Introduction – TUF GAMING RTX 3060 Ti OC
The ROG Strix is usually ASUS’ go-to design for their graphics card line-up in recent years but with some challenges across the way, the RTX 30 series launch also coincided with ASUS’s TUF Gaming line-up renaissance. Faced with multiple issues prior due to bad cooling, predominantly with AMD cards (which was blamed to poor AMD spec), ASUS’s GPU design team looks like they’re not going to face another humiliation.
The new ASUS TUF Gaming for RTX 30 have been received fairly well and has shifted the perception of the TUF Gaming line-up as a brand recycling attempt to a well-respected product line. We’ve reviewed the ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 3080 OC as well as the ASUS TUF GAMING RTX 3070 OC, both of which deliver incredible performance and value but most of all, impeccable cooling performance.
Today we have the NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti launching and we have 2 partner cards as well as the NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti for review. The RTX 3060 Ti aims to replace the RTX 2060 SUPER but offers performance that is faster than an RTX 2080 SUPER with a starting price $399. Featuring more than double the CUDA cores of an RTX 2060 SUPER at 4864 clocking in at 1665Mhz boost, the RTX 3060 Ti continues the story which has already been written by its higher-tier brothers: decent performance uplift across the board for less than their previous performance counterpart.
RTX 3060 Ti | RTX 2060 SUPER | RX 5700 XT | RTX 2080 Ti FE | RTX 3080 FE | RTX 3070 FE | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Architecture | Ampere | Turing | RDNA | Turing | Ampere | Ampere |
Stream Processors/ CUDA Cores | 4864 | 2176 | 2560 | 4352 | 8704 | 5888 |
Boost frequency | 1665Mhz | 1650Mhz | 2010 Mhz | 1635Mhz | 1710 MHz | 1725 MHz |
Memory | 8GB GDDR6 | 8GB GDDR6 | 8GB GDDR6 | 11GB GDDR6 | 10GB GDDR6X | 8GB GDDR6 |
Memory bus | 256-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit | 352-bit | 320-bit | 256-bit |
The ASUS TUF GAMING RTX 3060 Ti also continues a narrative: ASUS’ TUF GAMING graphics card redemption arc. Featuring a large, triple fan cooler, the TUF GAMING RTX 3060 Ti shares the same fan configuration, shroud and backplate as its RTX 3070 and RTX 3080 brother. To reduce cost though, ASUS reconfigures the actual heatsink, reducing it in size as needed which means the TUF GAMING RTX 3080 will have a massive chunk of metal as a heatsink while the RTX 3070 and RTX 3060 Ti will have less.
The TUF GAMING RTX 3060 Ti features a heavily reduced heatsink array than the TUF GAMING RTX 3080 but is in no way inferior a cooler for its needs. As you can see in the image above, it still packs a decently large cooler.
As an OC model, the card we have for review features a factory overclock of 1755Mhz. I largely ignore this for the RTX 30 series cards given that for the majority of your gaming experience, these cards will be boosting past 1800Mhz. A factory OC may provide slightly better results with GPU Boost as well as manual overclocking.
The TUF GAMING cards are compatible with ASUS Aura Sync for lighting control. ASUS GPU Tweak II will be your software for GPU monitoring and overclocking.
Product Photos
Power Draw, Clock Speed and Temperature – TUF GAMING RTX 3060 Ti OC
We use Final Fantasy XV Benchmark to simulate a gaming workload but for those looking extreme loads, we do put our cards through 3DMark Time Spy on first installation for stress testing to check for stability. For our reviews though, we use Final Fantasy XV to simulate a true gaming scenario. Power draw is captured inline via PCAT or Powenetics so no other components affects readings. Readings are taken from the average 15 minutes for both load and idle.
Now let’s take a look at how the GPU clock behaves in relation to temperatures. As GPU Boost gives these cards massive overclocks already, cooler temps influence performance further. This chart shows us when the card behaves best based on our lab environment:
This card is ridiculously cool but given its larger cooler, that’s to be expected. It does equate to better GPU boosts overall, with the card going past 1900Mhz, average around +/-1925MHz on gaming loads.
