PNY GeForce RTX 3060 12GB XLR8 Gaming REVEL EPIC-X RGB Single Fan Edition Video Card Review

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Introduction

For review, we are evaluating the PNY GeForce RTX 3060 12GB XLR8 Gaming REVEL EPIC-X RGB Single Fan Edition video card (SKU: VCG306012SFXPPB1), now that’s a mouthful.  This is one of four RTX 3060 offered by PNY.  Our card is the sole single fan model of the four and one of two under the XLR8 REVEL branding.

The NVIDIA RTX 3060 video cards were launched in February 2021.  There was no Founder’s Edition in this product stack. The MSRP for the reference designs was $329.  At the time of writing, the PNY RTX 3060 12GB XLR8 Gaming can be found for $393 on Amazon or $369 directly from PNY.

This is a very compact video card, it is a dual-slot design but is only 6.7 inches long.  The card features RGB lighting and a large centrally located 100mm fan. Other than RGB lighting, a single fan, and a diminutive size, this video card carries all the reference NVIDIA Ampere RTX 3060 specifications. The video card we are using for review today is a full retail model.

GeForce RTX 3060 Specifications

The GeForce RTX 3060 is based on Samsung 8nm manufacturing process, the same as all the other RTX 30 series GPUs.  It has 28 SMs and 3584 CUDA Cores.  It has 112 (3rd generation) Tensor Cores and 28 (2nd generation) RT Cores.  It has 112 texture units and 48 ROPs.  The GPU Boost Clock will be 1777MHz. It has 12GB of GDDR6 VRAM at 15GHz on a 192-bit bus which provides 360GB/s of memory bandwidth.  The video card is powered by an additional PCIe 8-pin connector.  The TDP for this card is 170Watts.  PNY recommends at least a 550Watt power supply.

Gaming Considerations

What niche of gaming will our PNY GeForce RTX 3060 XLR8 Gaming REVEL fall into? It seems based on the specifications we will have a nice experience at 1080p with Ray Tracing of some level, given the addition of DLSS.  The video card would seem to be capable of 1440p gaming also, but Ray Tracing may be a bit of a reach.  We’re here to test that hypothesis. One obvious advantage of this video card is its size.  This would make a great addition to a Small Form Factor build if it fits the user’s requirements.

PNY GeForce RTX 3060 12GB XLR8 Gaming REVEL EPIC-X RGB Single Fan Edition

The highlight of the card is its generous centrally placed fan. Oh, yes, did we mention it’s small? It measures only 6.69″ in length, 4.92″ in width, and 1.57″ in height, it’s a dual-slot video card. There is no backplate on this video card.

A close look notes that the heatsink fins extend slightly beyond the end of the PCB in the rear for more heat dissipation. Power is supplied by a single 8-pin PCI-e connector.

The GPU Boost clock of our video card is set at the reference 1777MHz.  The TDP is 170W and the recommended PSU is 550W or greater. There is no factory overclock, however, PNY does offer their Velocity X overclocking software which we will take for a spin.  The Velocity X also controls the video card RGB lighting sector in addition to the fan cycle. It has 3x DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x HDMI 2.1 ports.

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REVIEW OVERVIEW

Performance
8
Efficiency
9
Cooling
10
Value
9

SUMMARY

The PNY GeForce RTX 3060 12GB XLR8 Gaming REVEL EPIC-X RGB Single Fan Edition Video Card performs very well for its size, and size is the primary benefit of this video card. You can put it into small cases and builds, and enjoy a good gameplay experience, so the value of this card is rated high. We knock it down a couple of notches on performance overall, because it is outperformed by the competition, in a larger footprint. The efficiency and cooling on this video card are top-notch, and this small video card, keeps itself well cooled for gaming.
Rick Patterson
Rick is an avid gamer that enjoys the latest and greatest video cards in his rigs. For the past few years, he's shared that expertise with The FPS Review's audience as a GPU reviewer.

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The PNY GeForce RTX 3060 12GB XLR8 Gaming REVEL EPIC-X RGB Single Fan Edition Video Card performs very well for its size, and size is the primary benefit of this video card. You can put it into small cases and builds, and enjoy a good gameplay experience, so the value of this card is rated high. We knock it down a couple of notches on performance overall, because it is outperformed by the competition, in a larger footprint. The efficiency and cooling on this video card are top-notch, and this small video card, keeps itself well cooled for gaming.PNY GeForce RTX 3060 12GB XLR8 Gaming REVEL EPIC-X RGB Single Fan Edition Video Card Review