The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is a monster of a graphics card that can deliver stunning performance in any scenario. Whether you’re gaming, streaming, or running professional applications, the RTX 3080 can handle it all with ease.
But to make sure that your RTX 3080 doesn’t get held back by your processor (CPU), you need to pair it with one of the best CPUs on the market. That’s where AMD Ryzen 5000 and 7000 Series CPUs, and Intel 12th and 13th Gen Core chips, come in. These processors are fast and powerful, giving you the ultimate gaming experience with your high-end graphics card.
AMD's superstar
The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X might be overkill for most people, but if you have the budget, it will crush anything you throw its way. It has 16 cores and 32 threads albeit with a higher 170W TDP than competitors, with a ceiling available for overclocking. It will need an AM5 compatible motherboard, though, and DDR5 RAM so be sure to factor that in.
Intel's powerhouse
The Core i9-13900K is Intel's absolute most powerful CPU right now. It has 24-cores in total but only a 125W base TDP and is overclockable with DDR5 RAM and PCIe 5.0 support. It follows the big.LITTLE design with 32 threads and a max boost of 5.8GHz.
Runner-up AMD
The Ryzen 9 5900X is a great alternative that will still handle quality modern gaming and heavy workloads. It has 12 cores, 24 threads, and a boost speed up to 4.8GHz with a 105W TDP. You should be able to handle QHD and UHD gaming with ease.
Best value Intel
The Core i5-13600K is arguably the best CPU for gaming right now, combining the power of its 14-cores and 20 threads with a highly manageable 125W TDP, support for DDR5 and PCIe 5.0. It can boost all the way up to 5.1GHz and runs on the same motherboards as the previous 12th Gen Intel CPUs.
Best budget Intel
The Intel Core i5-12600K is an affordable 10-core (6 performance, 4 efficiency) CPU with a 125W TDP and a boost clock up to 4.9GHz. It's compatible with PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 RAM and will excel at QHD and FHD gaming.
Best budget AMD
The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X budget chip can provide substantial numbers when gaming at QHD. You get 6 cores, 12 threads, a 4.6GHz boost clock, and a low 65W TDP. It costs a bit more than the Intel Core i5-11600K, but if you're on Team Red, it's well worth the money.
Choosing the best CPU for NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
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Any of the above CPUs will do an excellent job with the NVIDIA RTX 3080 depending on the level of performance you're looking for. It's a powerful graphics card and as such you need to make sure you choose a suitably capable CPU so as not to hold it back. Any of these featured here will be a great match.
It's also worth considering your current platform. If you're buying everything new, then go for the one that matches the performance that you're looking for at the budget you've set. If you already have an AMD CPU, then you might want to consider going for a Ryzen 5000 as you won't need a new motherboard.
Intel's 12th and 13th Gen CPUs both run on the same platform, so you'll only need an upgrade if you currently have an 11th Gen or earlier CPU in your arsenal. Whichever of these you choose, you'll have a mighty powerful desktop PC.
