If you are gaming in 2160P resolution, or 1440p with higher refresh rates upward of 144Hz, or you have an ultra-widescreen with dual QHD display or all of the above, you would need superior gaming graphics cards such as RTX 3070, 3080, or even 3090. The NVidia’s RTX 30 series offers the state-of-the-art NVidia’s second-gen RTX (Ray tracing Technology) and NVidia’s AI-powered DLSS (Deep learning super sampling) technology coupled with the latest DDR6X and DDR6 memory for realistic visuals, superior performance, and higher FPS even in the most demanding games.
NVidia’s fastest graphic card is RTX 3090 up till now. It delivers 60+ FPS at 4320p (8K) resolution and is significantly more potent than the RTX titan to put things in perspective. RTX 3080 is no loser either. It is twice as fast as RTX 2080 and suitable for 4K gaming. Similarly, the RTX 3070 beats the last-gen RTX 2070 at 1440p gaming. The RTX 30 series also offers the latest HDMI 2.1 support which offers twice as much bandwidth as HDMI 2.0 and can display up to 10K resolution at 120 FPS.
Here are some quick buying tips that will help you decide the best CPU for RTX 3070, 3080, and 3090 for unmatched performance.
Quick Shopping Tips:
BOTTLENECKING: Bottlenecking is the low design of a system that results in the under-utilization of resources it is equipped with, which equates to poor performance. The CPU is responsible for handling mathematical calculations and providing rendering instructions to the GPU to process. If the CPU is not sending information fast enough to the GPU at the speed at which it can perform, it will result in overall performance limited by the CPU.
SINGLE CORE PERFORMANCE: The clock speed of the single core of the CPU directly affects your gaming performance. If you are gaming in 4k or 2k with a high FPS and refresh rate, you need a CPU with a higher single-core speed. Generally speaking, the higher the clock speed of the CPU, the better the performance it will provide while gaming.
OVERCLOCKING: Overclocking features allow the CPU to be clocked faster than the maximum frequency it achieves typically. Since a CPU gaming performance is improved with the increase in clock speed, this feature should be looked out for for a while buying a CPU for gaming. However, it comes with the extra cost of a high-end CPU cooler and a compatible motherboard.
AMD or INTEL: Fortunately, there is no wrong answer. AMD is better than Intel in terms of value and is slightly more suited for content creation, while Intel performs somewhat better in the latest games. But with AMD’s latest Ryzen series, both offer state-of-the-art CPUs that provide top-notch performance in the most demanding games. Both CPUs vary considerably in architecture and require compatible motherboards.
Best CPUs For RTX 3070, 3080, 3090 at a glance:
- AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
- Intel Core i9-10900K
- AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
- Intel Core i7-10700K
- AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
- Intel Core i9-9900K
- AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
- Intel Core i5-10600K
The Best CPUs For RTX 3070, 3080, 3090 You Can Buy Today
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
AMD's Best CPU for RTX 3090
SPECIFICATIONS
Architecture: Zen 3 | Socket: AM4 motherboards | Cores/Threads: 12/24 | Base Frequency: 3.7 GHz | Top Boost Frequency: 4.8 GHz | TDP: 105W
REASONS TO BUY
✓ Lower TDP than competitors
✓ Offers PCI Express 4.0 support
✓ Packs the latest Zen 3 architecture for faster cache speed
REASONS TO AVOID
✗ No stock cooler included
✗ Price slightly on the higher side
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is claimed to be the world’s best desktop gaming processor by AMD, and rightly so. It contains 12 high-speed (3.7 GHz) cores and 24 threads that can be boosted to an astonishing 4.8 GHz and more if overclocked and has a massive cache of 70MBs. It delivers up to 120+ FPS on different graphics cards and 4K for the ultimate gaming experience and all that comes with a low TDP of 105W.
AMD Ryzen 5000 series are built on a 7nm chip. They contain the latest Zen 3 architecture with eight cores directly connected to the L3 cache for faster communication resulting in better overall gaming performance. It also has the latest PCI 4.0 support, which offers twice as much bandwidth as a PCI 3.0 slot leaving behind Intel CPUs in ashes. But due to its slightly lower top frequency than i9-10900K, it produced almost 3% lower FPS than the latter, which isn’t that big of a deal.
Although AMD Ryzen 9 offers an exceptional value for gaming and content creators alike, given its premium price, it’s a little annoying that AMD is not providing a stock cooler with its CPU. You will need to buy an aftermarket high-performance cooler to match this beast. But overall, it’s a better CPU than Intels’ due to its superior multitasking abilities, making this the AMD’s best CPU for RTX 3090 that you can buy for any task, and offers the fastest performance than all other contenders.
