Question That one kid, calling out the emperor in the new clothes

[Triznorbob]

So...I can't tell the difference between 1440, 1080, 4k, etc. I can only see a difference below 1080p.
I get nauseated with the Samsung TVs with their ultra-smooth screen motion.
With all that said, if I update my GTX 1080 11 GPS GPU to a GeForce RTX 3060 12GB will I really see a performance difference playing BG3 above medium resolution?
I just want the game to run faster, smoother, and without clipping or anything "ugh" like that.
I've got 32 GB of DDR4 3200 RAM, up from 16 GB.
750W PSU
i7-12700K Alder Lake
MSI Z790-P Pro WiFi DD4 LGA 1700 ATX mumma

Am I missing something?
Thanks for the help in advance!

 

[punkncat]

A 1080ti is faster than the 3060.

 

[Triznorbob]

Which makes no sense because bigger numbers should be better cards

 

[rgd1101]

Which makes no sense because bigger numbers should be better cards

nope, bigger # only mean cost more

 

[Gaidax]

3060 has DLSS and BG3 has a pretty good implementation of DLSS.

Technically 1080Ti is slightly faster than 3060, but with DLSS on - 3060 would be better.

That said, why 3060? You can get something better nowadays.

 

[punkncat]

I would go with natural rasterization any day over generation.

IMO this will take a higher line card to be worthwhile in any measure other than power.

 

[USAFRet]

Which makes no sense because bigger numbers should be better cards

Thats marketing at work.

 

[Triznorbob]

3060 has DLSS and BG3 has a pretty good implementation of DLSS.

Technically 1080Ti is slightly faster than 3060, but with DLSS on - 3060 would be better.

That said, why 3060? You can get something better nowadays.

Money mostly. Mine isn't a Ti, unfortunately. It's the regular one

 

[Triznorbob]

A 1080ti is faster than the 3060.

Mine isn't the Ti, just the regular one

 

[Gaidax]

Money mostly. Mine isn't a Ti, unfortunately. It's the regular one

Well then 3060 is straight out better no brainer, in that case. DLSS or not.

I'm a bit confused, did you not mean 11GB VRAM on 1080? That's 1080Ti number.

 

[punkncat]

Money mostly. Mine isn't a Ti, unfortunately. It's the regular one

11GB isn't a normal memory configuration for that card. Pls explain?

 

[Triznorbob]

Well then 3060 is straight out better no brainer, in that case. DLSS or not.

I'm a bit confused, did you not mean 11GB VRAM on 1080? That's 1080Ti number.

It's the effective clock speed. It confused me too.
It'll be better...but how? That's what I'm not sure about. Better is good, but what constitutes "better"?

 

[Triznorbob]

11GB isn't a normal memory configuration for that card. Pls explain?

https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/geforce-gtx-1080-11gbps.c2951

 

[Gaidax]

It's the effective clock speed. It confused me too.
It'll be better...but how? That's what I'm not sure about. Better is good, but what constitutes "better"?

3060 simply will pump out more FPS over plain 1080, even outside DLSS.

With DLSS much more, which I personally happily use for years with 3080Ti.

 

[punkncat]

https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/geforce-gtx-1080-11gbps.c2951

In spite of the memory upgrade, the FE was a bit of a dog in this otherwise legendary card as the cooling solution is well under-spec for the die.

In spite of that aspect, think higher than a 3060, IMO.

 

[Gaidax]

In spite of the memory upgrade, the FE was a bit of a dog in this otherwise legendary card as the cooling solution is well under-spec for the die.

In spite of that aspect, think higher than a 3060, IMO.

It's not about opinions, you have the reviews.

3060 is simply faster than 1080, even besides DLSS. You literally have the GPU hierarchy chart in this very site - https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html

 

[Triznorbob]

https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/geforce-gtx-1080-11gbps.c2951

It's really weird though. It looks like that, but there's red around the fan where it's usually silver. I've never found the exact card online. This is the closest that came up. The specs are about the same though.

 

[alceryes]

https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/geforce-gtx-1080-11gbps.c2951

It's 11Gbps (gigabits per second) which is memory clock speed.
If you look down in the memory section you'll see that it's an 8GB (gigabytes) card. Easy mistake to make - no worries. 😉

 

[Gaidax]

It's really weird though. It looks like that, but there's red around the fan where it's usually silver. I've never found the exact card online. This is the closest that came up. The specs are about the same though.

Just install GPU-Z and post its output here to be sure.

 

[punkncat]

It's not about opinions, you have the reviews.