Test Setup and Methodology
Processor: Intel Core i9 10900K
Memory: G.Skill TridentZ DDR4-3600 32GB
Storage: Patriot Viper VP4100 1TB, Kingston KC2000 1TB
PSU: Seasonic Platinum 1050w
Cooling: Corsair H150i Pro 360mm AIO
Monitor: ROG PG27UQ 4K 144hz HDR1000
Graphics Card: Listed
For a full-hardware workout, visit https://benchmarks.ul.com for our system warm-up and stress test of choice.
For benchmarking methodology please see our game benchmark method guide.
Test results are gathered and produced on CapFrameX. This makes it easier for use to get both line graph comparison and raw averages without extra tools. Simply the easiest tool for benchmarking and its available for everyone to use, free of charge. Check it out at capframex.com.
Since this is a GPU review, we benchmarked the area of the games that put heavy load on the GPU.
All our test runs are repeatable, click the links below for area and details. Read our benchmarking methodology.
- DOTA2 – Kiev Major Grand Finals Game 5: OG vs Virtus.Pro (54:05 – 55:05)
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive: FPS Benchmark Workshop Map
- The Witcher 3 – Woesong Bridge
- Grand Theft Auto V – Palomino Highlands
- Rainbow Six: Siege – Benchmark Mode
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Kuwaq Yaqu
- Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2019 – Fog of War
- Monster Hunter World: Iceborne – Wildspire Waste
- F1 2020 – Benchmark Mode (Australia, Day, Clear)
- Apex Legends – Firing Range
- Valorant – Custom Game
- Destiny 2 – The Tower
All of our benchmarks are demonstrated to our audience thru livestream for verification purposes and insights from our readers/audience. Livestream are done on Back2Gaming’s Facebook page. You can also see some of our benchmark scenes in our Youtube playlist for benchmark sequences.
Our selection of games are decided by technology, genre and overall popularity. For example, we picked DOTA2 versus League of Legends because of the graphical intensity that DOTA2 places on the system versus League and Heroes of the Storm. CSGO and Rainbow Six Siege were re-added in 2020 due to their immense popularity, much like GTA V and Monster Hunter World which has not faded in popularity or has seen slow decline but is still played by a large playerbase. Games like Witcher 3 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider are great technological examples. F1 2020 is a genre example.
Apex Legends and Valorant will be making their debut in our tests starting with this review. I’ve put more than 200 hours of gameplay to verify that test scenes used are reliable enough to simulate real world situations.
Note: Some proprietary technologies of NVIDIA like PCSS, HBAO+, and HairWorks work on AMD GPU’s BUT to maintain uniformity amongst GPUs, these have been turned OFF. NVIDIA Reflex is also disabled when present.
You can click on any of the benchmark charts enlarge. You can also move forward and backwards to quickly navigate through our charts via gallery view. For this test, only the out-of-box normal mode will be tested.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive(CSGO)
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, popularly known as CSGO, competes for Steam’s most popular game. It has found a resurgence in its popularity and has recently peaked in 2020 in the number of players that play the game. Based on Valve’s Source Engine, the game received major asset overhauls during the years since its inception nearly 10 years ago. Still, it’s a light game and can be played on fairly lighter systems but the competitive scene for CSGO has seen average players demand high FPS from their systems thus gaining favorable standing with GPU vendors just from the demand for higher FPS alone. CSGO is a game that can easily go past 500FPS on enthusiast systems on maximum settings. We’re including CSGO as requested by our community.
API: DirectX9 (default)
Maximum In-Game Settings
Texture Streaming Disabled
Vsync OFF
DOTA 2
Note: JUNE 2020 – DOTA2 has recently implemented a transition from DirectX9 to DirectX11 and new install of the game will prompt users to switch from DX9 to DX11. With that said, we are testing DOTA2 in DX11 from now on.