Intel Core i9-10900K
Intel's Best CPU for RTX 3090
SPECIFICATIONS
Architecture: x86 | Socket: LGA 1200 | Cores/Threads: 10/20 | Base Frequency: 3.7 GHz | Top Boost Frequency: 5.3 GHz | TDP: 125W
REASONS TO BUY
✓ Superb overclocking ability
✓ Supports 4K gaming at 60 FPS
✓ Highest top boost frequency of 5.3GHz
REASONS TO AVOID
✗ No ECC memory support
✗ No embedded option available
The ultimate flagship in Intel’s Comet Lake showcase is the Intel Core i9-10900K. Intel also claims this processor to be the best gaming processor due to its strong ten processing cores that come overclocked to 4.9GHz (all cores) and 5.3GHz for single-core, the highest out-of-the-box clock speed. Even though AMD 5900X is a better multi-purpose processor, no one can beat this beast when sheer gaming prowess is concerned.
Due to its higher clock speeds, it achieves better FPS than any other consumer-level CPU out there. Our benchmarks produced 160 FPS with RTX 3090, 140 FPS with RTX 3080, and 105 FPS with RTX 3070 (in Shadow of tomb raider at 2K-Ultra), outperforming even the mightiest 5900X by at least 3%. So when high FPS gaming is concerned, i9-10900K is the best cpu for RTX 3090.
All that firepower that it contains comes at that price of higher power consumption and heat dissipation. Although its base TDP is 125W, it can reach up to 325W when under heavy load at stock settings. Intel used a thicker heat spreader to deal with this enormous heat and improve its overclocking ability, but you will need a high-performance cooler to calm this beast during an intense gaming session.
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Best Mid-Range CPU for RTX 3070
SPECIFICATIONS
Architecture: Zen 3 | Socket: AM4 | Cores/Threads: 08/16 | Base Frequency: 3.8 GHz | Top Boost Frequency: 4.7 GHz | TDP: 105W
REASONS TO BUY
✓ Supports100+ FPS graphics
✓ Provides the best value for productivity and gaming enthusiasts
✓ Zen 3 architecture for a lower lag in accessing cache for faster IPC
REASONS TO AVOID
✗ No Integrated graphics
✗ No stock cooler provided
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is stacked with an impressive 08 cores and 16 threads, along with Zen3 architecture in which the cores are directly connected to the L3 cache allowing faster speed and lower latency. It offers a significant increase in core performance and IPC ( Instructions per clock) than the last-gen 8-core processors, making it one of the best CPUs for productivity and gaming alike.
To put things in perspective, it produced 155 FPS with RTX 3090, 134 FPS with RTX 3080, and 100 FPS with RTX 3070 (in Shadow of tomb raider at 2K-Ultra), leaving it only slightly (-6%) behind the i9-10900K, which is not noticeable for most gamers. Another plus is that the previously available motherboards are compatible with the latest Zen 3 architecture with just a simple BIOS update, so you won’t need to buy another motherboard.
However, all this juice comes at a somewhat higher price than the previous gen’s model. Furthermore, AMD has once again decided to drop the stock cooler from the CPU, so you will need to buy it separately. However, it offers superior gaming performance and comprehensive multi-tasking ability making it an attractive buy for guys wanting a capable CPU for 4K or 2K gaming, and content creation at the same time proves it the best CPU for RTX 3070.
Intel Core i7-10700K
Best Overall CPU for RTX 3070, 3080
SPECIFICATIONS
Architecture: Comet Lake | Socket: LGA 1200 | Cores/Threads: 08/16 | Base Frequency: 3.8GHz | Top Boost Frequency: 5.1GhHz | TDP: 125W
REASONS TO BUY
✓ Built-in AI and Wi-Fi 6
✓ Provide the best value for high-end gaming rigs
✓ No need for expensive high-performance CPU coolers
REASONS TO AVOID
✗ No PCI Express 4.0 support
✗ No Thermal Velocity Boost technology
Intel Core i7-10700K is yet another powerful gaming CPU by Intel at a very reasonable price. Intel is demanded to offer the same number of core/threads (08 cores and 16 threads) in their i7-10700K provided in their last-gen flagship due to AMD’s relentless competition i9-9900K and that too at a lesser price.
Although the Intel i9 series offers the best features, the Intel i7 series is closely matched in Intel’s Turbo Max 3.0 technology performance. It allows the two fastest CPU cores to be boosted up to 5.1GHz to improve core output to boost overall gaming performance and is the best CPU for RTX 3080 in Intel’s catalog, delivering up to 120+ FPS in 2K and at least 60+FPS in 4K gaming. If you want an even higher FPS, you can pair it with 3090, but that would be overkill.
