The Best CPUs to Pair With an RX 7900XTX

The AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX is a powerful GPU that leverages AMD’s newest RDNA 3 architecture to the most it has ever been pushed on consumer-grade hardware. With 24GB of fast GDDR6 memory, significantly better gen-on-gen ray-tracing gains, and a major update to AMD’s unified drivers, the RX 7900XTX continues to deliver on every front. It does so even as it commands an impressive price-to-performance ratio.

This is only expected to get better over time. That’s thanks to AMD’s FSR3 gains making for a more level playing field going into 2024 versus Nvidia’s competing DLSS 3/3.5 AI sharpening approach to delivering playable gaming experiences across a variety of hardware even as games get increasingly demanding. This is in no small part thanks to newer tech, such as ray-tracing, setting new benchmarks for performance.

With the AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX being the ultimate GPU currently available from AMD for gamers, creators, and professionals alike, it can push limits beyond its predecessors. It does so even as it trades blows with Nvidia’s newly released RTX 4080 SUPER GPUs while offering more VRAM and better value for money than its immediate competition.

At the same time, limited FSR3 support, a relatively shaky set of driver releases to start with, and middling-at-best ray-tracing support do mean that the RX 7900XTX does have a few cons. These drawbacks prevent it from being seen as a complete bargain versus more entrenched and popular competitors such as the RTX 4070TI and the RTX 4080 from Nvidia.

This does, however, raise an obvious question that most users in the market have when considering an RX 7900XTX. What CPUs should one pair with it to get the most out of AMD’s most powerful consumer-grade GPU to date?

The Best CPUs to Pair With an RX 7900XTX

Some AMD purists might consider pairing an Intel CPU with AMD’s best-in-class GPU offering as sacrilege. However, the 20-core, 28-thread Intel Core i7 14700KF offers an attractive value proposition with plenty of arguments in its favor as one of the best all-around CPU recommendations for most gamers and creators looking for a new CPU to go with AMD’s finest.

With high boost clocks on offer and decent single-core and excellent multi-core CPU performance, the Intel Core i7 14700KF builds on the lead of its predecessor, the Core i7 13700KF, while throwing in an additional four E-cores that should help set it apart in most multi-threaded benchmarks. It also supports Intel’s new Application Optimization (APO) scheduling tool that is limited to only 14th-generation Core i7 and i9 desktop CPUs this generation.

While it has limited support on current game titles, it does exhibit a significant performance gain where it is in play, making it something to keep an eye out for in subsequent hardware and software releases. With support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory (motherboard specific) and the ability to work with motherboards that support older 12th and 13th-generation CPUs with a simple BIOS update, the 14700KF offers significant value for money versus most of its competition from both Team Blue and Red, even as it competes in a very competitive CPU market for both gaming and productivity in 2024.

With a small price cut on offer that sends it below $400, within range of the gaming-centric AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU it offers decent gaming and productivity performance while leveraging its higher core count and better multi-threaded performance to deliver a better all-round performer than most of its competition, including chips from Intel in terms of price-to-performance ratios.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is unapologetically a gaming CPU without any pretense otherwise. The 8-Core, 16-Thread CPU is excellent at gaming as it leverages its fast 3D V-Cache (read: lots of L3 cache that favors games in particular) to deliver the best performance money can buy, even as it offers the best performance-per-watt in the highest-end gaming CPU segment.

It leverages the AM5 socket and chipsets, working with newer DDR5 memory and leveraging PCI-E 5.0 storage and potentially upcoming GPUs, should one need to upgrade from the 7900XTX in the future. With an iGPU on offer (unlike its predecessor) and relatively low thermal requirements, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D might end up being cheaper than most of its gaming CPU competitors, despite a recent uptick in prices that have all but eliminated the large discount it was traded at towards the tail end of 2023.

While it doesn’t have the best track record in multicore or multi-threaded workloads due to its limited core counts and somewhat timid core clocks (the 3D V-Cache also has a relatively lower thermal threshold to consider), it remains the best gaming CPU for gamers. The AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX is no exception to the rule.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D continues to be the fastest gaming CPU available to end users and delivers excellent performance across the board even as it sees a minor price uptick versus its previous Spring Sale-induced discounts. However, despite the $50 price gain in play, it remains one of the cheapest options money can buy in 2024 and one that it consistently delivers on, even in 2024.

