RTX 3060 8GB. Using the Extreme preset, the RTX 4060 scored 23.4% higher than the RTX 3060 12GB and 41.8% higher than the RTX 3060 8GB. As for the Ultra preset, the RTX 4060 outperformed the RTX 3060 12GB by 19.4% and the RTX 3060 8GB by 50%. Across all 3DMark tests, the RTX 4060 was, on average, 23% faster than the RTX 3060 12GB and 48% faster than the 8GB SKU.

KitGuru says: Do you think the performance gap between the RTX 4060 and the RTX 3060 12GB will be as wide as we see in this comparison?

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Nvidia RTX 4060 benchmark shows it outperforming the RTX 3060 by up to 17% https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/nvidia-rtx-4060-benchmark-shows-it-outperforming-the-rtx-3060-by-up-to-17/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/nvidia-rtx-4060-benchmark-shows-it-outperforming-the-rtx-3060-by-up-to-17/#respond Thu, 22 Jun 2023 08:00:40 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=620375 While originally planned to launch in July, the RTX 4060 will now be arriving before the end of June. Leaks have swiftly followed on, with the first benchmark results for the RTX 4060 starting to appear online, giving us an early idea of the gen-to-gen performance improvement.  As found by BenchLeaks, the first tests for …

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While originally planned to launch in July, the RTX 4060 will now be arriving before the end of June. Leaks have swiftly followed on, with the first benchmark results for the RTX 4060 starting to appear online, giving us an early idea of the gen-to-gen performance improvement. 

As found by BenchLeaks, the first tests for the RTX 4060 are already underway, including compute tests using the OpenCL and Vulkan APIs. In these initial results, the GPU achieved a score of 105,630 points in the OpenCL test and 99,419 points in Vulkan. These results can be compared to popular mid-range GPUs such as the recently released RTX 4060 Ti and Radeon RX 7600.

Based on these scores, it can be observed that the RTX 4060 offers a performance increase of up to 17% over the RTX 3060 in the Vulkan test (84,966) and 10% in OpenCL (89,250). Additionally, the GPU is reported to be 4% (Vulkan) to 23% (OpenCL) faster than the Radeon RX 7600 featuring the Navi 33 GPU. It is important to note that Geekbench data may not always directly correspond to gaming workloads.

The RTX 4060 is equipped with the AD107 GPU, which features 3072 CUDA cores and 8GB of GDDR6 memory connected via a 128-bit interface. THe RTX 4060 will start at £289 in the UK, $299 in the US and €329 in Europe.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of these initial benchmark results? Do you think the RTX 4060 will provide a better generational performance uplift than the other RTX 40 series GPUs?

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Nvidia RTX 3060 with fully-enabled GA106 GPU shows up online https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/nvidia-rtx-3060-with-fully-enabled-ga106-gpu-shows-up-online/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/nvidia-rtx-3060-with-fully-enabled-ga106-gpu-shows-up-online/#respond Wed, 19 Apr 2023 08:29:41 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=612055 A new leak has surfaced, revealing the existence of an Nvidia RTX 3060 with a fully enabled GA106 GPU that never made it to market. This SKU, identified as PG190 SKU 50, was one of the several specs for the GPU that were shared among board partners before its official launch in January 2021. Before …

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A new leak has surfaced, revealing the existence of an Nvidia RTX 3060 with a fully enabled GA106 GPU that never made it to market. This SKU, identified as PG190 SKU 50, was one of the several specs for the GPU that were shared among board partners before its official launch in January 2021.

Before the release of the RTX 3060, some rumours claimed that Nvidia's graphics card would come with a fully enabled GA106 GPU. However, that wasn't the case, as the card was released in 2021 with 3,584 CUDA cores. Nonetheless, a recently discovered BIOS found by Jiacheng Liu (via VideoCardz) for the full GA106 GPU with 3840 CUDA cores has been traced back to MSI, suggesting that this spec was indeed planned at some point during the card's development.

Besides the increased CUDA core count, the pictures also show higher GPU clock speeds. According to GPU-Z, the base clock is 1627 MHz, a 300MHz boost over the RTX 3060's 1320 MHz. The boost clock for the proposed SKU is also higher, set at 1875 MHz versus the original RTX 3060's 1777 MHz. The memory specs, however, are almost the same, with the only difference being the slightly lower memory clock at 14.8 Gbps.

It's important to note that this BIOS is dated December 16th, 2020, so don't expect to see this card getting released, especially considering that we are likely to see the RTX 4060 this year.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: While it's always intriguing to see what could have been, the discovery of this BIOS for the unreleased RTX 3060 SKU serves as a reminder that not all GPU rumours are just speculation. Some of these leaks are indeed based on actual BIOS information from the manufacturer.

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Nvidia might refresh the RTX 3060 again https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/nvidia-might-refresh-the-rtx-3060-again/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/nvidia-might-refresh-the-rtx-3060-again/#respond Wed, 08 Mar 2023 16:30:51 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=595837 If you thought Nvidia had stopped working on new RTX 30 series SKUs, you might be wrong. As per a recent report, the green team is apparently working on a new RTX 3060 SKU equipped with a new GPU and GDDR6X memory. According to T4C Fantasy (via VideoCardz), Nvidia might soon release an improved version …

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If you thought Nvidia had stopped working on new RTX 30 series SKUs, you might be wrong. As per a recent report, the green team is apparently working on a new RTX 3060 SKU equipped with a new GPU and GDDR6X memory.

According to T4C Fantasy (via VideoCardz), Nvidia might soon release an improved version of an RTX 30 series SKU. This SKU is a new RTX 3060, but instead of using a GA106 GPU, it will pack a GA104 GPU, which can also be found on the RTX 3060 Ti graphics cards. Despite the change in the GPU, the CUDA core count should remain at 3,584.

Besides the new GPU, the new SKU would also pack 12GB of GDDR6X memory running at 19Gbps, a considerable upgrade from the GDDR6 memory usually found on the RTX 3060. The memory bus is expected to remain the same (192-bit)

If this report is accurate, this would be the fourth RTX 3060 SKU (original, LHR variant, 8GB model and GDDR6X version).

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: The RTX 3060 may be sticking around for a bit longer. Are any of you still considering an RTX 30 series card or are you looking to jump to a newer generation GPU at this point? 

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KitGuru Advent Calendar 2022 Day 13 – Win an Inno 3D RTX 3060 Ti graphics card! (closed) https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/kitguru-advent-calendar-2022-day-13-win-an-inno-3d-rtx-3060-graphics-card/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/kitguru-advent-calendar-2022-day-13-win-an-inno-3d-rtx-3060-graphics-card/#respond Tue, 13 Dec 2022 11:00:41 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=586310 For Day 13 on the KitGuru Advent Calendar we are teaming up with Inno 3D to give one lucky reader a GPU upgrade - Our prize today is the RTX 3060 Ti Twin X2 OC graphics card! 

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Update: This competition is now CLOSED. Our winner today is Beshoy Agayby! If you missed out this time then keep an eye out as we have a new giveaway each day up to Christmas. Today's competition can be found, HERE

For Day 13 on the KitGuru Advent Calendar we are teaming up with Inno 3D to give one lucky reader a GPU upgrade – Our prize today is the RTX 3060 Ti Twin X2 OC graphics card! 

The Inno 3D RTX 3060 Ti Twin X2 OC uses a dual-fan cooler to keep temperatures low and a factory overclock, pushing speeds to 1410MHz (base) and 1680MHz (boost). Be sure to check out Inno 3D's full line-up of graphics cards, many of which are currently in stock.

Entering this giveaway is simple, all you need to do is head over to THIS POST on our Facebook page and leave a comment. We plan to have a new discussion topic each day, today we are asking you guys to tell us – what was your first graphics card? This competition is open worldwide.

The winners will be picked at random shortly after 11AM GMT December 14th, and a new competition will also be announced for Day 14. The chosen winner has 48 hours to respond, if we do not hear from them, then the prize will be revoked and a new winner will be picked.

Terms and Conditions: This competition is open in worldwide starting at 11AM GMT on December 13th and ending at 10:59AM GMT on December 14th. Due to the busy Christmas season, prize deliveries could take longer than usual and some prizes may not ship until January. In compliance with GDPR, we will not collect or store any personal information as part of this competition. Once the winner has been contacted and their prize received, personal details will be deleted from our email servers. Your details will not be shared, we respect your privacy.

KitGuru Says: Good luck to all entering today's competition – we'll be back tomorrow to announce the winners and open the door for Day 14!

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KitGuru Advent Calendar 2022 Day 5 – Win an RTX 3060 graphics card with Cyberpower! (closed) https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/competitions/matthew-wilson/kitguru-advent-calendar-2022-day-5-win-an-rtx-3060-graphics-card-with-cyberpower/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/competitions/matthew-wilson/kitguru-advent-calendar-2022-day-5-win-an-rtx-3060-graphics-card-with-cyberpower/#respond Mon, 05 Dec 2022 11:00:56 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=584618 For day 5 on the KitGuru Advent Calendar, we have another graphics card to give away! Many have struggled to secure a GPU upgrade over the last couple of years, so we're teaming up with Cyberpower to make the process easier for one lucky winner. 

