Gigabyte launches the Aorus RTX 3060 Elite desktop card as NVIDIA unlocks Resizable BAR for its GPU
NVIDIA has confirmed that Resizable BAR is now available to the RTX 3060, thus bringing its features in line with the rest of its 3000-series family. The new one is widely regarded as the OEM's version of AMD Smart Access Memory, albeit one defined with respect to PCIe and compatible with more components or boards.
They include Intel's Z490, H470 and B460 chipsets, as well as all those for its 11th-gen CPUs, as well as AMD's own 400- and 500-series chipsets. It can also work in PCs with RTX 3000 cards and Ryzen 3 5xxx to 9 5xxx silicon.
NVIDIA asserts that Resizable BAR negates queuing when high-volume transfers for game assets (e.g. texture, shading, angles, and so on) between the GPU and the processor in question are called for (as they are so often in so many major titles these days).
Therefore, the Resizable BAR update should be available to all RTX 3060-based cards - even the new Aorus GeForce RTX 3060 Elite 12G by Gigabyte. It has the latest generation of the OEM's RGB three-ring design, which means the lighting can be multi-tone and with more effects this time around.
In terms of actual performance, Gigabyte promises the WINDFORCE 3X cooling system, which consists of unique threefold-blade fans (the middle one of which can spin in reverse to manage the airflow), combined with "direct contact composite copper heat pipes, 3D active fan and extended heatsink".
The fans have also been treated with "graphene nano-lubricant" for a "premium" level of longevity and durability. Inside, the new Aorus Elite 12G has 3584 CUDA cores, like any RTX 3060 out there. However, it is clocked at 1,867 MHz, whereas the reference card is 1,777 MHz. It has a 360 GB/s bandwidth and 192 bit memory.
Gigabyte estimated that this new card should be on shelves by now; however, we honestly couldn't find any for sale online. Therefore, there is now no solid indications on its pricing. For context, even the 6GB Aorus RTX 2060 OC with WINDFORCE is currently US$799 on Newegg.
