Final Thoughts
So is the RTX 3060 for you? I think if you are still on a GTX 1060 then yes for sure! You are going to see a massive increase in performance, an increase worth upgrading to. In terms of performance in our testing the RTX 3060 has about the same performance as an RTX 2070 as it was creeping up on our RTX 2070 Super in many of the tests. With this type of performance it is going to be an excellent 1080p card where you are going to see well over 60 FPS in current titles with the settings maxed out. You’ll also be able to game at 1440P with very respectable frame rates.
Another thing to think about is that the RTX 30 Series features 2nd generation RT cores and 3rd generation Tensor cores so you’ll have better real-time raytracing performance and DLSS performance. On top of that you can take advantage of NVIDIA-specific features. If you are a serious gamer NVIDIA Reflex will help decrease input lag. If you are a streamer or content creator NVIDIA Broadcast has a bunch of tools to help make your streams / videos more professional.
I do have to point out one of the big headlines about the RTX 3060 is that NVIDIA was basically gimped the card for cryptocurrency mining in hopes it will deter miners from purchasing the card and open up more inventory for gamers. This is not just software or a driver that is doing this, NVIDIA states, it “is a secure handshake between the driver, the RTX 3060 silicon, and the BIOS (firmware) that prevents removal of the hash rate limiter”. While I do like the idea of having more inventory for gamers, I am not a fan of any company limiting what I do can with their product. I know plenty of gamers that will load up NiceHash at night to offset the cost of their graphics card and possibly earn a little extra cash. It will be interesting to see just how available these cards are going to be a launch.
Now for the MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Gaming X Trio specifically, this is going to be one of the largest RTX 3060 cards available. Being so big it packs in MSI’s Tri Frozr 2.0 cooling solution which is one of the best and most efficient cooling solutions found on graphics cards these days. You are also getting a nice factory overclock up to 1852 MHz (GPU Boost), which will get you a few more frames in games. The RGB lighting on the card is superb as well with a nice big RGB strip on the edge of the card and some accent lighting around the center fan. Any gamer would be happy to have this card inside their system.
And that brings us to price, this card is a whopping $519.99! MSI has explained to us that “Due to 25% tariffs tax by the Trump administration back in Jan 2021, the MSRP has to be added to the cost.” I know graphics card pricing has been crazy lately, especially with scalpers, but MSI is pricing a RTX 3060 higher than a RTX 3070 Founders Edition! Overall ThinkComputers gives the MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Gaming X Trio Graphics Card an 8 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Factory overclock
– Tri Frozr 2.0 cooling solution
– Great RGB lighting
– Amazing upgrade for GTX 1060 users
– Can take advantage of RTX and DLSS
– NVIDIA-specific features like Reflex & Broadcast
Cons:
– Price
– Not as big of a performance increase over the previous generation as other 30-series cards
– Gimped for mining