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Update: This competition is now CLOSED. Our winner today is James Riddiford! If you missed out this time then keep an eye out as we have a new competition each day through Christmas. Today's giveaway can be found HERE

For day 5 on the KitGuru Advent Calendar, we have another graphics card to give away! Many have struggled to secure a GPU upgrade over the last couple of years, so we're teaming up with Cyberpower to make the process easier for one lucky winner. 

Cyberpower has offered up an MSI RTX 3060 Aero ITX OC 12GB graphics card! As one of the smallest RTX 3060s on the market, this graphics card would pair perfectly with a small form factor gaming PC. Don't let its size fool you though, it is still a full-fledged 12GB RTX 3060!

Entering this giveaway is simple, all you need to do is head over to THIS POST on our Facebook page and leave a comment. We plan to have a new discussion topic each day, today we are asking you guys to tell us – what graphics card are you currently using? This competition is open the UK and EU.

The winner will be picked at random by 11AM GMT December 6th, and a new competition will also be announced for Day 6. The chosen winner has 48 hours to respond, if we do not hear from them, then the prize will be revoked and a new winner will be picked.

Terms and Conditions: This competition is open in the UK and EU starting at 11AM GMT on December 5th and ending at 10:59AM GMT on December 6th. Due to the busy Christmas season, prize deliveries could take longer than usual and some prizes may not ship until January. In compliance with GDPR, we will not collect or store any personal information as part of this competition. Once the winner has been contacted and their prize received, personal details will be deleted from our email servers. Your details will not be shared, we respect your privacy.

KitGuru Says: Good luck to everyone entering today's competition – we'll be back tomorrow to announce a winner and open the door for day 6! 

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The RTX 3060 8GB is 15% slower than the 12GB variant according to review https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/the-rtx-3060-8gb-is-15-slower-than-the-12gb-variant-according-to-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/the-rtx-3060-8gb-is-15-slower-than-the-12gb-variant-according-to-review/#respond Sun, 04 Dec 2022 12:00:53 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=584958 When Nvidia announced the GDDR6X variant of the RTX 3060 Ti, it also announced the RTX 3060 8GB model. Unlike the former, this one looks to be a considerable downgrade over the original model. The first reviews are coming in, and overall, the lower-memory card is about 15% slower than the 12GB model. The first …

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When Nvidia announced the GDDR6X variant of the RTX 3060 Ti, it also announced the RTX 3060 8GB model. Unlike the former, this one looks to be a considerable downgrade over the original model. The first reviews are coming in, and overall, the lower-memory card is about 15% slower than the 12GB model.

The first review from a reputable source comes from HardwareUnboxed, who tested both cards on various games at 1080p and 1440p. These resolutions were chosen to avoid VRAM bottlenecks during testing.

At both resolutions, the 8GB RTX 3060 was the slower of the two. That was only expected, considering the 8GB model has a smaller 128-bit memory bus, compared to the 192-bit memory bus of the original RTX 3060. All other specifications remain the same, memory and clock speeds, CUDA core count and TDP.

Based on this testing, the RTX 3060 12GB averaged 110FPS (91FPS at 1%) at 1080p and 79FPS (65FPS at 1%) at 1440p. On the other hand, the 8GB model averaged 94FPS (78FPS at 1%) at 1080p and 67FPS (54FPS at 1%) at 1440p. These results put the 8GB model 15% slower than the 12GB variant.

KitGuru says: With the performance difference, perhaps this should have been an RTX 3050 Ti instead.

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Asus unveils white variants of Dual RTX 3060 8GB and RTX 3060 Ti GDDR6X graphics cards https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/asus-unveils-white-variants-of-dual-rtx-3060-8gb-and-rtx-3060-ti-gddr6x-graphics-cards/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/asus-unveils-white-variants-of-dual-rtx-3060-8gb-and-rtx-3060-ti-gddr6x-graphics-cards/#respond Mon, 07 Nov 2022 11:15:07 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=581468 Just recently, Asus launched new RTX 3060 Dual models with GDDR6X memory in an all-black design. Now, these graphics cards will also be available in white.  With the release of the new RTX 3060 Ti with GDDR6X memory and the 8GB version of the RTX 3060, Asus has decided to refresh the looks of its …

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Just recently, Asus launched new RTX 3060 Dual models with GDDR6X memory in an all-black design. Now, these graphics cards will also be available in white. 

With the release of the new RTX 3060 Ti with GDDR6X memory and the 8GB version of the RTX 3060, Asus has decided to refresh the looks of its cards with some new models. First, it redesigned the Dual card aesthetics with a new RTX 3060 Ti GDDR6X card. Now, it's launching white-coloured options for the latest Dual designs.

The RTX 3060 Ti Dual White non-OC version has a +15MHz overclock over reference values in OC mode. If you want something more than that, the OC version comes with a +30MHz boost over reference. As for the standard RTX 3060 Dual white, it runs at +30MHz over reference. The OC version pushes slightly above that with +90MHz.

Like the black version, the RTX 3060 Ti Dual white is powered by two 8-pin power connectors. On the other hand, the RTX 3060 Dual White card comes with a single 8-pin connector. Pricing and availability are yet to be revealed.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: It's nice to see AIB partners launching more white-coloured graphics cards as most models are usually black or grey.

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New Nvidia driver adds DLSS 3 to F1 22 and support for new RTX 3060 and 3060 Ti cards https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/new-nvidia-driver-adds-dlss-3-to-f1-22-and-support-for-new-rtx-3060-and-3060-ti-cards/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/new-nvidia-driver-adds-dlss-3-to-f1-22-and-support-for-new-rtx-3060-and-3060-ti-cards/#respond Fri, 28 Oct 2022 11:31:31 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=580336 Nvidia's latest Game Ready graphics driver has arrived, adding in optimisations for a few new games, DLSS 3 to F1 22 and support for Nvidia's newly launched RTX 3060 SKUs, including the new 8GB RTX 3060 and the GDDR6X RTX 3060 Ti.  Nvidia's latest Game Ready graphics driver, version 526.47 WHQL, brings game optimisations for …

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Nvidia's latest Game Ready graphics driver has arrived, adding in optimisations for a few new games, DLSS 3 to F1 22 and support for Nvidia's newly launched RTX 3060 SKUs, including the new 8GB RTX 3060 and the GDDR6X RTX 3060 Ti. 

Nvidia's latest Game Ready graphics driver, version 526.47 WHQL, brings game optimisations for three new games. Starting with Sackboy: A Big Adventure, the once PlayStation exclusive has just been released for the PC platform with support for DLSS 2 and ray-traced reflections. The new driver also brings optimisations for Victoria 3 and the upcoming WRC Generations rally game.

In addition to the optimisations for these three games, Nvidia is also bringing DLSS 3 support for F1 22. While the driver is now prepared for this update, DLSS 3 will only be added to the game via a patch coming on October 31st.

The Game Ready 526.47 WHQL driver also introduces GeForce Experience Optimal Settings for eight new games: Broken Pieces, Construction Simulator, Crossfire HD, Disney Dreamlight Valley, FIFA 23, NBA 2K23, Overwatch 2, and Shatterline.

Last but not least, the driver brings support for the new RTX 3060 with 8GB of VRAM and the RTX 3060 Ti using GDDR6X memory.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Have you already downloaded the new Nvidia Game Ready driver? Have you run into any issues with it?

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AIB partners start listing RTX 3060 cards with 8GB of VRAM https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/aib-partners-start-listing-rtx-3060-cards-with-8gb-of-vram/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/aib-partners-start-listing-rtx-3060-cards-with-8gb-of-vram/#respond Wed, 26 Oct 2022 10:30:33 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=580068 Previous rumours suggested that the RTX 3060 would receive an 8GB variant, and according to a few AIB partners, it seems they were accurate. For now, only Manli and Asus have listed RTX 3060 8GB custom cards on their websites, but others should follow soon. A couple of days ago, we saw Asus introducing the …

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Previous rumours suggested that the RTX 3060 would receive an 8GB variant, and according to a few AIB partners, it seems they were accurate. For now, only Manli and Asus have listed RTX 3060 8GB custom cards on their websites, but others should follow soon.

A couple of days ago, we saw Asus introducing the first RTX 3060 Ti card with GDDR6X memory. Now, we turn our attention to the new version of the RTX 3060. As spotted by VideoCardz, Manli listed an RTX 3060 with 8GB of memory, confirming the rumours we've been hearing over the last couple of months. Moreover, Asus has also introduced two RTX 3060 8GB Dual series models.

Image credit: VideoCardz

The Asus cards' specs are unknown, but Manli has the spec sheet available online, which shows the card will feature 3,584 CUDA cores with a 1,320MHz base clock speed, boosting up to 1,777MHz as needed. This is the same as their RTX 3060 12GB graphics cards. The only difference seems to be in the memory subsystem. Instead of 12GB of GDDR6 memory and a 192-bit bus, it comes with 8GB on a 128-bit memory bus, reducing the GPU's maximum memory bandwidth to 240GB/s (down from 360GB/s).

