Recently upgraded from GTX 1650 to RTX 3060 and the game looks much worse

[CyberCat05]

I played all the time with my 1650 on Balanced graphics settings and the game looked great. I upgraded to 3060 and now the plants look like paper and the GPU heats up REALLY fast. I didn't have that problem with the 1650. Does anyone know why this is happening?

[robwarrior]

hmm i got a 3060 seems fine for me. I messed around with the settings alot. Dont think should be overheating

[Toods]

The RTX series is meant to get really hot. This is bad news for the rest of your setup.

I'd try and get some water cooling for your CPU, and make sure your PC is properly vented.
Check your "temperature programs" I use Dragon Center. Make sure your fans are working properly.

[Toods]

Also the fans on the RTX are really easy to break. Get in real close and make sure that all of the fans are spinning on your graphics card.
One of my fans stopped working, I had to order another one. But I played games regardless because again the RTX can handle some heat.

[Triple G]

Usually when i change my graphics card or CPU / mainboard - i also reinstall windows to have a clean, fresh start with new hardware. I mostly had problems when i didn´t do that, even if it was just two Gens of Nvidia cards later. So that´s my first guess. Some undeleted driver thingy - some registry stuff. I´d perhaps also delete the settings file - or those files in other games which get You to some main graphics settings window, before You start the game. Some have these. I mean the 3060 can do everything the 1650 can do and a bit more - at double the speed. You have installed a new driver - even if it´s perhaps the same one? Probably yes.

Also more airflow in the case could solve some heat issues. I have three intake and 2 outtake fans, while the front, back and top is mesh. An energy efficient power supply can´t harm - at best if it´s somehow isolated from the rest of the case with it´s own airflow - and some cable management. I guess with all that You could save at least 10°C - if Your setup is the opposite. And with a full mesh front the air blows through all components. Just get dust filters. Just mentioning it if temperature is the problem - which i don´t think as it doesn´t explain that the plants look worse - except there´s Nvidia Experience changing settings, because the GPU slows down, because of temperature.

[CyberCat05]

Wow. Okay, I'm gonna give a bit more context.
I've been playing on a potato laptop that could barely run Skyrim for years.
Last month I wanted to finally be able to play Triple A games and payed a professional to build me a PC.
The PC had a 2060, but the game looked like absolute ♥♥♥♥ and it crashed after like a minute. It wasn't a problem just with this game, pretty much any modern 3D game would crash.
So after full days of troubleshooting, we just sent the 2060 back to ASUS.
In the meantime I've been using a 1650 and everything ran great on it.
Then a few days ago ASUS came back to us and said they couldn't find the problem and they didn't have any more 2060s in stock, so they just sent us a 3060.


My computer was never meant to have a 3060, and I'm a pretty casual gamer. If just simply HAVING an RTX takes so much work and maintenance, and a water cooling system as if it's some sort of supercomputer, then honestly? I'd rather just go back to the 1650.

[Triple G]

It isn´t that complicated. Any graphics card has the same amount of "maintenance", which is basically non-existent after connecting some cable and plugging the card into Your mainboard. But when You said You upgraded - i thought "You" upgraded and know at least how to do these two steps, while knowing that You need a power supply for it. It´s basically just that - of course some operating system and a driver.

But if You had issues with the card before (2060) - and ASUS couldn´t find a problem (if they even tried to find one) - and You had payed some professional to build Your rig - then You have some warranty on his work, no? Demand a working system.

[CyberCat05]

Okay but does anyone know why the graphics are worse?

[DargonBlak]

Originally posted by CyberCat05:

Okay but does anyone know why the graphics are worse?

your settings are most likely different

did u change ur monitor ? Resolution ?

[Triple G]

It could have many causes from software (settings) to hardware related. But instead of guessing out of the blue, without having a look at the system, without You having much knowledge about what to do - it´s way easier to ask that professional person, who built that PC and knows what he did.

Usually the graphics shouldn´t be worse - they don´t necessarily need to be better either, as most of all a newer graphics card is faster. With the 3060 You can probably run the game in ultra settings as it is a little bit faster than my card - i guess that isn´t possible with the 1650 and perhaps not with Your laptop before, so it should look better. If You have the choice between those two cards - always take the 3060, it´s double the speed and three times the VRAM i guess - which is important for higher resolutions or certain effects. It should take 82°C without issues.

