Benchmarks: Storage, System and Gaming
At this price point there's no need to go overboard in the storage department. A 1TB Samsung PM991 M.2 SSD is a safe choice with strong sequential read speeds and enough capacity for a mid-sized game library.
It is in the gaming department that things get interesting, with 3DMark Time Spy suggesting that the 75W RTX 3060 isn't a million miles away from an 80W RTX 3070. How does the synthetic score translate to real-world gaming? We're in the midst of migrating to a new suite of games and have a few titles in contention.
DIRT 5 averages 61fps using the high-quality preset with raytraced shadows enabled. F1 2020 is silky smooth at 100fps with everything cranked to maximum, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers (cross-comparable with older results) returns 113fps via the maximum preset, and Gears Tactics, with ultra-quality settings, is able to hit an average of 89fps. There's enough power here to ensure in excess of 60fps in all the tested titles, but a higher-power RTX 3060 would be preferable to make the most of the 144Hz display.