Although we don't know the specs of the Asus RTX 3060 8GB Dual cards, we assume they should be similar to their 12GB variants but with less memory and a tighter bus.

KitGuru says: Nvidia has yet to say anything official about the new version of the RTX 3060, but it seems the 8GB variant will hit the market soon. 

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Nvidia RTX 3060 and 3060 Ti with GDDR6X memory spotted at retailers https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/nvidia-rtx-3060-and-3060-ti-with-gddr6x-memory-spotted-at-retailers/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/nvidia-rtx-3060-and-3060-ti-with-gddr6x-memory-spotted-at-retailers/#respond Mon, 10 Oct 2022 10:30:54 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=577865 With no sight of any mid-range RTX 40 series card, it seems the GPU manufacturer will revamp its current-gen RTX 3060 series with GDDR6X memory, matching a rumour we've previously reported. According to the rumoured spec sheet, everything else remains untouched. The first graphics card to be spotted with GDDR6X memory was the RTX 3060 …

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With no sight of any mid-range RTX 40 series card, it seems the GPU manufacturer will revamp its current-gen RTX 3060 series with GDDR6X memory, matching a rumour we've previously reported. According to the rumoured spec sheet, everything else remains untouched.

The first graphics card to be spotted with GDDR6X memory was the RTX 3060 Ti on Scan UK (via VideoCardz). The memory type was only listed as GDDR6X after you added it to the basket, but it seems the retailer has since corrected the memory type. However, due to the recent rumour, it seems this may have been more than a typo. On another note, the RTX 3060 Ti FE costing £369 makes it one of the cheapest models in the UK.

Besides the RTX 3060 Ti, @momomo_us has also found what looks to be an RTX 3060 graphics card from Lenovo using 12GB of GDDR6X memory clocked at 19Gbps at a Slovakian retailer. Besides the memory, every other specification seems to be the same as the standard graphics card.

Seeing the RTX 3060 series getting GDDR6X memory left us wondering if the same would happen to the RTX 3070. However, considering how similar the RTX 3070 is to the RTX 3070 Ti, we wouldn't be surprised if Nvidia skipped the memory upgrade on that one.

KitGuru says: Updating the memory type to a more recent one while maintaining prices means customers pay the same for a slight performance increase while Nvidia clears up its stock of Ampere GPUs. However, this may mean a small delay in new mid-range GPUs and new-gen price drops. 

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Rumour claims Nvidia will launch three new RTX 30 GPUs in October https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/rumour-claims-nvidia-will-launch-three-new-rtx-30-gpus-in-october/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/rumour-claims-nvidia-will-launch-three-new-rtx-30-gpus-in-october/#respond Mon, 12 Sep 2022 15:58:30 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=574061 It may seem weird for Nvidia to release new RTX 30 series graphics cards when we're a few weeks away from the debut of the RTX 40 series. However, that seems to be the case, as two different sources claim the company will launch new versions of the RTX 3060, RTX 3060 Ti, and RTX …

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It may seem weird for Nvidia to release new RTX 30 series graphics cards when we're a few weeks away from the debut of the RTX 40 series. However, that seems to be the case, as two different sources claim the company will launch new versions of the RTX 3060, RTX 3060 Ti, and RTX 3070 Ti cards in October.

As reported by MEGAsizeGPU and VideoCardz, Nvidia will be launching an 8GB version of the RTX 3060 using a GA106 GPU. Although the memory speed will remain at 15Gbps, the memory bus will be different, using a 128-bit one instead. That change will result in a reduction of the maximum memory bandwidth to 240GB/s.

Unlike the RTX 3060, the new RTX 3060 Ti will be an upgrade over the original, as rumours claim it will feature 8GB of GDDR6X. Memory speed is unknown, but don't expect anything below 19Gbps. Regardless, maximum memory bandwidth will improve due to faster memory. Everything else should remain unchanged. Lastly, we have a new RTX 3070 Ti model using the GA102 GPU, the same as the one used on the RTX 3080 and 3090 series cards.

The three new SKUs should be available by the end of October, likely after the first RTX 40 series cards are released.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: If this is true, then it would seem recent rumours of excessive RTX 30 GPU inventory were accurate. How much would you spend for a tweaked RTX 3070 or RTX 3060 series GPU after the launch of RTX 40? 

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Intel benchmarks Arc A750 and RTX 3060 in 48 games at 1080p and 1440p https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/intel-benchmarks-arc-a750-and-rtx-3060-in-48-games-at-1080p-and-1440p/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/intel-benchmarks-arc-a750-and-rtx-3060-in-48-games-at-1080p-and-1440p/#respond Fri, 12 Aug 2022 08:11:29 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=570697 A few weeks ago, Intel shared the first gaming benchmark results for the Arc A750 graphics card. At the time, we only had performance comparisons between the A750 and RTX 3060 in five games, but now, Intel has benchmarked almost 50 titles and released the results today. 

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A few weeks ago, Intel shared the first gaming benchmark results for the Arc A750 graphics card. At the time, we only had performance comparisons between the A750 and RTX 3060 in five games, but now, Intel has benchmarked almost 50 titles and released the results today. 

Intel tested the Arc A750 up against the RTX 3060 across almost 50 titles. The full list of games includes 42 DX12 titles and 6 Vulkan titles. The cards were tested on similar systems, featuring an Intel i9-12900K mounted on an Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero motherboard with 32GB of DDR5-4800 memory. Both systems were running Windows 11 Pro.

According to Intel, the Arc A750 is aimed at gaming at 1080p with Ultra settings. That claim is backed by the results shared. The Arc A750 was able to hold above 60FPS in almost all 1080p benchmarks. At this resolution, the A750 was roughly 3% to 4% faster than the RTX 3060.

Despite being aimed at 1080p Ultra, Intel also shared benchmark results for 1440p gaming with high settings. Here, the card also holds up well, managing 60FPS or above in most titles. Compared to the RTX 3060, the Intel card was about 5% in 1440p tests.

To check how both cards performed in a specific game, look at the table below:

INTEL Arc A750 DirectX12 Performance
Game Arc A750 Graphics Limited Edition Nvidia RTX 3060
1080p Ultra 1440p High 1080p Ultra 1440p High
Arcadegeddon 127 99 108 80
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla 67 62 76 67
Battlefield 2042 75 71 77 71
Battlefield V 133 106 143 117
Borderlands 3 83 74 75 68
Call of Duty: Warzone 130 115 98 75
Call of Duty: Vanguard 95 75 136 107
Chivalry 2 134 108 120 116
Control 97 79 89 75
Cyberpunk 2077 75 59 69 54
Death Stranding: Director's Cut 132 102 131 96
Deathloop 108 77 115 82
Deeprock Galactic 249 181 222 146
Dirt 5 73 83 63 81
Dolmen 263 218 347 257
Dying Light 2 80 66 71 57
F1 2021 141 172 125 149
F1 2022 56 115 65 129
Far Cry 6 95 87 99 86
Fortnite 105 105 115 97
Forza Horizon 5 83 100 85 106
Gears 5 85 73 94 79
Ghostwire Tokyo 99 72 103 68
GRID Legends 101 109 112 124
Hitman 3 167 121 165 114
Horizon Zero Dawn 91 82 100 82
Justice 116 79 102 73
Masquerade: Blood Hunt 157 120 163 116
Metro Exodus 78 75 66 64
Microsoft Flight Simulator 65 59 60 57
Monster Hunter Rise 143 100 142 93
PUBG: Battlegrounds 114 108 101 95
Red Dead Redemption 2 61 68 53 63
Redout 2 150 113 138 101
Resident Evil Village 160 124 133 111
Sniper Elite 5 142 124 125 110
The Division 2 95 89 101 94
The Riftbreaker 312 216 290 196
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands 92 71 77 68
Warframe 217 169 214 146
Watch Dogs: Legion 71 81 66 78
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands 169 225 189 210
Intel Arc A750 Vulkan Performance
DOOM Eternal 200 158 195 166
Dota 2 223 236 229 239
Ghost Recon Breakpoint 106 112 113 117
Rainbow Six Extraction 144 115 146 119
Strange Brigade 215 175 172 144
Wolfenstein: Youngblood 204 144 193 138

Intel has not yet announced when its A750 and A770 graphics cards will launch, but we should get more information on that soon.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: It looks like the A750 will be quite competitive against the RTX 3060 if priced right. However, it is worth noting that Nvidia and AMD both have new GPUs on the way soon too, so renewed competition is just around the corner. 

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Minisforum launches two NUC-like mini PCs with RTX 30 graphics https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/gaming-rig/joao-silva/minisforum-launches-two-nuc-like-mini-pcs-with-rtx-30-graphics/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/gaming-rig/joao-silva/minisforum-launches-two-nuc-like-mini-pcs-with-rtx-30-graphics/#respond Thu, 21 Jul 2022 15:50:39 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=568685 Minisforum has been pretty active recently, having launched a couple of mini PC models already this year. The latest mini PCs are a cut above the rest though, featuring Intel Tiger Lake processors, paired with Nvidia RTX 30 series GPUs, all in an incredibly slim package.  There will be two models for now – the …

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Minisforum has been pretty active recently, having launched a couple of mini PC models already this year. The latest mini PCs are a cut above the rest though, featuring Intel Tiger Lake processors, paired with Nvidia RTX 30 series GPUs, all in an incredibly slim package. 