Intel’s latest release when it comes to unlocked Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs is the Core i9 14900KS. It offers a higher boost clock on both its performance and efficient cores alike, offering gains of 200 MHz and 100 MHz respectively versus the 14900K. It offers identical performance to the 14900K and is, as many users point out, simply a cherry-picked version of the same CPU, much like the 13900KS from last year.

It benefits from Intel’s XTU performance tool’s tweaks, offering the same AI tweaking that was previously available to the 14900K and KF as well as Intel’s APO optimizations, both of which allow it to make significant performance inroads. Thanks to its APO optimizations, the CPU can often offer double-digit performance gains in multiple titles even as its higher clock speeds offset some of the gains that AMD’s more efficient X3D CPUs offer thanks to their larger L3 cache sizes on offer.

All in all, the Core i9 14900KS is a pricey affair and one that has significant power and cooling needs. But if one needs one of the fastest CPUs available to use with AMD’s highest end GPUs, it does show its prowess in multiple benchmarks and does make for one of the best, if not the best CPUs in the business in 2024.

The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D offers excellent productivity performance out of the box by flexing its 16-core, 32-thread offerings, even as it commands a premium versus its direct Intel competition that performs quite similarly in most productivity workloads. The reason centers around its efficiency and less demanding thermal needs due to the reduced power draw on offer.

This makes the Ryzen 9 7950X3D a somewhat unique choice for users, with AMD aptly designating the processor “for creators.” Users looking for pure productivity use cases might be better off grabbing a regular 7950X instead thanks to it offering slightly better base clocks and a better price tag. The 7950X3D offers a more well-rounded CPU experience and can exhibit better performance when working with game engines than its 3D V-Cache-less sibling.

With an iGPU being a de facto play for AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series, unlike Intels ‘F’-designated models, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D is no exception. That’s true even as it offers a mix of performance, efficiency, and future-proofing for users. The AM5 socket has at least one more generational CPU upgrade (if not more), unlike Intel’s socket LGA 1700-based offering, making it an excellent CPU to pair with the RX 7900XTX.

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is an unlocked 6-core, 12-thread CPU that, along with the slightly higher clocked Ryzen 5 7600X brings AMD’s mid-range vanguard against a resurgent Intel Core i5 lineup spanning both, the 13th and 14th generation respectively. As a hexacore CPU, it delivers the goods while staying below $200 but can be pushed higher on most supporting motherboards as an unlocked Zen 4 chip with most users able to get 7600X-esque performance with a bit of tweaking.

With an iGPU as part of its offerings and a stock cooler included, it is one of the most economical choices available to gamers and productivity users thanks to them being able to save on cooling using the latter and the former allowing them to hold out for a better RX 7900XTX deal down the line. For users needing more cores or a slightly higher thread count, the Intel Core i5 12600KF below might be a more suitable option.

For users insisting on an Intel-based CPU or for those who need more multi-threading power under the hood, the Intel Core i5-12600KF 3.7 GHz 10-Core, 16-thread CPU is a great alternative to get as it continues to trade at a deep discount in 2024. It offers an overclockable six performance-core and four efficiency-core configurations. It has decent gaming performance thanks to its relatively current Alder Lake-based cores.

Unlike Intel’s newer locked CPUs that compete in the same price range, the 12600K does offer better gaming performance but does have a lower core count as a result compared to the Intel Core i5 13500, for example. This makes it a gaming versus productivity tradeoff, but it might favor the 12600KF, which is known primarily for its gaming prowess from yesteryear.

FAQ

Q: What is the best gaming CPU for AMD GPUs?

The best gaming CPU for AMD GPUs (like the Radeon RX 7900XT or 7900XTX) is the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

Q: What PSU does the AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX need?

AMD recommends at least an 800W PSU for users looking to install the Radeon RX7900XTX.