If NVIDIA’s RTX 3060 Ti straddled the line between 1080p144Hz and 1440p60Hz gaming, the RTX 3060 is firmly entrenched in the former. We have therefore chosen to test at this resolution with high image quality settings to assess what informed owners of the system can expect from the hardware configuration.
It’s nice to see a system so well equipped to deal with sensible resolution and image quality settings. The ICUE Infinity munched through Mordor: Shadow of War at 1080p Ultra, easily topping 100fps for a silky smooth experience if you’re gaming with a G-SYNC monitor and marking the game out as one with fading relevancy (for benchmarking) for even this class of GPU except for legacy purposes.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider was a sterner test. Without RTX Shadows but engaging the Highest image quality presets and SMAAx4 anti-aliasing the game maintained an average of 81fps hitting a minimum of 62. That’s a sweet spot to be in, but was undermined once RTX Shadows were enabled at high. Average frame rates cratered to 53fps with a minimum of 35, but knocking the anti-aliasing standard back to TAA pushes the frame rates back to a more creditable 70 average and 50 minimum (as indicated).
Horizon Zero Dawn results were a pleasant surprise. An average FPS of 90 with minimums at 48 at Ultimate settings is a great 1080p experience, and knocking image quality down to Favored unlocks average frame rates over 100fps. Pair this system with a great 1440Hz G-SYNC panel and you won’t be disappointed.
Finally, Control once again shows the performance impact of RTX ray tracing. At a standard 1080p with no Ray Tracing we achieved an average of near 80fps. Rendering at a native 1080p with RTX ray tracing set to high net an average of 48fps however.
Although certainly playable, you’ll want to adjust settings to find a quality sweet-spot that allows this system to hover at or above 60fps. For instance, knock down the rendering resolution to 720p through NVIDIA DLSS and it’s possible to greatly increase FPS to the level shown above.
The results strongly indicate how well suited the system is to 1080p gaming with RTX features enabled dependent on the game, and reinforces our perception that 1440p resolutions would be inappropriate for it in demanding modern titles.
Mordor: Shadow of War
The oldest of our titles, Mordor: Shadow of War is still an exceptionally attractive game that utilises the DirectX 11 API. We expect it to be no match for the 2021 horsepower of the ICUE Infinity at 1080p Ultra settings.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
The second sequel to the rebooted Tomb Raider franchise, Shadow of the Tomb Raider was also one of the first titles to incorporate NVIDIA RTX ray-traced shadows and DLSS. We’ll be testing with RTX on today, but DLSS is unavailable at 1080p.
Horizon Zero Dawn
This game was new to PC in August 2020 and already has a reputation for taxing GPU hardware. It doesn't feature ray tracing, but nonetheless has some of the most stunning scenes ever rendered in games. We've used the Ultimate preset here, but Favoured also offers a visual feast with markedly higher performance.
Control
Critically acclaimed on release, Control is the title which made most comprehensive use of NVIDIA RTX prior to Holiday 2020. Shadows, lighting and reflections all make use of this advanced rendering standard, helping the transition from mundane world to its nightmarish reflection. We opted for the Highest settings preset with RTX features enabled including the default recommended level of DLSS: a rendering resolution of 1280x720.
Tests were performed with NVIDIA’s GeForce Game Ready 461.72 WHQL Driver.
The oldest of our titles, Mordor: Shadow of War is still an exceptionally attractive game that utilises the DirectX 11 API. We expect it to be no match for the 2021 horsepower of the ICUE Infinity at 1080p Ultra settings.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
The second sequel to the rebooted Tomb Raider franchise, Shadow of the Tomb Raider was also one of the first titles to incorporate NVIDIA RTX ray-traced shadows and DLSS. We’ll be testing with RTX on today, but DLSS is unavailable at 1080p.
Horizon Zero Dawn
This game was new to PC in August 2020 and already has a reputation for taxing GPU hardware. It doesn't feature ray tracing, but nonetheless has some of the most stunning scenes ever rendered in games. We've used the Ultimate preset here, but Favoured also offers a visual feast with markedly higher performance.
Control
Critically acclaimed on release, Control is the title which made most comprehensive use of NVIDIA RTX prior to Holiday 2020. Shadows, lighting and reflections all make use of this advanced rendering standard, helping the transition from mundane world to its nightmarish reflection. We opted for the Highest settings preset with RTX features enabled including the default recommended level of DLSS: a rendering resolution of 1280x720.
Tests were performed with NVIDIA’s GeForce Game Ready 461.72 WHQL Driver.
It’s nice to see a system so well equipped to deal with sensible resolution and image quality settings. The ICUE Infinity munched through Mordor: Shadow of War at 1080p Ultra, easily topping 100fps for a silky smooth experience if you’re gaming with a G-SYNC monitor and marking the game out as one with fading relevancy (for benchmarking) for even this class of GPU except for legacy purposes.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider was a sterner test. Without RTX Shadows but engaging the Highest image quality presets and SMAAx4 anti-aliasing the game maintained an average of 81fps hitting a minimum of 62. That’s a sweet spot to be in, but was undermined once RTX Shadows were enabled at high. Average frame rates cratered to 53fps with a minimum of 35, but knocking the anti-aliasing standard back to TAA pushes the frame rates back to a more creditable 70 average and 50 minimum (as indicated).
Horizon Zero Dawn results were a pleasant surprise. An average FPS of 90 with minimums at 48 at Ultimate settings is a great 1080p experience, and knocking image quality down to Favored unlocks average frame rates over 100fps. Pair this system with a great 1440Hz G-SYNC panel and you won’t be disappointed.
Finally, Control once again shows the performance impact of RTX ray tracing. At a standard 1080p with no Ray Tracing we achieved an average of near 80fps. Rendering at a native 1080p with RTX ray tracing set to high net an average of 48fps however.
Although certainly playable, you’ll want to adjust settings to find a quality sweet-spot that allows this system to hover at or above 60fps. For instance, knock down the rendering resolution to 720p through NVIDIA DLSS and it’s possible to greatly increase FPS to the level shown above.
The results strongly indicate how well suited the system is to 1080p gaming with RTX features enabled dependent on the game, and reinforces our perception that 1440p resolutions would be inappropriate for it in demanding modern titles.