There will be two models for now – the NUCX15 and the NUCX17. After looking at the photos (via Wccftech), the first thing we've noticed is the Intel skull logo, usually seen on the company's NUC gaming systems. However, compared to most Intel NUCs, the new Minisofrum mini PCs look considerably thinner, despite their specifications. Such systems will need proper cooling to deal with the generated heat, hence why the casing has a full-vented side panel and a few vents on the rear.

The NUCX15 will likely be the most accessible, as it packs a Core i5-11400H Tiger Lake chip and an RTX 3060 GPU. For the NUCX17, there's a Core i7-11800H Tiger Lake CPU and an RTX 3070 GPU. The remaining specifications are shared between the two models.

Measuring 80x260x394mm, the NUCX systems will support up to 64GB of DDR4 memory and two M.2 2280 SSDs. You can buy the NUCX PCs with or without storage. However, buying with an SSD will have Windows 11-Pro installed. Connectivity interfaces include an HDMI port, an Ethernet port (RJ45) and Thunderbolt 4 port on the rear, a 3.5mm audio-out jack, 3x USB-A 3.2 ports and an SD card reader on the I/O front panel. Pricing and availability is still TBC.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Compared to most other systems from Minisforum, this looks to be the most “high-end” mini PC. It sure looks like a tempting device for those looking for great performance in an ultra small form factor. 

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Intel reveals Arc A700M GPU benchmark results https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/intel-reveals-arc-a700m-gpu-benchmark-results/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/intel-reveals-arc-a700m-gpu-benchmark-results/#respond Sun, 26 Jun 2022 12:00:49 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=565664 The Intel Arc A700 mobile GPUs have not yet released in the west, but they have become available in China recently. Intel shared its own benchmark results, showing A730M and A770M performance in 17 games, complete with comparisons to Nvidia’s equivalent  GPUs.  The results were first shared by Tom's Hardware, along with the specs of …

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The Intel Arc A700 mobile GPUs have not yet released in the west, but they have become available in China recently. Intel shared its own benchmark results, showing A730M and A770M performance in 17 games, complete with comparisons to Nvidia’s equivalent  GPUs. 

The results were first shared by Tom's Hardware, along with the specs of each system used for the benchmark runs, which you can see below:

  • Intel Arc A730M (TGP 80 to 120W): Core i7-12700H, 16GB DDR5-4800
  • Intel Arc A770M (TGP 120 to 150W): Core i9-12900HK, 16GB DDR5-4800
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti (TGP 60W) (ROG Zephyrus M16): Core i7-11800H, 16GB DDR4-3200
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (TGP 85W) (MSI Pulse GL66): Core i7-11800H, 16GB DDR4-3200

You can check all the benchmark results in the following table (games running at 1080p on high/ultra settings):

Game RTX 3050 Ti Arc A730M A730M/
3050Ti
RTX 3060 Arc A770M A770M/
3060
Assassin's Creed Valhalla (High) 38 50 132% 74 69 93%
Borderlands 3 (Ultra) 45 50 111% 60 76 127%
Control (High) 42 62 148% 70 89 127%
Cyberpunk 2077 (Ultra) 39 49 126% 54 68 126%
Death Stranding (Ultra) 89 87 98% 113 102 90%
Dirt 5 (High) 64 61 95% 83 87 105%
F1 2021 (Ultra) 68 86 126% 96 123 128%
Far Cry 6 (Ultra) 63 68 108% 80 82 103%
Gears of War 5 (Ultra) 58 52 90% 72 73 101%
Horizon Zero Dawn (Ultimate Quality) 63 50 79% 80 68 85%
Metro Exodus (Ultra) 39 54 138% 53 69 130%
Red Dead Redemption 2 (High) 46 60 130% 66 77 117%
Strange Brigade (Ultra) 98 123 126% 134 172 128%
The Division 2 (Ultra) 63 51 81% 78 86 110%
The Witcher 3 (Ultra) 96 101 105% 124 141 114%
Total War Saga: Troy (Ultra) 48 66 138% 71 86 121%
Watch Dogs Legion (High) 59 71 120% 77 89 116%
Geometric Mean 57.2 64.6 113% 78.8 88.3 112%

In Intel’s benchmarks, the Intel GPUs come out ahead by a decent amount, but it is worth noting that the Nvidia RTX-powered systems were using slower memory and less powerful processors. The TGP for the Intel GPUs is also unknown. With that in mind, we expect independent benchmarks to find the actual performance difference to be lesser.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: For now, independent reviewers can't corroborate these results. However, we should see Arc GPUs landing in western markets in the months to come, at which point we’ll be able to get a wider array of benchmarks. 

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Nvidia restocks RTX 3080 and RTX 3060 Ti at MSRP as GPU prices continue to drop https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/nvidia-restocks-rtx-3080-and-rtx-3060-ti-at-msrp-as-gpu-prices-continue-to-drop/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/nvidia-restocks-rtx-3080-and-rtx-3060-ti-at-msrp-as-gpu-prices-continue-to-drop/#respond Thu, 16 Jun 2022 14:09:40 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=564630 While Nvidia's RTX 30 series cards have been popular, supply chain constraints, price inflation and a booming crypto market meant that many gamers have been unable to get one. Things are starting to turn around though, as RTX 3080 and RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition cards have just been re-stocked at MSRP in the UK, and second-hand GPUs on eBay have also come down in price considerably, putting the days of a £1500 RTX 3080 behind us for good (hopefully).

The post Nvidia restocks RTX 3080 and RTX 3060 Ti at MSRP as GPU prices continue to drop first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
While Nvidia's RTX 30 series cards have been popular, supply chain constraints, price inflation and a booming crypto market meant that many gamers have been unable to get one. Things are starting to turn around though, as RTX 3080 and RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition cards have just been re-stocked at MSRP in the UK, and second-hand GPUs on eBay have also come down in price considerably. 

If you just want to buy a new graphics card at MSRP, then you can currently find the RTX 3060 Ti FE for £369 and the RTX 3080 FE for £649 on Nvidia's website. The RTX 3090 Ti is also in stock at MSRP, but its £1,879 price tag is a tall order in a world where more reasonably priced GPUs are actually in stock.

Update (15:50PM, 16th June): Nvidia has updated its UK store again with new stock of RTX 3070 and RTX 3070 Ti Founders Edition graphics cards, selling at their respective MSRPs of £469 and £549. The previously mentioned RTX 3080 and RTX 3060 Ti also continue to be in stock here in the UK.

Since launch, RTX 30 graphics card prices have also been a mess on places like eBay. Low retail stock meant that scalpers could control pricing. At one point, the £649 RTX 3080 Founders Edition was being sold for around £1,500, more than a brand new RTX 3090. These inflated prices have been seen across the board, with RTX 3070 cards previously going for around £1000 and RTX 3060 series cards going for around £600.

Now, the crypto market has seen a major dip this year and retail stock has improved, leading to huge price drops on the second hand market. Looking on eBay this afternoon, we can find custom RTX 3080 models and Founders Edition versions for between £600 and £800, RTX 3070 models can be found for under £500, and RTX 3060 Ti cards can be found for less than £400.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Will you be picking up a new GPU now that prices have finally dropped to reasonable levels? Will you attempt to get a deal on the second-hand market or will you be looking to get a brand new card at retail? 

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MSI Katana GF66 (i7-12700H / RTX 3060) Gaming Laptop Review https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/luke-hill/msi-katana-gf66-i7-12700h-rtx-3060-gaming-laptop-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/luke-hill/msi-katana-gf66-i7-12700h-rtx-3060-gaming-laptop-review/#respond Thu, 09 Jun 2022 10:16:22 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=562556 RTX 3060 and i7-12700H - for £1399?

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Sporting an RTX 3060 and Intel’s new Core i7-12700H processor, it may come as a surprise to see the MSI Katana GF66 priced at £1399 in the UK. In fact, the GPU and CPU combination – coupled with 16GB of DDR4 memory, a 1TB SSD, and a 240Hz 1080p display – make this laptop seem like an intriguing asking price of just under fourteen-hundred Great British Pounds.

But how do MSI’s overall design and connectivity choices stack up? And does the blend of hardware perform inside this 15.6”-class chassis? Let's take a closer look.

Timestamps

00:00 Start
00:53 Katana technical details
02:37 The screen
03:12 Connectivity
04:08 WiFi / Bluetooth / Webcam / Speakers
04:43 Trackpad / Keyboard
05:18 Battery / power brick
05:40 Pricing – GF66 12UE
06:16 A look at system, software and install
07:53 Power settings
09:43 Noise output
10:10 SSD performance
10:30 Battery Life
10:48 Test results
12:20 Game results
13:16 Luke's Thoughts

Edit – 9th June 2022: Our initial review coverage and video used the MSI Katana GF66 12UE-406UK model with a reference price of £1099 in the UK. Unbeknownst to us, this was a time-limited promotion for the month of May 2022. The typical retail price of the laptop has now increased to £1399.