[Samwise]

Originally posted by CyberCat05:

Wow. Okay, I'm gonna give a bit more context.
I've been playing on a potato laptop that could barely run Skyrim for years.
Last month I wanted to finally be able to play Triple A games and payed a professional to build me a PC.
The PC had a 2060, but the game looked like absolute ♥♥♥♥ and it crashed after like a minute. It wasn't a problem just with this game, pretty much any modern 3D game would crash.
So after full days of troubleshooting, we just sent the 2060 back to ASUS.
In the meantime I've been using a 1650 and everything ran great on it.
Then a few days ago ASUS came back to us and said they couldn't find the problem and they didn't have any more 2060s in stock, so they just sent us a 3060.


My computer was never meant to have a 3060, and I'm a pretty casual gamer. If just simply HAVING an RTX takes so much work and maintenance, and a water cooling system as if it's some sort of supercomputer, then honestly? I'd rather just go back to the 1650.

Ok while this is some nice narrative context, we need more specific details.. What's your CPU and what temps while gaming with the 3060? What resolution/specs were you using with the 1650? Did you or the game change anything in regards to settings?

[StrangeAK47]

use Display Driver Uninstaller, then fresh install drivers.
use easy driver or driver booster to check for outdated drivers
(free versions will do most drivers the rest you will have to search manually)
apply prefer max performance power management in nvidia control panel
verify you game files

failing that simply unplug and pull out the card and reinstall (maybe switch bios switch)

[Gamefever]

3080 and above are known to have the heating issue because the pads and paste were pretty bad...Pads dont fully touch the backplate so the heat on memory does not get shunted across the backplate....This will mean that the fans have to run at full the whole time of course. Paste is all gritty rather than well pasty.

Dont know about the 3060 though...
30xx series though uses a lot of wattage compared to the 20xx series and considering that a 2080Ti is about as good as the 3070 well...That is the card I went with ended up getting a ASUS ROG Strix 2080Ti OC, and that card does perform well and stays about 60C when going full tilt. Which is really cool considering the 30xx series....
3090 can get up around 103C.

Just would not even consider an air cooled card in the 3080+ range not even, not worth thinking about too hot...Also consider you need at least 750 PSU, although I dont run less than a 1K Watt myself cause I overclock my stuff.

Anyway if your having trouble with the new stuff maybe get an expert to have a look at the pads and paste or consider getting a proper hybrid kit or some other aftermarket cooling solution for it.

[Gamefever]

Originally posted by CyberCat05:

Wow. Okay, I'm gonna give a bit more context.
I've been playing on a potato laptop that could barely run Skyrim for years.
Last month I wanted to finally be able to play Triple A games and payed a professional to build me a PC.
The PC had a 2060, but the game looked like absolute ♥♥♥♥ and it crashed after like a minute. It wasn't a problem just with this game, pretty much any modern 3D game would crash.
So after full days of troubleshooting, we just sent the 2060 back to ASUS.
In the meantime I've been using a 1650 and everything ran great on it.
Then a few days ago ASUS came back to us and said they couldn't find the problem and they didn't have any more 2060s in stock, so they just sent us a 3060.


My computer was never meant to have a 3060, and I'm a pretty casual gamer. If just simply HAVING an RTX takes so much work and maintenance, and a water cooling system as if it's some sort of supercomputer, then honestly? I'd rather just go back to the 1650.

Oh heck man, If I was in your shoes I would just sell that 3060 and buy a used RTX 2080Ti, I got the ASUS ROG STRIX 2080Ti it runs the coolest and it is faster than a 3060 and about the same as a 3070.
You can find em used at decent price and some of them only been in a computer for like 6-18 months at that.
I would also have checked the Power Supply Unit in my PC, just have a look be sure you got enough wattage for the 3060...That might be the problem.
Another issue is that each insert for a power cord has to be a seperate power cord...I know some of those cords have like 3 or 4 plugs but nope that would result in undervolting the card....Make sure each cord is a seperate cord and its not feeding some other piece of hardware in there. I know that sounds crazy but people actually do that sometimes and heck I have done it at least once when putting in a new card, seen that come up in forums a few times too.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Also when you change GPUs; even from one NVIDIA to another NVIDIA; wipe and clean install the GPU drivers with DDU.

[Clancy]

Originally posted by Gamefever:

buy a used . . .
You can find em used at decent price and some of them only been in a computer for like 6-18 months at that.

I'd be VERY careful buying any used graphics card now, a lot if not most of them have been used for bitcoin mining and are burned out. With the crash of bitcoin, a lot of miners are dumping their setups and a lot of garbage cards are getting sold as "slightly used".

Caveat emptor . . .