In contention for the most popular game on Steam and the biggest competition in eSports: DOTA 2 is powered by the Source 2 engine. The game is fairly light on low to medium settings but maxed out, with heavy action on screen especially during clashes, can really stress most systems. This is a game where frame times matter as responsiveness is very important in high-stakes competition. We’re looking at consistently low frametimes in this game for the best experience
Our test uses actual game replay, using the segment from game 5 of the Kiev Major 2017 Grand Finals between OG and VP. The clash during the 54:05 to 55:05 of the game is a nice example of how much a system will get punished during intense team fights in DOTA2.
You can watch the replay of the actual game used in the benchmark here in Youtube or download the replay file here for your DOTA2 client: Game 3149572447. (save it to your DOTA2 replays folder)
API: DirectX11 (default)
Best-Looking slider setting (Ultra)
FPS_MAX 240
Vsync OFF
Wild Hunt
CD Projekt Red’s latest installment in the Witcher saga features one of the most graphically intense offering the company has to date. As Geralt of Rivia, slay monsters, beasts and men as you unravel the mysteries of your past. Vast worlds and lush sceneries make this game a visual feast and promises to make any system crawl at its highest settings. This game has found great resurgence in its playerbase thanks to the release of Netflix’ Witcher series.
API: DirectX 11
Frame Rate: Unlimited
Nvidia HairWorks: Off
Ultra Settings
Motion Blur: Off
Blur: Off
Anti-aliasing: On
Bloom: On
Sharpening: High
Ambient Occlusion: SSAO
Depth of Field: On
Chromatic Aberration: Off
Vignetting: On
Light Shafts: On
VSync OFF
Grand Theft Auto V
The fifth and most successful installment to date in the highly controversial Grand Theft Auto series brings a graphical overhaul to the PC version of GTA V which many have lauded as a superior approach in porting a console game to PC. Featuring large areas and detailing, GTA V is a highly challenging application in terms of scene complexity.
Our benchmark uses a run from Palomina Highlands running through a lush area to a remote road all the way to a neighborhood in our car to simulate multiple scene changes.
API: DirectX 11
FXAA Off
MSAA 4x
TXAA Off
Very High settings
Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
Motion Blur disabled
Advanced Graphics enabled
Vsync OFF
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
API: DirectX 12
Graphics Settings Preset: Highest
Texture Quality: Ultra
Texture Filtering: 8x Anisotropic
Anti-Aliasing: TAA
DLSS: OFF
Raytraced Shadow: OFF
Vsync OFF
Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2019)
Call of Duty Modern Warfare is a reboot of the original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare storyline, set in a different world where you, along with Captain Price have to stop the world from going to war. Call of Duty Modern Warfare reignites the franchise by introducing full crossplay support where Xbox and PS4 players can play together with PC players. On PC, the game features a new engine pushing photorealism for COD far beyond what their older engine is capable of. The new engine also introduces raytracing and the AI is designed to perceive light as well. With a revitalized multiplayer arena, the game will require fast frame rates.
API: DirectX 12
Render Resolution: 100%
Texture Resolution: High
Texture Filter Anisotropic: High
Particle Quality: High
Tessellation: All
Shadow Map Resolution: Extra
Particle Lighting: Ultra
DirectX Raytracing: OFF
Ambient Occlusion: Both
Anti-Aliasing: Filmic SMAA T2X
World Motion Blur: Off
Vsync: OFF
Shaders Installed before benchmarks*
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
Easily Capcom’s most successful game to date. Available in both consoles and PC, Monster Hunter World ranks in Steam’s top played games for the platform. The 2020 Iceborne update for PC brings the game to new PC frontier, introducing DirectX 12 support. The game features rich graphical detail settings and an Ultra HD texture pack for highend gamers. MHW’s features fast-paced action with traditional RPG farings and has captured a new market thanks to the transition from portable.
Our benchmark for this game uses an expedition track in the Wildspire Waste Southwest Camp (Area 1) and finishes in the Rathian nest at Area 12 in the caves. This run gives us runs from barren area, to watery area with lush vegetation to a cave which replicates the varied nature of exploration and monster combat in MHW.