Starting out with a look at the overall design, I wouldn’t say that we are seeing anything particularly fancy from the MSI Katana GF66 12UE. This laptop takes the form of a generic 15.6” chassis – not particularly thin bezels, not particularly sleek thicknesses, and not particularly low weight.

You get a roughly 2.25kg laptop that is over an inch thick with the screen down – or about 23mm thick with the screen open. That weight may seem OK, but you have to add the best part of half a kilo for the 240W barrel-style power brick.

Sleek and eye-catching, this laptop is not, particularly with its largely plastic construction. You do get a good allocation of cooling ventilation on the side, rear, and bottom though. So, that may well appeal to a budget gaming audience more so than slick bezels and metal construction.

Primary to the under-the-hood hardware is the Intel Core i7-12700H processor. This chip features 6 performance cores and 8 efficient cores for 20 threads total. It can Turbo as high as 4.7GHz with the 35-115W rated power range, but that depends on the manufacturer's deployment, which we will analyse in this review.

You also get the Nvidia RTX 3060 Laptop GPU in its 6GB form. This is rated at 105W maximum power in MSI’s deployment, according to the spec sheet. A 105W RTX 3060 should be a genuinely competent laptop graphics card, though not mind-blowing at this price point.

Memory is 2x8GB of DDR4 3200MHz, which is a cheaper option than DDR5 so is sensible from a budget perspective. And the SSD is a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 model, but there’s a spare M.2 slot for upgrades.

Focusing on the screen, MSI deploys a 15.6” 1920×1080 IPS-level display. That is fine from a budget perspective, but it’s the 240Hz refresh rate that will really appeal to gamers.

No, the screen quality is not the best; peak brightness is mediocre, colour quality is just decent, and the sharpness is undeniably lacking given the 15.6” and 1080p combination. But that refresh rate really does steal the show and it helps translate into an enjoyable gaming experience thanks to the fluid motion.

Looking at the physical connectivity for MSI’s Katana GF66, this is another area where we see an undeniably budget feature set.

You get three USB Type-A ports, one of which is actually old USB 2.0 with the other two being 5Gbps. The single USB Type-C port is also 5Gbps and does not handle power or display output. You get Gigabyte Ethernet and 4K60 HDMI, which are good to see. And finishing off is the combo audio jack and the barrel DC power connector.

So, to summarise, there’s only one USB Type-C port, no 10Gbps USB connectivity, and only a single high-resolution video output. That’s pretty atrocious for anybody who wants to connect up more than just the laptop and a single display or odd few peripherals.

Clearly, Thunderbolt is missing but that’s probably fair on this class of laptop. Thankfully, MSI does deploy 802.11ax WiFi 6 capability from the Intel AX201 adapter, and there’s also Bluetooth 5.2.

In terms of peripherals, there is a 720p30 webcam, but it doesn’t support Windows Hello and there is no fingerprint scanner. So, advanced sign-in options are limited. The speakers are a pair of 2W units which genuinely surprised me for decent punch to the bass, good maximum loudness, and solid ability to maintain decent quality at high volume outputs.

Trackpad sizing is modest for my giant hands, but the responsiveness and flow of the implementation and the solid clicky buttons were good.

The keyboard is good for my personal preference and large hands. I had very few accidental key strikes because of the sensible key pitch segregating neighbours. I also felt that the actuation point was clear and firm, which enhanced comfort. MSI includes a number pad, which I personally find pointless, but it is there.

One point is that the backlit keyboard cannot be changed away from red, but there are three steps of brightness.

For the battery, a 53.5Whr, 3-cell unit is deployed and used in combination with the sizable 240W power brick. There is no USB-C charging, even for trickle top-ups, which is highly disappointing.

Pricing for the MSI Katana GF66 in its 12UE form as we are testing is £1399 at Currys in the UK. This gives it very tough competition on the market, with competitors from the likes of Acer, ASUS, Gigabyte, and Lenovo all offering models with 45W Ryzen chips and RTX 3070-class graphics. Let's see how the Katana GF66 fairs.

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Cyberpower Infinity X123 Pro Prebuilt Review (i3-12100F/RTX 3060) https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/dominic-moass/cyberpower-infinity-x123-pro-prebuilt-review-i3-12100f-rtx-3060/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/dominic-moass/cyberpower-infinity-x123-pro-prebuilt-review-i3-12100f-rtx-3060/#respond Tue, 31 May 2022 12:00:19 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=561832 This prebuilt has an RTX 3060... and an i3. Will it bottleneck?

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With PC component prices hitting historic highs over the last two years, building performant but also good value systems has been almost impossible until very recently. The Cyberpower Infinity X123 Pro is one such prebuilt, priced at £899. But does the choice of an Intel i3 processor, paired with Nvidia's RTX 3060, make sense for gaming – or will the system be CPU bottlenecked? Let's put it to the test.

Specification

  • Case: Lian Li O11 Air Mini High Airflow Black Gaming Case (Black Colour)
  • CPU (Processor): Intel® Corei3-12100F
  • Graphics Card (GPU): MSI GeForce® RTX 3060 12GB
  • CPU Cooling: INTEL 12th Gen Standard CPU Cooler
  • Motherboard: MSI B660M-A WIFI DDR4: mATX w/ WiFi, USB 3.2, 1x M.2
  • Memory (RAM): 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4/3200MHz Dual Channel Memory
  • PSU (Power Supply): InWin A65 650W 80+ Certified Gaming Power Supply
  • M.2 SSD Drive: 500GB (1x500GB) MSI Spatium M390 M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
  • Operating System: Windows 11 Home
  • Warranty Service: DESKTOP STANDARD WARRANTY: 5 Years' Labour, 2 Years' Parts, 6 Months' Collect and Return plus Life-Time Technical Support

We’ll kick off with a tour of the system, looking at the components and the overall build. This starts with the case, where Cyberpower has opted for the Lian Li O11 Mini. I really like this case – it’s still an ATX chassis but it’s very compact, build quality is solid and you get excellent airflow from the perforated front panel, with two 140mm intake fans at the front, and one 120mm exhaust at rear.

But, and hear me out, I actually think this case is too good for the Infinity Pro system. That’s because the O11 Air Mini retails for about £100, so it’s quite pricey considering the whole system is £899. Personally, and feel free to disagree with me here, but I don’t think the core spec of this system needs a case as good as this. I would rather save about £50 and go for something like the DeepCool Macube 110, and put that money towards a bigger SSD.

We also have to bring in the motherboard to the discussion – MSI’s Pro B660M-A WiFi. This is a very solid board B660, it didn’t give me any problems during my testing and is more than a match for the i3-12100F. It is, however, a microATX motherboard, while the O11 Air Mini can support full-size ATX boards. That means there is quite a lot of empty space at the bottom of the case, which would otherwise be occupied by an ATX motherboard, while there’s a fair bit of empty space at the front of the chassis too.

I don’t want to be too critical as the components do all work very well, and, objectively, the O11 Air Mini is a quality case. I’m just not sure it’s money well spent in a system designed to offer maximum value, especially when paired with a microATX motherboard.

Moving on though, I can’t complain about the choice of memory – two 8GB sticks of Corsair Vengeance DDR4, clocked at 3200MHz. It offers 16-20-20-36 timings, so they're not super tight, but for a system of this spec it is absolutely fine.

As for storage, we can’t actually see the SSD in the photos above as it is hidden under a heatsink just below the CPU cooler, but this is an MSI Spatium M390. It’s only a PCIe Gen3 drive, rated at 3300MB/s reads and 2300MB/s writes, so it is not particularly fast by modern standards, but for a gaming PC like this it is more than fast enough.

It is however, only 500GB in size, and there’s no other storage drives in the system – so you can see why I feel saving a bit of cash on the case, but getting a larger SSD, might have been a good idea, especially with the size of modern games. There is a second M.2 slot underneath the graphics card so you could easily add in another drive down the line, but 500GB is going to fill up almost instantly.

And then we come to the CPU. This is Intel’s i3-12100F, a quad-core Alder Lake CPU with HyperThreading, offering an all-core turbo speed of 4.1GHz. Quad-cores are slowly but surely becoming a thing of the past, so it will be fascinating to see how this manages with the RTX 3060. Before moving onto the GPU though, it is worth mentioning that Cyberpower has stuck with the Intel stock cooler here – it looks pretty basic but the i3 only has a TDP of 58W, so it should be fine, but we will look at thermals later in this review.

As for the RTX 3060, this is the MSI Ventus 2X variant, with an 1807MHz boost clock. It’s a pretty compact dual-fan model, but it looks fine and this system definitely doesn’t need to spend any extra cash on a top of the range factory overclocked model, so it should do the job nicely.

Powering the system is a 650W A65 PSU from InWin. This is only 80+ rated, so not even 80+ Bronze, and I wouldn’t exactly say that InWin is known for its PSUs. It is obviously a budget minded choice, but I would have liked to see have seen at least an 80+ Bronze unit here. The good news is Cyberpower offers a 2 year warranty on parts and 5 years for labour, so you will be covered for any issues in that time frame.

