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- New games like Spider-Man 2 and Marvel Rivals are extremely system-heavy, making older GPUs struggle even at lower settings.
- The RTX 3060 provides fairly decent rasterization and ray tracing performance at 1080p, advocating its worth in 2025.
- The competition is too strong to make an upgrade to the RTX 3060 look worthwhile. Cheaper, yet, better-performing products are available en-masse.
The latest GPU season hasn’t been going well with NVIDIA’s failed RTX 50 series launch and a massive GPU shortage in the market. We are expecting AMD’s RX 9000 series to launch in March, but the specifications haven’t been specified. According to Steam’s January 2025 hardware survey, the RTX 3060 is the most popular GPU. So, I got curious. Is the RTX 3060 still viable in 2025 or is it time for an upgrade? I’ve been using the RTX 3060 since it launched in 2021, and I’ll share my experience below, so buckle up!
New Games Are Extremely System-Heavy
Unlike the past when games used to be better optimized, recently, we have seen games with unreasonable system requirements. I recently opinionated this with whether DirectX12 should be a mandatory requirement in modern games. We have games like Marvel Rivals that don’t provide intense graphics but require a decent PC to run properly.
Similarly, there have been many issues with the latest Spider-Man 2 game, causing errors and crashes with slightly older GPUs. Therefore, I have noticed many people keep recommending the latest GPUs. However, what if you’re on the RTX 3060? Do you still need to upgrade to a better graphics card to run one of the latest games like Kingdom Come Deliverance II? Looking at the system requirements pages might give you a different answer than what I’m about to advocate in a little while.
My Test Bench
Here is a quick rundown of my test bench:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- GPU: MSI Gaming X Trio RTX 3060
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO 16GB (8×2) DDR4 3200MHz CL16
How Does It Perform In 1080p?
I tested the GPU at 1080p with all games running at the highest settings. I tried using ray tracing in all the supported games. Here are the results:
What did I tell you? Solely relying on the game system requirements pages isn’t worth it anymore. There are multiple takeaways in this graph. For starters, I chose a few “older” titles while others are fairly new. Kingdom Come Deliverance II and Marvel Rivals are the newest, while Fortnite, in a way, is the oldest.
I utilized ray tracing in Fortnite and Marvel Rivals. In the former, I reduced the graphics settings from “ultra” to “high”, while I didn’t change any settings in the latter. Fortnite saw a major bump in FPS, dropping from 125 on average to 74 with 0.1% FPS dropping to single digits. On the other hand, Marvel Rivals dropped from 93 to 61 FPS on average.
As you can see, most games will easily run on 60 FPS at 1080p at high/ultra settings without any stutters. Dropping a few settings in Kingdom Come Deliverance II should provide a steady 60 FPS as well. You can also easily go over 120 FPS in all of these games by dropping the settings down to medium. So, if 1080p 60 FPS is your target at high settings, then the RTX 3060 is still fairly capable. But is there all there is to it, though?
The Competition Is Strong
We have already established that the RTX 3060 is still viable in 2025 for certain use case scenarios. Of course, I wouldn’t recommend this GPU for 1440p high gaming at better FPS. The competition, however? Well, there’s a lot, and all of it is from AMD. I mentioned the current GPU shortage earlier, and because of that shortage, NVIDIA GPUs are exponentially more expensive.
If you’re thinking of upgrading to the RTX 3060, I advise you not to do that. Why? Because you’re getting better options for similar or cheaper prices. For example, the ASUS Gaming Dual RTX 3060 is currently going for $300 on Amazon. Meanwhile, you can get the Gigabyte 3X WindForce RX 7600 XT for $318. Quite the trade-off, isn’t it? Want to stay strictly on the $300 budget? Go with an RX 7600.
Hence, there’s not much reason to buy the RTX 3060 unless you’re a green fan-boy or, for some reason, can’t find any AMD counterparts where you live.
Should You Stay Or Should You Change?
Honestly, there’s no single answer to this question. There are many upgrade paths for the RTX 3060. If you wish to attain 60 FPS at 1080p high in all the latest games, then it’s feasible to say that the RTX 3060 is still viable in 2025. However, if you want better FPS at a higher resolution, then it’s time you upgrade. Even the RX 7600 XT, which I mentioned above, provides decent 1440p performance.
However, you can always upgrade to the RX 7800 XT for ~$530 and not have to worry about any GPU constraints for a few years. All in all, the RTX 3060 is still great for 1080p 60 FPS at high/ultra settings for most modern games and can go above 120 FPS in most if the settings are brought down. Whether that’s your cup of tea is for you to decide.
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[Comparisons Expert]
Abdemanaf is a skilled creative writer who has been honing his craft since 2011. While initially working in different fields, he found a passion for technology and has been exploring the tech world since early 2015. Over the years, he has developed an in-depth knowledge of the latest tech trends and product offerings by various companies.
Abdemanaf’s writing reflects his analytical mindset and ability to think critically. He has a knack for breaking down complex technical information into easily digestible pieces, making his articles engaging and accessible to readers from all backgrounds. In February 2022, he joined Tech4Gamers as a blog and product comparison writer, where he has been able to hone his skills further.
As a writer, Abdemanaf is dedicated to staying up-to-date with the latest technological advancements and trends, enabling him to provide readers with the most relevant and accurate information. He is always eager to learn more and is constantly seeking new challenges to improve his skills.
Get In Touch: manaf@tech4gamers.com
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