3060 is simply faster than 1080, even besides DLSS. You literally have the GPU hierarchy chart in this very site - https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html

No, it wasn't about opinion. It was about the comment on the RAM indicating 'ti' spec, which IS a faster card. The comment was in regard to the FE having an insufficient cooler. Just some additional dialog about the miss that card didn't have to be.

 

[Triznorbob]

Just install GPU-Z and post its output here to be sure.

I would, but it won't let me upload pix and I don't want to sign up for a thing I'll never use just to post a pic. The info on the link is right though

 

[SyCoREAPER]

Theres a lot of misunderstanding of your setup.

First, 16GB to 32GB is only going to yield better results in really intensive and/or poorly optimized games. Faster low latency RAM on the other hand would yield marginal better FPS between 5-20fps depending on the game.

Next there is the GPU trap you fell for and it's designed intentionally to be confusing. My advice, with 40-Seriee going up in price with the rumored increase in price for the 50-Series, you might be able to cut your losses to a minimum and sell the 3060 and put your 1080 back in. The only benefit the 3060 has is as mentioned DLSS but you did more of a side grade than an upgrade. Id still sell or return it and save towards a newer card. Segwaying into the next top and seeing as you apparently can't tell the difference between 4k and 1080, a 4070 or 7900xt will suit you well.

Now as for now being able to tell the difference, you either have too small or a monitor, a crappy monitor or broken eyes if you cant tell the difference. Not trying to be a tool but those are the facts. If all you care about is FPS which has diminishing returns, set your 1080 (card) to 1080 (resolution). You may or may not bottleneck a 12700, if you do, set it to 1440.

As for game settings, again, lower them as much as you can stand since you seem to only care about FPS. Turn on V-Sync and run in Full Screen or Borderless Full screen if there is no fullscreen.

If you can, return the RAM and GPU, get yourself some low latency DDR4 4000Mhz and the money from the GPU towards a new CPU and MB since you're like me, on a now dead socket. 12th Gen to 13 gen wasn't the massive leap I hoped for and skipped 14th Gen which I'm glad I did with all the news about them.

 

[Triznorbob]

Theres a lot of misunderstanding of your setup.

First, 16GB to 32GB is only going to yield better results in really intensive and/or poorly optimized games. Faster low latency RAM on the other hand would yield marginal better FPS between 5-20fps depending on the game.

Next there is the GPU trap you fell for and it's designed intentionally to be confusing. My advice, with 40-Seriee going up in price with the rumored increase in price for the 50-Series, you might be able to cut your losses to a minimum and sell the 3060 and put your 1080 back in. The only benefit the 3060 has is as mentioned DLSS but you did more of a side grade than an upgrade. Id still sell or return it and save towards a newer card. Segwaying into the next top and seeing as you apparently can't tell the difference between 4k and 1080, a 4070 or 7900xt will suit you well.

Now as for now being able to tell the difference, you either have too small or a monitor, a crappy monitor or broken eyes if you cant tell the difference. Not trying to be a tool but those are the facts. If all you care about is FPS which has diminishing returns, set your 1080 (card) to 1080 (resolution). You may or may not bottleneck a 12700, if you do, set it to 1440.

As for game settings, again, lower them as much as you can stand since you seem to only care about FPS. Turn on V-Sync and run in Full Screen or Borderless Full screen if there is no fullscreen.

If you can, return the RAM and GPU, get yourself some low latency DDR4 4000Mhz and the money from the GPU towards a new CPU and MB since you're like me, on a now dead socket. 12th Gen to 13 gen wasn't the massive leap I hoped for and skipped 14th Gen which I'm glad I did with all the news about them.

RAM: It was a hyperfocus a few weeks ago. You know that thing where you see spaces on your motherboard and you know you CAN fill them, you want to put something there.

GPU: I have the 1080, thinking about getting a 3060 Super. I was worried about it being an expensive side move, and you totally confirmed it would be. Thank you! My biggest wonder is if I'm really going to see a difference between 8GVRAM and 12+GVRAM, even if it's faster.

Thanks for the tips on the settings! I prefer a game that runs faster and smoother, rather than how many frames it shows. I do have ok monitors, but there's nothing I can do about them. They're my gf's and we have a setup with my desktop and her docking port...that's not a euphemism.

I just got the motherboard, RAM, power supply, and CPU in a package deal from Microcenter last November. I got it all for under $500. My set up before was a Xenon processor and DDR3 with an underpowered power supply.

You've answered my questions very well! Thank you!

 

[Barry_4]

Which makes no sense because bigger numbers should be better cards

3060 is clearly a bigger number than 1080