We do also have to mention that Cyberpower is currently bundling in a free set of MSI peripherals with the Infinity X123 Pro. This includes the GD20 mousemat, the DS502 headset, and the Vigor GK30 keyboard/mouse combo. It's not super high-end stuff, but it will get you gaming and no can complain when the price is free.

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

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Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 16 Review (i7-12700H & RTX 3060) https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/leo-waldock/lenovo-legion-5i-pro-16-review-i7-12700h-rtx-3060/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/leo-waldock/lenovo-legion-5i-pro-16-review-i7-12700h-rtx-3060/#respond Fri, 20 May 2022 08:00:26 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=560560 It may not have the highest-end specs, but Leo is mighty impressed with this Lenovo laptop

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The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 16 is one of those product names that throws you a bit of a curve as the CPU in this notebook is actually a Core i7 rather than a Core i5. Putting that minor quibble to one side, we are looking at a gaming notebook packed with Intel 12th Gen and Nvidia 30 series that sells for less than £1800 in the UK. Is it a bargain or is it cheap tat? (Spoiler alert, I was impressed).

Timestamps
00:00 Start
00:33 Storage speed !
02:08 Comparison laptops
03:00 CPU power draw
03:45 Screen / Battery / WiFi / Weight / PSU
04:20 Ports, Webcam and Connectors
06:08 Lenovo’s Vantage software
07:22 A number of interesting features
09:28 Three performance modes analysed
12:36 Performance charts
14:05 Gaming Results
16:00 Battery Test
16:13 Leo’s Closing Thoughts

 

Features

  • Up to Intel 12th Generation Core i7-12700H processor.
  • Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti graphics.
  • New 16” (16:10) WQXGA, 165-240Hz VRR, 500nit display, with X-Rite Pantone factory calibration.
  • Legion TrueStrike keyboard with number pad and one-piece trackpad.
  • Large 80 Watt-hour battery, Lenovo Q-Control, and Super Rapid Charge technology.
  • ColdFront 4.0: Improved 150W TGP, improved ventilation, heat pipes, and quieter operation with thinner fans.
  • Premium speakers with Nahimic 3D Audio.

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

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Nvidia refreshes deals with new price cuts on RTX 3080, RTX 3070 and RTX 3060 GPUs https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/nvidia-refreshes-deals-with-new-price-cuts-on-rtx-3080-rtx-3070-and-rtx-3060-gpus/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/nvidia-refreshes-deals-with-new-price-cuts-on-rtx-3080-rtx-3070-and-rtx-3060-gpus/#respond Sun, 24 Apr 2022 14:40:03 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=558003 For the past couple of years, PC gamers have had a particularly tough time due to GPU shortages and skyrocketing prices. There are signs that things will return to normal in the coming months, and Nvidia is looking to spur things along a bit. Nvidia has teamed up with a number of its partners in the UK to ensure stock of GPUs at reasonable prices...

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For the past couple of years, PC gamers have had a particularly tough time due to GPU shortages and skyrocketing prices. There are signs that things will return to normal in the coming months, and Nvidia is looking to spur things along a bit. Nvidia has teamed up with a number of its partners in the UK to ensure stock of GPUs at reasonable prices. 

The Nvidia Restocked & Reloaded campaign began last week, initially with nine deals in place so that UK buyers could buy an RTX 30 series graphics card, or pre-built PC with an RTX 30 GPU inside, at reasonable price points. It is a much needed break from the inflated retail prices we've been seeing over the last two years.

Those original nine deals have since gone out of stock, but Nvidia has refreshed the deals line-up this week with new offerings.

At the entry level, we have the Inno3D RTX 3060 Twin X2 GPU, now available for £379.99 while supplies last. For £479.99, you can make the jump to the Zotac RTX 3060 Ti Twin Edge OC. On the higher-end of the market, there is the Palit RTX 3070 Ti Gaming Pro for £659.99, the MSI RTX 3080 Gaming Z for £999.99 and the KFA2 RTX 3080 Ti SG for £1,049.99.

If you are after a full new PC, then there are multiple options there too. The OCUK Gaming Enigma Enthusiast PC packs a Ryzen 7 5800X and an RTX 3070 Ti for £1,599.99. The CCL Horizon 5 packs a Ryzen 7 5800X and an RTX 3080 for £1,762.99 and the EBUYER XG Gaming RTX desktop packs an RTX 3060 and a Core i5-10400F for £879.99.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It seems that Nvidia plans to refresh its UK deals over the coming weeks, so if you've been waiting on UK stock, it might be a good idea to keep checking back while this promotion is on-going. 

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KitGuru Advent Calendar Day 26 – Win an RTX 3060 graphics card from Cyberpower! (closed) https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/competitions/matthew-wilson/kitguru-advent-calendar-day-26-win-an-rtx-3060-graphics-card-from-cyberpower/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/competitions/matthew-wilson/kitguru-advent-calendar-day-26-win-an-rtx-3060-graphics-card-from-cyberpower/#respond Sun, 26 Dec 2021 10:10:05 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=544775 For day 26 on the KitGuru Advent Calendar, we have teamed up with CyberPowerPC to give one lucky reader a brand new graphics card! Today's prize is none other than the MSI RTX 3060 Gaming X! 

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Update: This competition is now CLOSED. Our winner today is … Antony Evison! If you missed out this time then keep an eye out as we still have quite a few giveaways left on the advent calendar. Today's competition can be found HERE

For day 26 on the KitGuru Advent Calendar, we have teamed up with CyberPowerPC to give one lucky reader a brand new graphics card! Today's prize is none other than the MSI RTX 3060 Gaming X! 

The RTX 3060 graphics card offers competitive performance, ray-tracing capabilities and has support for DLSS, making it an absolute beast for 1080p gaming.

Entering this giveaway is simple, all you need to do is head over to THIS POST on our Facebook page and leave a comment. We plan to have a new discussion topic each day, today we are asking you guys – what GPU are you currently gaming with? This competition is open in the UK and EU.

The winner will be picked at random by 10am GMT December 27th, and a new competition will also be announced for Day 27. The chosen winner has 48 hours to respond, if we do not hear from them, then the prize will be revoked and a new winner will be picked.

Terms and Conditions: This competition is open in the UK and EU, starting at 10AM GMT on December 26th and ending at 9:59AM GMT on December 27th. Due to the busy Christmas season, prize deliveries could take longer than usual and some prizes may not ship until January 2022. In compliance with GDPR, we will not collect or store any personal information as part of this competition. Once the winner has been contacted and their prize received, personal details will be deleted from our email servers. Your details will not be shared, we respect your privacy.

KitGuru Says: Good luck to everyone entering today’s competition! We’ll be back to announce the winner tomorrow morning and open the door for Advent Calendar Day 27!

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KitGuru Advent Calendar 2021 Day 20 – Win an Inno3D RTX 3060 Twin X2 OC graphics card! (closed) https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/competitions/matthew-wilson/kitguru-advent-calendar-2021-day-20-win-an-inno3d-rtx-3060-twin-x2-oc-graphics-card/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/competitions/matthew-wilson/kitguru-advent-calendar-2021-day-20-win-an-inno3d-rtx-3060-twin-x2-oc-graphics-card/#respond Mon, 20 Dec 2021 10:00:52 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=544180 For Day 20 on the KitGuru Advent Calendar, we have teamed up with Inno3D to give one lucky reader a graphics card upgrade! Today's prize is the Inno3D RTX 3060 Twin X2 OC graphics card.

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Update: This competition is now CLOSED. Our winner today is Katy Killen! If you missed out this time around then keep an eye out as we have a new giveaway each day. Today's competition can be found HERE

For Day 20 on the KitGuru Advent Calendar, we have teamed up with Inno3D to give one lucky reader a graphics card upgrade! Today's prize is the Inno3D RTX 3060 Twin X2 OC graphics card.

The RTX 3060 uses Nvidia's GA106 GPU core, with 3,854 CUDA cores, 112 Texture Units, 112 Tensor Cores, 28 RT Cores and base/boost speeds of 1320MHz and 1777MHz – the card also ships with 12GB of GDDR6 memory, making it a fantastic choice for 1080p gaming.

Entering this giveaway is simple, all you need to do is head over to THIS POST on our Facebook page and leave a comment. We plan to have a new discussion topic each day, today we are asking you guys – what GPU are you currently gaming with? This competition is open in the UK, EU and North America.

The winner will be picked at random by 10am GMT December 21st, and a new competition will also be announced for Day 21. The chosen winner has 48 hours to respond, if we do not hear from them, then the prize will be revoked and a new winner will be picked.

Terms and Conditions: This competition is open in the UK, EU and North America, starting at 10AM GMT on December 20th and ending at 9:59AM GMT on December 21st. Due to the busy Christmas season, prize deliveries could take longer than usual and some prizes may not ship until January 2022. In compliance with GDPR, we will not collect or store any personal information as part of this competition. Once the winner has been contacted and their prize received, personal details will be deleted from our email servers. Your details will not be shared, we respect your privacy.