Another positive thing that we noticed is that it is the best cpu for RTX 3070 and surprisingly good at overclocking, but heat dissipation and power consumption are reasonable. If you don’t plan for overclocking, then any off-market decent cooler will do. Otherwise, go for a liquid cooler. Moreover, its overclocking performance is nearly matched with the latest i9-10900K at a significantly reduced price providing better value for money.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
Best Budget CPU for RTX 3080
SPECIFICATIONS
Architecture: x86 | Socket: AM4 | Cores/Threads: 06/12 | Base Frequency: 3.7 GHz | Top Boost Frequency: 4.6 GHz | TDP: 65W
REASONS TO BUY
✓ It comes with a stock cooler
✓ Best CPU for budget gaming builds
✓ Offers the latest PCI 4.0 chipset support for RTX 30 series GPUs
REASONS TO AVOID
✗ No Integrated graphics
✗ Mediocre overclocking capability
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a mid-range gaming beast that comes at a reasonable price tag. It has 6 cores and 12 threads, which deliver reliable gaming performance in the budget high-end gaming rigs and easily beat Intel mid-range CPUs in terms of value and performance. It is also the best CPU for RTX 3080 for budget gaming builds without bottlenecking the RTX 3080 and offers reliable 2K gaming performance with 100+FPS in popular titles. For 4K, it’s better to couple it with RTX 3090.
One thing that might annoy some casual gamers is the lack of integrated graphics, so you will need to buy a standalone graphics card with it even if you want to play some less graphic intensive games like Counterstrike, etc. But that won’t be much of a problem for hardcore gamers as they will definitely couple it with a suitable GPU to get the most out of this CPU and use its full potential.
Interestingly enough, this is the cheapest Ryzen processor that offers the latest Zen 3 architecture compared to the previous-gen predecessor 3600X, and that too with a small price bump. This price bump is justified. The more recent architecture allows more cores to be connected directly to the cache resulting in faster access times and improved single-core output, and an up to 20% increase in gaming performance. All these specs and features make it the best cpu for RTX 3080.
Intel Core i9-9900K
Best Flagship CPU for RTX 3070, 3080, 3090
SPECIFICATIONS
Architecture: Coffee Lake | Socket: LGA 1151 | Cores/Threads: 08/16 | Base Frequency: 3.6 GHz | Top Boost Frequency: 5.0 GHz | TDP: 95W
REASONS TO BUY
✓ Intel Optane memory support
✓ Better heat dissipation with STIM
✓ Hyper-threading supported for better multi-thread performance
REASONS TO AVOID
✗ No PCIe 4.0 support
✗ Generate more heat on the base clock
Intel Core i9-9900K is last year’s Intel flagship. Since the arrival of AMD’s top-tier Ryzen 7 series, Intel has upped its game as well. With the launch of i9-9900K, Intel is once again fighting for the top spot among high-performance gamers and high-end content creators. The 8 core 16 thread CPU ding on paper and achieves and scores in our benchmarks.
The Intel i9 series is explicitly intended for extreme performance enthusiasts due to its higher no. of cores and higher clock speed and offers up to a 30% boost in speed s compared to i7s due to its hyper-threading technology. It easily outperformed all its previous-gen contenders. But all this firepower comes at a premium price point which is a bit hard to swallow for some, given the latest gen i7-10700K provides slightly better results at a slightly reduced price.
Another notable thing is that Intel switched to STIM (Soldered Thermal Interface Material) rather than silicon thermal paste for better heat dissipation of CPU. It gives unmatchable overclocking capability and makes it one of the most suitable CPU choices to couple with RTX 3070 and 3080 or even 3090. It delivers 135+FPS in Far Cry Primal and 140+FPS in Rising of Tomb Raider, leaving behind the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X at 1080p Ultra-high settings 3070. RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 are more suited for 2K and 4K gaming with this CPU.
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Best Performance CPU for RTX 3070
SPECIFICATIONS
Architecture: Zen 2 | Socket: AM4 | Cores/Threads: 08/16 | Base Frequency: 3.6 GHz | Top Boost Frequency: 4.4 GHz | TDP: 65W
REASONS TO BUY
✓ Low power consumption
✓ Best performance in 1080p gaming
✓ Offers the latest PCIe 4.0 chipset support
REASONS TO AVOID
✗ Noisy stock cooler
✗ No Zen 3 architecture
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is the most capable CPU of the AMD 3000 series due to its powerful 08 core and 16 threads. It offers superb multi-tasking capability for content producers and extreme gaming performance due to its Zen 3 architecture. The latest Zen 3 architecture allows direct core access to the L3 cache, which results in lower lag and faster response time which is suitable for high FPS gaming.
