The extent of the change you'll observe depends on your perspective and expectations.
The extent of the change you'll observe depends on your perspective and expectations.
I'm checking the potential improvement in gaming performance after the upgrade.
Have you purchased these parts already? You might find better options for the same cost. While the improvement won’t be massive, it will still be significant. You can expect roughly a 43% boost in performance on GPU tasks. CPU benefits include larger L2 and L3 caches, plus PCIe Gen 4 support (though not essential). You could start with a 5600, add a budget B550 Tomahawk board, and later upgrade to a 5800X3D when needed.
An ultrawide is basically a 4K display or nearly as close. It's a style I don't personally enjoy, but if you own one, you should have a 4K card. Moving from the 1660s to a 3060 won't make much difference. If you plan to play on an ultrawide, opt for a 3090, 4080, 4090 and possibly a 3080 Ti or 4070 Ti, though you shouldn't expect much from those after two years. If you can't afford them, sticking to a standard 16:9 1440p is a better choice.
TechPowerUp usually means there are some variations, though most games won't be exactly the same.
Average improvement of about 30% across both parts, or 40 for GPU according to techpowerup
I believe you can achieve a stable frame rate around 30 fps on most titles with a 3060 if you're lucky, while also lowering some settings near the 4K level. You won't find any more consistent frame locks from this card, and definitely not a locked 60 or higher unless you're using very low settings in most games. The key is that at 1660p you can also lock around 30 fps in many games if you reduce settings further to mid or lower. Overall, the best you'll get is likely a 30-60 range, which would be noticeable. A 40 fps might work in some cases with specific tweaks and low refresh rates, but that's rare. I don't see much value in the 3060 for gaming on an ultrawide display, since the large screen area will constantly demand rendering pixels that the game isn't built to handle. Usually, you won't notice any frames at all. Perhaps save your budget for a used 3090 when you can get a good deal. Keep in mind that at an ultrawide setting, you'll be heavily reliant on the GPU, with little impact from your CPU.
I wouldn't agree with this. I've been using a 34-inch ultra-wide monitor for more than ten years. Initially, it was a 60Hz Dell UltraSharp IPS, working perfectly with my 1080Ti at full 3440/1440p in any game I played. Recently, switching to a 144Hz LG panel with 3440/1440p Nano IPS and a 3080 still let me run the full resolution without problems with my 1080Ti until the GPU upgrade. Occasionally, I experienced some screen tearing in games like Horizon Zero Dawn until I upgraded the GPU, after which it was smooth. Metro Exodus runs beautifully even with heavy mods; it performs well regardless of settings. My wife now uses a 1080Ti paired with my older 8700K and she enjoys whatever she wants on the upgraded Dell monitor, playing games such as Stray - Grounded and similar titles without any issues.
It depends on the guidelines in place. My expectations focus on clear motion, sharp height detail, and top-tier graphical options. A 1440p with 4K frame rate doesn’t meet my preferences or requirements. I believe a 16:9 format would be more suitable, offering better gameplay visibility and improved performance settings. Ultra wide feels just like 4K in terms of needs, so I only recommend 4K cards for it. A 1080p display would have been ideal during lunch, but now only a 3090/4080 is sufficient. Ultimately, it comes down to personal taste and the standards we follow.
He acknowledges the truth but didn’t address the questions directly. With the current setup and upcoming improvements, he expects a major boost. While I won’t find exact comparison charts, the contrast between what he sees now and what’s possible after upgrades will be incredibly impressive in his early days. Once he gets used to it, it’ll feel completely normal again until the next upgrade cycle arrives.