KitGuru Says: Good luck to everyone entering today’s competition! We’ll be back to announce the winner tomorrow morning and open the door for Advent Calendar Day 21!

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Truckload of EVGA RTX 30-series GPUs stolen https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/truckload-of-evga-rtx-30-series-gpus-stolen/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/truckload-of-evga-rtx-30-series-gpus-stolen/#respond Fri, 05 Nov 2021 09:00:21 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=538661 Ever since the launch of RTX 30 series graphics cards, we've faced numerous issues with stock. Scalpers and cryptominers were quick to buy up early stock, then supply chain shortages kicked in, keeping retail stocks low and waiting lists long. Now, we're seeing examples of straight up thievery, with a truckload of EVGA RTX 30 …

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Ever since the launch of RTX 30 series graphics cards, we've faced numerous issues with stock. Scalpers and cryptominers were quick to buy up early stock, then supply chain shortages kicked in, keeping retail stocks low and waiting lists long. Now, we're seeing examples of straight up thievery, with a truckload of EVGA RTX 30 series graphics cards being stolen. 

EVGA Product Manager, Jacob Freeman, confirmed the theft earlier this week. A truck carrying fresh batches of RTX 30 GPUs, ranging from the RTX 3060 up to the RTX 3090, was targeted on the way to EVGA's distribution centre in California. The cards on the truck have MSRP values of anywhere from $329.99 up to $1959.99.

The theft took place on the 29th of October and EVGA has already isolated the serial numbers of the stolen graphics cards. These serial numbers have been invalidated, so it will not be eligible for registration on EVGA's website and the company will not honour any warranties or allow these cards to go through the company's popular upgrade system.

With that in mind, if you are in the US/California area and trying to buy a second-hand EVGA RTX 30 series graphics card or one advertised as new from a re-seller, ask for proof of purchase, or the serial number from the box before buying. If the serial number is not recognised on EVGA's product registration page, then it is likely a stolen card.

If you happen to have any information relating to stolen graphics cards, then you should contact EVGA with details. For full information on that, check out the company's full notice, HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This isn't the first time we've seen a large batch of RTX 30 series graphics cards go missing. In December last year, hundreds of RTX 3090 graphics cards also disappeared from one of the company's factories. 

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Some Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics cards may feature a new GA104-based GPU https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/some-nvidia-rtx-3060-graphics-cards-may-feature-a-new-ga104-based-gpu/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/some-nvidia-rtx-3060-graphics-cards-may-feature-a-new-ga104-based-gpu/#respond Mon, 27 Sep 2021 08:27:00 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=533172 Since its release, Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics cards have always featured a GA106 GPU, but that might be changing soon. Some board partners have recently begun updating listings for RTX 3060 graphics cards, pointing to a switch over to a cut down GA104 GPU instead.  Nvidia RTX 3060 cards usually come with either a GA106-300 …

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Since its release, Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics cards have always featured a GA106 GPU, but that might be changing soon. Some board partners have recently begun updating listings for RTX 3060 graphics cards, pointing to a switch over to a cut down GA104 GPU instead. 

Nvidia RTX 3060 cards usually come with either a GA106-300 GPU or the GA106-302 GPU. The GA106-300 GPU was the first to release, featuring the original anti-mining tech that Nvidia broke by releasing a graphics driver that disabled the technology. Soon after, Nvidia launched the GA106-302 GPU with new anti-mining features.

According to Galax and Gainward (via VideoCardz), Chinese customers may soon find some RTX 3060 cards using a GA104 GPU. This GPU was the same one used to power the RTX 3060Ti, 3070, and 3070Ti desktop cards, but it will come with fewer enabled CUDA cores than any of the three. Other specifications and overall performance should remain similar as well.

Regardless of which GPU it has equipped, all RTX 3060 cards have 3584 CUDA cores enabled and 12GB of GDDR6 memory clocked at 15Gbps across a 192-bit memory bus.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Given the supply chain situation, this could be an attempt by Nvidia to get yield rates up. Of course, it is also possible that both listings from Galax and Gainward are mistaken. 

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Nvidia RTX 3060 and 3060 Ti stock might decrease during September https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/nvidia-rtx-3060-and-3060-ti-stock-might-decrease-during-september/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/nvidia-rtx-3060-and-3060-ti-stock-might-decrease-during-september/#respond Mon, 30 Aug 2021 09:00:03 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=529499 While there has been evidence to suggest that graphics card stock and pricing has improved in recent months, it looks like we're heading towards another dip in availability. According to reports this week, supply of RTX 3060 and RTX 3060 Ti graphics cards will decrease in September.  According to ITHome (via VideoCardz), shipments of RTX …

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While there has been evidence to suggest that graphics card stock and pricing has improved in recent months, it looks like we're heading towards another dip in availability. According to reports this week, supply of RTX 3060 and RTX 3060 Ti graphics cards will decrease in September. 

According to ITHome (via VideoCardz), shipments of RTX 3060 Ti and RTX 3060 graphics cards will reduce by around 50 percent in September. With this reduction, finding one of these GPUs in late September and early October should be harder. However, supply will increase again in October in an effort to prepare retailers for holiday season sales.

The information comes from the private forum Board Channels forums, where AIBs, AICs, and OEMs discuss the current market situation. Besides this source, others have also claimed that the RTX 3060 series won't be the only one with reduced shipments.

As it seems, some factories are partially closed or not working at full power due to new COVID-19 outbreaks in some areas of China. This is affecting the manufacturing of not just the RTX 3060 series cards, but also of other RTX 30 series cards, as well as Radeon RX 6000 series GPUs.

KitGuru says: Are you still looking for an RTX 30/Radeon RX 6000 series card at MSRP, or have you decided to wait for next-gen GPUs instead? 

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AMD RX 6600 XT Review ft. Gigabyte Gaming OC Pro https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/dominic-moass/amd-rx-6600-xt-review-ft-gigabyte-gaming-oc-pro/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/dominic-moass/amd-rx-6600-xt-review-ft-gigabyte-gaming-oc-pro/#respond Tue, 10 Aug 2021 13:00:39 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=526355 AMD's RX 6600 XT is aimed squarely at 1080p gamers, but is it better than the RTX 3060?

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Today marks AMD's first GPU launch for five months, with the company unleashing its new RX 6600 XT. Designed to offer the ultimate 1080p gaming experience, AMD claims the RX 6600 XT has the beating of Nvidia's RTX 3060, and accordingly has set pricing higher at $379 MSRP. We put this card through its paces and compare it to a wide range of both current and former-generation GPUs.

The first three RDNA 2-based GPUs – the RX 6900 XT, RX 6800 XT and RX 6800 – all used Navi 21 silicon, while the RX 6700 XT made use of Navi 22. Now, with the new RX 6600 XT, AMD has introduced Navi 23, its smallest RDNA 2-based GPU yet, measuring just 237 mm². While this reduces the number of Compute Units, stream processors, ray accelerators and so on, it's also interesting to see AMD opt for a 128-bit memory interface.

That allows the company to comfortably pair the GPU with 8GB of memory – avoiding the situation as seen with the RTX 3060, where Nvidia's mid-range GPU has more VRAM than even the RTX 3080. It is, however, a relatively narrow bus for a GPU of this price class, and while AMD has its Infinity Cache to fall back on, there's only 32MB of it here, compared to 96MB on the RX 6700 XT.

That may be why AMD chose to focus the 6600 XT solely on 1080p gaming, a resolution where the GPU is less likely to be constrained by memory bandwidth than at 1440p. We will, however, be testing this GPU across 1080p, 1440p and even 4K resolutions throughout this review.

It is also worth making clear that the RX 6600 XT is an ‘AIB-only' launch, meaning there's no AMD reference card. For this review, AMD sampled us directly with a Gigabyte RX 6600 XT Gaming OC Pro 8G, Gigabyte's flagship 6600 XT offering.

