Customer Review

Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2023
My MSI 1060 Armor 6G still runs mostly everything but I needed something better for future games and dabbling other applications. The 3060 seemed like an affordable option and has 12GB RAM.

The instructions envelope had strange white scuffed marks or dust on the cover and was unsealed. There was a noticeable scratch on the envelope too. The plastic that sealed the box had a small hole, which could indicate resealing. The corners of the box had signs of roughness and the interior card box had a weak feel, as if it opened more than once. There was a small spec of dirt inside the bag on the card plate. This card was a possible refurb or open-boxed and sold as "new" in my opinion. This wouldn't be the first product I ordered in this condition.... The card itself looked unused.

The lack of DVI port was very inconvenient for me as my main monitor uses it to display at 144hz. I have had to resort to adapter cables for my two older HDMI monitors. My 1060 has two HDMI, 2 display ports as well as the DVI connector that was very convenient. The 3060 only comes with one HDMI port and three display ports. I also have had to buy a special adapter for around $50 to get my older Acer monitor to run at higher than 60hz. It is annoying NVIDIA or MSI would cease using the DVI connector as it could easily be put on the card design like the 1060 had; or they could design a second model version using the connector. But hey they just want you to buy a new monitor okay...

I could not fit the HDMI connection into place due to the design on my computer case. There was sort of a metal bar part of the case (admittedly it seems like a bad design of my computer case) right above the HDMI slot. I ended up having to twist the obstructive "metal" and out of the way with pliers and basically damage my case in order to plug in the HDMI cable. It was either that spend another $50 on a riser cable for the card which I don’t want to do. I noticed my 1060 had the HDMI ports on the left side, which is why I never had a problem with it, while the 3060 has them on the right...

The card is a very tight fit next to my Noctua cooler due to the card's backplate.

The card is maybe double or triple the performance of a 1060 but compared to better or more expensive cards it is only okay. Maybe the best part is the 12GB RAM. Temps range between 65-70 when card is on load in my fully air-cooled case. Of course, it depends on room temperature.

I get full 144hz frame rate from my monitor in games like Apex at 1080p with minor frame drops here or there. However, Apex is so poorly optimized in my opinion and it can still feel like I'm playing on my 1060. I also saw a performance boost in applications that rely on the GPU that I use. I would not have paid near $400 for the 3060 and I am glad I got it on sale, thanks to the 4060's launch I suppose. I think it will be decent card until I 'must' upgrade again in a few years.

This order took a week to arrive so having Prime didn't matter.
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3.0 out of 5 stars Inconvenient card design
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2023
My MSI 1060 Armor 6G still runs mostly everything but I needed something better for future games and dabbling other applications. The 3060 seemed like an affordable option and has 12GB RAM.

The instructions envelope had strange white scuffed marks or dust on the cover and was unsealed. There was a noticeable scratch on the envelope too. The plastic that sealed the box had a small hole, which could indicate resealing. The corners of the box had signs of roughness and the interior card box had a weak feel, as if it opened more than once. There was a small spec of dirt inside the bag on the card plate. This card was a possible refurb or open-boxed and sold as "new" in my opinion. This wouldn't be the first product I ordered in this condition.... The card itself looked unused.

The lack of DVI port was very inconvenient for me as my main monitor uses it to display at 144hz. I have had to resort to adapter cables for my two older HDMI monitors. My 1060 has two HDMI, 2 display ports as well as the DVI connector that was very convenient. The 3060 only comes with one HDMI port and three display ports. I also have had to buy a special adapter for around $50 to get my older Acer monitor to run at higher than 60hz. It is annoying NVIDIA or MSI would cease using the DVI connector as it could easily be put on the card design like the 1060 had; or they could design a second model version using the connector. But hey they just want you to buy a new monitor okay...

I could not fit the HDMI connection into place due to the design on my computer case. There was sort of a metal bar part of the case (admittedly it seems like a bad design of my computer case) right above the HDMI slot. I ended up having to twist the obstructive "metal" and out of the way with pliers and basically damage my case in order to plug in the HDMI cable. It was either that spend another $50 on a riser cable for the card which I don’t want to do. I noticed my 1060 had the HDMI ports on the left side, which is why I never had a problem with it, while the 3060 has them on the right...

The card is a very tight fit next to my Noctua cooler due to the card's backplate.

The card is maybe double or triple the performance of a 1060 but compared to better or more expensive cards it is only okay. Maybe the best part is the 12GB RAM. Temps range between 65-70 when card is on load in my fully air-cooled case. Of course, it depends on room temperature.

I get full 144hz frame rate from my monitor in games like Apex at 1080p with minor frame drops here or there. However, Apex is so poorly optimized in my opinion and it can still feel like I'm playing on my 1060. I also saw a performance boost in applications that rely on the GPU that I use. I would not have paid near $400 for the 3060 and I am glad I got it on sale, thanks to the 4060's launch I suppose. I think it will be decent card until I 'must' upgrade again in a few years.

This order took a week to arrive so having Prime didn't matter.
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