One thing that stands out about this CPU is its lower TDP of only 65W. Another plus is AMD provided a stock cooler with this CPU which is more than enough to cool it, though it runs a bit noisy. This CPU is best suited for casual gamers and content producers. If coupled with a high-end GPU like RTX 3070 and voila, you got yourself an awesome mid-range gaming rig.
It also contains the latest PCIe 4.0 support for the latest GPUs like RTX 3070, offering twice as much bandwidth as PCIe 3.0. When coupled with RTX 3070, it provides 120+ FPS in most popular titles at 1080p at ultra-high settings, making it AMD’s best CPU for RTX 3070.
Intel Core i5-10600K
Best Enthusiast CPU for RTX 3070, 3080, 3090
SPECIFICATIONS
Architecture: Comet Lake | Socket: LGA 1200 | Cores/Threads: 06/12 | Base Frequency: 4.1 GHz | Top Boost Frequency: 4.8 GHz | TDP: 125W
REASONS TO BUY
✓ Provide the best value for money
✓ Higher single-core clock speed than competitors
✓ Superb overclocking ability due to thicker heat spreader
REASONS TO AVOID
✗ No PCIe 4.0 support
✗ Higher power consumption and heat dissipation
Intel Core i5-10600K is the Intel 10th generation budget, gaming king. It packs a solid 6 core and 12 thread CPU with a boost frequency of up to 4.8 GHz. It offers almost similar performance compared to the last generation i7-9700K and that too at a lower price point. It makes it one of the best CPUs for RTX 3070 that Intel offers for 1080p gaming.
Since it belongs to Intel K-series, it offers inherent overclocking ability due to its integrated heat spreader for better heat dissipation. Moreover, it also has UHD integrated graphics, so if you are a casual gamer and don’t want to buy a graphics card, that would be a plus for you. However, you would need to buy the newer LGA1200 chipset motherboard to support it.
It offers a higher single-core clock speed than the last-gen i7-9600K and AMD competitor 3600X, and that coupled with its superior overclocking ability surpasses them easily. It provides stable 90+ FPS in Total War: 3 Kingdoms, 140+ FPS in Civilization VI, 90+ FPS in Dawn of War 3, and 120+ FPS in Far Cry 5 at 1080p with RTX 3070, making it our budget gaming champion.
Conclusion
Since RTX series are high-performing graphics cards, they need an equally capable CPU to complement their performance rather than reducing it. All the CPUs mentioned above were selected after meticulous research by our experts and are fully compatible with the RTX series and do not bottleneck its significant firepower. The selection would no doubt be the Intel Core i9-10900K for best CPU for RTX 3090 due to its highest number of cores & the highest clock speed along with the superb overclocking ability and offers the best gaming performance and the highest FPS than any other competitor.
IF you want a high-end gaming rig that performs delivers up to 120+ FPS in 2K, we would recommend the Intel Core i7-10700K, which is the best CPU for RTX 3080. If you don’t want unnecessarily higher frame rates and want a decent performing gaming rig with reasonable FPS at 1080p, the best CPU for 3070 would be Intel Core i5-10600K. It offers 6 core CPU with excellent heat dissipation, superior overclocking ability due to a thicker heat spreader, and comes at a very reasonable price. It provides reliable gaming performance of up to 90+ FPS in 1080p at max setting in most popular AAA titles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CPU should I get for RTX 3070?
We recommend a mid-level gaming CPU like AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, which offers 8 cores and 16 threads CPU; AMD’s latest Zen 3 architecture PCIe 4.0 supports better gaming performance and delivers 120+FPS is 1080p resolution in the most popular titles.
What CPU is best for RTX 3080?
Intel Core i7-10700K would perform best with RTX 3080. It packs Intel’s Turbo Max 3.0 technology that allows the two fastest CPU cores to be boosted up to 5.1GHz to improve core output. It boosts overall gaming performance and is the best CPU for RTX 3080 in Intel’s catalog, delivering up to 120+ FPS in 2K and at least 60+FPS in 4K gaming.
What CPU should I get for RTX 3090?
I would say, The best Intel Core i9-10900K is the best CPU for RTX 3090 due to its highest number of cores & the highest clock speed, along with the superb overclocking ability and offers the best gaming performance at up to 8K resolution (60+FPS) and the highest FPS than any other competitors.
What CPU will not bottleneck an RTX 3080?
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a mid-range gaming beast. It has 6 cores and 12 threads that deliver reliable gaming performance in the budget high-end gaming rigs and easily beat Intel mid-range CPUs in terms of value and performance. It is also the best CPU for RTX 3080 for budget gaming builds without bottlenecking the RTX 3080 and offers reliable 2K gaming performance with 100+FPS in popular titles.