API: DirectX 12
Graphical Settings: Manual (customized from High)
All variable settings set to High
Image Quality: High
Anti-Aliasing: TAA
Max LOD Level: No Limit
Volume Rendering Quality: High
Motion Blur: Off
DLSS and AMD FidelityFX: OFF
F1 2020
The latest iteration of the F1 series from CodeMasters features support for DirectX 12 as well as more photorealistic graphics than ever. Now heavily featured in the official F1 esports scene, much attention has been given in the development of this game particularly for added realism.
API: DirectX 12
Settings: Ultra High
Vsync: OFF
PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG)
Developed by South Korean company Bluehole, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds was an ARMA3 mod which has gained a massive global playerbase after being released as a stand-alone game. The game is now available for almost all platforms from PC to mobile but PC has been the definitive edition of the game. The game has evolved much since its release, receiving multiple polish to arrive at its current state.
API: DirectX 11
Settings: High
Vsync: OFF
Apex Legends
The battle royale genre sees multiple titles emerge and Respawn Entertainment’s most successful title to date, Apex Legends differentiates itself from main rival PUBG as it presents itself in true, fast-paced FPS. Existing in the same universe as Titanfall, Apex Legends sees contenders in traditional battle royale elimination format but gameplay heavily gears towards more familiar FPS mechanics. As a Respawn Ent. game, its closer to COD versus PUBG’s more sluggish and heavier gameplay.
API: DirectX 11
Settings: High
Texture Streaming Budget: 6GB VRAM
FSP Cap Disabled
Vsync: OFF
Destiny 2
Destiny 2: New Light is an MMOFPS which sees a persistently sizable playerbase. The game features traditional MMO elements but played in an FPS approach which allows a more skill-dependent game versus traditional MMORPG formats. The game features a futuristic sci-fi universe with lush and detailed in-game locations that puts respectable workload on a gaming system.
API: DirectX 11
Settings: Highest
Vsync: OFF
Valorant
Developed by League of Legends developer, Riot Games, Valorant is a first-person shooter featuring multiple heroes or agents which have unique skills to assist them within the games traditional team-based FPS combat. The game is gaining incredible success and has taken a large chunk of the now-incredibly massive CSGO playerbase as well, presenting a more refreshed take on classic TDM FPS but spices it up with skills, etc. Like CSGO and League, this game is light as a feather for the largest adoption possible. With 360hz monitors and input lag/system latency a major focus for these games, we’re now including it as reference for players.
API: DirectX 11
Settings: Max in-game details
Anti-Aliasing: MSAA x4 (highest in-game)
NVIDIA Reflex: Off
Vsync: OFF
Conclusion
Our launch coverage of the RTX 3060 Ti also has the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition review and the ZOTAC RTX 3060 Ti Twin Edge OC Review
In the case of the ASUS TUF GAMING RTX 3060 Ti, this is pure brute force cooling. Temperatures you normally see under custom watercooling is achievable in below 70% fan speed with the TUF GAMING RTX 3060 Ti. That begs the question if ASUS even needs the dual BIOS switch for this card. At performance mode, the card still idles with 0db fans yet barely audibly revs in heavy use. Given its size though, its not that SFF-friendly. What its friendly to are the RX580, GTX 1060 or GTX 1660 users are who are now ready to upgrade to the next level without jumping straight to the big boy cards like the RTX 3070 and RTX 3080.
There’s not a lot to nitpick on this card except its size. ASUS could’ve have gotten away with a dual-fan cooler but not too risk another debacle, has went all out on the triple-fan TUF GAMING cooler. This will change once we see lower-tier cards but for now, anyone looking for a heavily-cooled RTX 3060 Ti promising attractive gaming at all resolution without sacrificing much for the current high cost of parts that is prevalent nowadays can look towards the ASUS TUF GAMING RTX 3060 Ti as a long-term investment.
ASUS backs the TUF GAMING RTX 3060 Ti with a 3-year warranty. We give it out B2G Gold Award!
- Superior cooling performance
- Excellent build quality
- Excellent performance jump from RTX 2060 Super
- RTX 2080 Super performance for less
- Large cooler size restricts usage on smaller cases