 RX 6900 XT RX 6800 XT RX 6800  RX 6700 XT RX 6600 XT
Architecture RDNA 2 RDNA 2 RDNA 2 RDNA 2 RDNA 2
Manufacturing Process 7nm 7nm 7nm 7nm 7nm
Transistor Count 26.8 billion 26.8 billion 26.8 billion 17.2 billion 11.1 billion
Die Size  519 mm² 519 mm² 519 mm² 336 mm² 237 mm²
Ray Accelerators 80 72 60 40 32
Compute Units  80 72 60 40 32
Stream Processors  5120 4608 3840 2560 2048
Game GPU Clock Up to 2015MHz Up to 2015MHz Up to 1815MHz Up to 2424MHz Up to 2359MHz
Boost GPU Clock Up to 2250MHz Up to 2250MHz Up to 2105MHz Up to 2581MHz Up to 2589MHz
Peak SP Performance Up to 23.04 TFLOPS Up to 20.74 TFLOPS Up to 16.17 TFLOPS Up to 13.21 TFLOPS Up to 10.6 TFLOPS
Peak Half Precision Performance Up to 46.08 TFLOPS Up to 41.47 TFLOPS Up to 32.33 TFLOPS Up to 26.43 TFLOPS Up to 21.21 TFLOPS
Peak Texture Fill-Rate Up to 720 GT/s Up to 648.0 GT/s Up to 505.2 GT/s Up to 413.0 GT/s Up to 331.4 GT/s
ROPs 128 128 96 64 64
Peak Pixel Fill-Rate Up to 288.0 GP/s Up to 288.0 GP/s Up to 202.1 GP/s Up to 165.2 GP/s Up to 165.7 GP/s
AMD Infinity Cache 128MB 128MB 128MB 96MB 32MB
Memory 16GB GDDR6 16GB GDDR6 16GB GDDR6 12GB GDDR6 8GB GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth 512 GB/s 512 GB/s 512 GB/s 384 GB/s 256 GB/s
Memory Interface  256-bit 256-bit 256-bit 192-bit 128-bit
Board Power  300W 300W 250W 230W 160W

As a spec recap, RX 6600 XT is built using the new Navi 23 GPU, a physically small die, measuring just 237 mm². It houses 32 Compute Units (CUs), with 64 stream processors per CU, giving a total of 2048. RX 6600 XT features a fully populated Navi 23 GPU, but we can expect a cut-down version to appear with the rumoured RX 6600.

RDNA 2 houses one ray accelerator per CU, so there’s a total of 32 with the RX 6600 XT. Four texture units per CU gives a total of 128, while there’s also 64 ROPs. Clock speed remains at the lofty heights that we saw from the RX 6700 XT, as the 6600 XT's rated game clock of 2589MHz is 8MHz above that of the RX 6700 XT.

As for the memory configuration, AMD has opted to use a 128-bit memory interface paired with 8GB of GDDR6 memory. Using 16Gbps modules, total memory bandwidth hits 256 GB/s, lower than even the last-generation RX 5600 XT . RDNA 2 GPUs, however, have the benefit of AMD’s Infinity Cache, but even that is reduced, with just a 32MB cache used here.

Lastly, total board power (TBP) is rated at 160W, a reduction of 70W, or almost 30%, compared to the RX 6700 XT. We are using our new GPU power testing methodology in this review, so read on for our most detailed power and efficiency testing yet.

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Zotac launches Ryzen and RTX 30 powered MEK Hero PCs https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/zotac-launches-ryzen-and-rtx-30-powered-mek-hero-pcs/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/zotac-launches-ryzen-and-rtx-30-powered-mek-hero-pcs/#respond Thu, 22 Jul 2021 15:16:05 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=524238 This week, Zotac is launching its new line of MEK gaming desktops. The new MEK Hero PC Gaming series will pair AMD Ryzen 5000 processors with Nvidia’s latest RTX 30 series graphics cards and EK liquid cooling.  Speaking on the new MEK Hero PCs, Zotac USA president, Gary Lau, said: “It's designed to meet the …

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This week, Zotac is launching its new line of MEK gaming desktops. The new MEK Hero PC Gaming series will pair AMD Ryzen 5000 processors with Nvidia’s latest RTX 30 series graphics cards and EK liquid cooling. 

Speaking on the new MEK Hero PCs, Zotac USA president, Gary Lau, said: “It's designed to meet the demands of modern games from fast-paced FPS to immersive simulations, and our component partners help us achieve our goal to build a hassle-free high-performance gaming PC with unparalleled stability and compatibility”.

As noted earlier, Zotac has partnered up with EK to provide a high-performance AIO liquid cooler for the MEK Hero G1 A5837 model. Since both the Zotac MEK Hero G1 A5837 and the G1 A5636 are built in the US, they are only available in the United States. Currently, both models are exclusively sold at Newegg.

Each system is built in a compact, minimalist Micro-ATX chassis, with a tempered glass side panel and three 120mm RGB fans in the front, as well as a non-RGB exhaust fan. In the G1 A5636 comes with a Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card and an AMD Ryzen 5 3600X processor, while the G1 A5837 comes with an RTX 3070 and a Ryzen 7 5800X instead.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What do our US readers think of the latest pre-built gaming PCs from Zotac? 

 

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PNY is giving away an XLR8 RTX 3060 and other hardware this month https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/competitions/matthew-wilson/pny-is-giving-away-an-xlr8-rtx-3060-and-other-hardware-this-month/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/competitions/matthew-wilson/pny-is-giving-away-an-xlr8-rtx-3060-and-other-hardware-this-month/#respond Tue, 06 Jul 2021 16:21:10 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=522579 Many of our regular readers will know that we love running our own competitions, but once in a while we'll spot a giveaway happening elsewhere that we think you'd be interested in. This week, PNY has launched its own giveaway, offering up three prizes, including an RTX 30 series graphics card.  As part of PNY's …

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Many of our regular readers will know that we love running our own competitions, but once in a while we'll spot a giveaway happening elsewhere that we think you'd be interested in. This week, PNY has launched its own giveaway, offering up three prizes, including an RTX 30 series graphics card. 

As part of PNY's ‘XLR8 Your Gaming' campaign, the company is running a giveaway through Gleam with three main prizes – an XLR8 Gaming RTX 3060 graphics card, an XLR8 Gaming CS3040 NVMe M.2 SSD and an XLR8 Gaming 32GB kit of RGB memory. There will be three winners in total, so one prize for each.

All you have to do to be in for a chance of winning is head over to this page, HERE. At the bottom, you'll find the Gleam competition, giving you 13 different ways to enter, most of which involve checking out the XLR8 social media pages.

The competition ends in 25 days, so you've got plenty of time left to get an entry in. Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: There are three great prizes involved in this competition. Good luck to any of our readers choosing to enter. 

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Lite Hash Rate RTX 3060 tested, Ethereum mining performance halved https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/lite-hash-rate-rtx-3060-tested-ethereum-mining-performance-halved/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/lite-hash-rate-rtx-3060-tested-ethereum-mining-performance-halved/#respond Fri, 28 May 2021 14:34:30 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=517105 Earlier this month, Nvidia confirmed plans to re-introduce the RTX 3060, RTX 3070 and RTX 3080 with ‘Lite Hash Rate' GPU revisions to reduce crypto-mining performance and get more graphics cards into the hands of PC gamers. Now, these LHR graphics cards are starting to land in the hands of users and Ethereum mining performance …

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Earlier this month, Nvidia confirmed plans to re-introduce the RTX 3060, RTX 3070 and RTX 3080 with ‘Lite Hash Rate' GPU revisions to reduce crypto-mining performance and get more graphics cards into the hands of PC gamers. Now, these LHR graphics cards are starting to land in the hands of users and Ethereum mining performance has been tested. 

Chinese hardware site, Expreview, got their hands on an LHR version of the RTX 3060. This was originally the first graphics card to utilise Nvidia's anti-mining tech, but a beta driver unlocked full Ethereum mining performance shortly after launch. This new revision solves that issue with additional measures in place.

Through testing, it was determined that the new LHR version of the RTX 3060 does have its Ethereum mining performance capped to around 20 to 22 MH/s. It was also confirmed that switching to LHR chips has brought no negative performance impact to gaming.

Nvidia has begun separating mining card sales from GeForce by introducing these anti-mining measures on gaming GPUs and releasing new ‘CMP' graphics cards specifically for crypto mining.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Revised LHR graphics cards are starting to roll out. Hopefully this means we start to see better graphics card availability for the second half of 2021. 

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Gigabyte updates its RTX 3060 lineup with Lite Hash Rate versions https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/gigabyte-updates-its-rtx-3060-lineup-with-lite-hash-rate-versions/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/gigabyte-updates-its-rtx-3060-lineup-with-lite-hash-rate-versions/#respond Tue, 18 May 2021 08:00:35 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=515646 Following Galax's announcement, Gigabyte is now the second AiB partner introducing its new RTX 30 series cards with LHR chips. Expect more manufacturers to join Gigabyte and Galax in the coming days and weeks. The new cards were initially spotted by @momomo_us, who also shared links of the rev 2.0 of the Aorus RTX 3060 …

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Following Galax's announcement, Gigabyte is now the second AiB partner introducing its new RTX 30 series cards with LHR chips. Expect more manufacturers to join Gigabyte and Galax in the coming days and weeks.

The new cards were initially spotted by @momomo_us, who also shared links of the rev 2.0 of the Aorus RTX 3060 Elite, the RTX 3060 Gaming OC, the RTX 3060 Vision OC, the RTX 3060 Eagle, and the RTX 3060 Eagle OC.

If you look at the listed features in any of the product pages of the aforementioned cards, you'll notice that they are listed as “LHR (Lite Hash Rate) version.” Although it's not specified, the LHR versions are the new RTX 30 series cards featuring Nvidia's latest anti-mining technology.

The specifications of the LHR and non-LHR seem to be the same, except for the GPU. Instead of featuring the GA106-300 GPU used in the non-LHR graphics, the rev 2.0 cards should feature the GA106-302 GPU.

Although there are already AiB partners introducing LHR cards, Nvidia hasn't officially announced them yet.

KitGuru says: If you were to buy a new RTX 30 series graphics cards, would you avoid buying an LHR version?

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