Best CPUs for RTX 3090 in 2023
Of course, it requires a compatible CPU for excellent performance. The processor is the brain of the computer that performs all data processing operations. To opt for the best CPU for RTX 3090, you should compare the clock rate, memory type, cores, threads, TDP, and socket type. Initially, processors were responsible for translating information into images with the help of frame buffers. But, now the latest processors have enough headroom for the discrete graphics card to enhance performance.
Below, we review the best CPUs with their pros and cons that help you to know which one to choose. This guide will help you to understand the basics of their operations and differences. We ended up with a wide selection of top gaming processors and productivity beasts.
Contents
Intel's Best CPU for RTX 3090
Intel Core i9-10900K
✓ Admiring base clock speed
✓ Compatible motherboard socket for existing models of coolers
Best Overall CPU for RTX 3090
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
✓ Excellent base clock speed
✓ Integrated cooler at no additional cost
✓ Compatible with numerous motherboards
Best Budget CPU for RTX 3090
Intel Core i5-10600K
✓ A multi-threading beast
✓ Great thermal performance
✓ Excellent boost clock speed for single-thread tasks
It’s no surprise that the RTX 3090 is one of the most powerful graphics cards on the market. But in order to get all the benefits of it, you need a CPU that can keep up. The best CPUs for RTX 3090 can provide a high level of performance without bottlenecking the card. That means choosing a CPU with a high clock speed and plenty of cores. In addition, you’ll want to check that your CPU has a good aftermarket cooler.
We’ve rounded up the best CPUs for RTX 3090 gaming, so you can make sure your system can deliver the best possible gaming experience. From high-end Intel processors to budget-friendly AMD options, there’s a CPU on this list that will suit your needs. For the best performance from your RTX 3090, be sure to check out our list of the best CPUs for RTX 3090.
Below, we review the best CPUs with their pros and cons that help you to know which one to choose. This guide will help you to understand the basics of their operations and differences. We ended up with a wide selection of top gaming processors and productivity beasts.
Our Recommendations For Best CPU for RTX 3090
| Award | Modal | Design | Retailer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intel's Best CPU for RTX 3090 | Intel Core i9-10900K | |
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| AMD's Best CPU for RTX 3090 | AMD Ryzen 7 5800X |  |
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| Best Mid-Range CPU for RTX 3090 | Intel Core i7-10700K |  |
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| Best Overall CPU for RTX 3090 | AMD Ryzen 9 5900X | |
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| Best Flagship CPU for RTX 3090 | Intel Core i9-9900K |  |
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| Best Enthusiast CPU for RTX 3090 | AMD Ryzen 5 5600X |  |
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| Best Budget CPU for RTX 3090 | Intel Core i5-10600K | |
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| Best Performance CPU for RTX 3090 | AMD Ryzen 9 3900X |  |
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Intel Core i9-10900K
Brand: Intel | Model: Core i9 | Cores: 10 | Threads: 20 | Base clock: 3.70 GHz | Boost clock: 5.30 GHz | Memory Type: DDR4-2933 | Socket Type: LGA 1200 | TDP: 125 W
What recent buyers report?
The unlocked design with integrated graphics of Intel Core i9-10900K has ranked top in the market, and the users are delighted with it. Intel has been striving to meet the user’s requirements with better products. The passionate gamers prefer it due to its excellent frequency rate that assists in multitasking jobs. It is affordable for all users with dual features of work and gaming.
Why does it stand out to us?
Historically, Intel has launched its most potent CPU in its mainstream lineup to date. You can enjoy a base clock of 3.7GHz, and it goes up to 5.30GHz. The Intel Core i9-10900K available with 10-cores and 20 threads that render enough functionality for all hardcore tasks. The package has no cooler, so you will have to take it for better performance.
Who will use this the most?
If you need the best CPU for gaming with excellent single and multi-core performance, it has all these premium features. It’s not suitable for those who want to slot a new processor into your existing build and chipset with modest power consumption. Primarily, 10900K beats its competitors in the gaming segment with its enchanting frequency rate.
Bottom line
The Core i9-10900K delivers a comprehensive performance and struggles to hold center stage in the hardware sector. It is the fastest processor with ten cores and twenty threads and a boost clock that goes all the way up to 5.3GHz. The drawbacks of this product depend on how hard you are pushing your PC. It can hit its full potential with a compatible cooling system.
The Pros
✓ Admiring base clock speed
✓ Compatible motherboard socket for existing models of coolers
The Cons
✗ Package lacks CPU cooler
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Brand: AMD | Model: AMD Ryzen 7 | Cores: 8 | Threads: 16 | Base clock: 3.8 GHz | Boost clock: Up to 4.7 GHz | Memory Type: DDR4-3200 | Socket Type: Socket AM4 | TDP: 105 W
What recent buyers report?
The customers always prefer the product with its multitasking performance. AMD is famous for the manufacturing of performance-oriented products. The excellent point is that the buyers can get a processor, which helps both workstation and gaming purposes. It satisfies the user’s needs with an outstanding base clock rate. It has gained much appreciation in the market because of its socket AM4.
Why does it stand out to us?
AMD RYZEN 7 5800X stands out to us with its established position in the market. It handles the tasking jobs with 8-cores and 16-threads that is enough for a regular user. The fact is that it has a futuristic approach. Its support for PCIe 4.0 enough to manage upcoming expansion problems. It is the masterpiece of Zen 3 architecture with strict single-core performance and energy efficiency.
Who will use this the most?
It has an all-around performance, but it is perfect for a workstation because it manages 54FPS against intel 10700K’s 43fps. For the users who want to do video encoding and editing, then it’s excellent for them. Comparatively, the gaming performance is also good, with some impressive boosts over previous models. With a 7fps advantage against its competitor, it is good at 1080p.
Bottom line
Don’t let your PC get in the way of your success. With AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, you can achieve more than ever before. This powerful desktop processor gives you the speed and performance to crush deadlines and keep up with the competition.
It is the fastest 8 core processor for mainstream desktop computers. With a speed of 4.7 GHz and 16 processing threads, this processor can easily handle the most demanding tasks and games.
Plus, with support for DDR-3200 memory, you’ll be able to take your game or project to the next level. And for those who want to push the limits even further, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is unlocked for overclocking, giving you even more power at your fingertips.
Whether you’re playing the latest games, designing the next skyscraper, or crunching scientific data, AMD Ryzen always has your back. Plus, with effortless expansion options thanks to an AMD Ryzen Desktop Processor with Radeon™ Graphics, you can future-proof your system for years to come. So why wait? Get the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X today and see what you’ve been missing.
Best CPU for RTX 3090
The Red and Blue teams do their best to provide the public with powerful processors. Intel Alder Lake and Ryzen 5000-series processors are a fine demonstration of this competition. The next-generation processors are due for at least six months, if not more, so you will have to cope with the current-generation processors if you want a rig right away. Intel 12th-generation processors are based on Alder Lake architecture, and the specialty of this architecture is that there are two kinds of cores in the processors, the performance cores and the efficient cores. The efficient cores consume much less power, so as a result, the thermal issues are not a problem anymore. Coupling this monster with a suitable processor would be quite a task so we will look at the best CPU for RTX 3090 in this article.
Meanwhile, we saw a new addition to the Ryzen 5000-series processors, i.e. Ryzen 7 5800X3D, Ryzen 7 5700X, Ryzen 5 5600x, and Ryzen 5 5500. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D comes with new technology, AMD 3D V-cache, making its L3 cache even larger than Ryzen 9 5950X, but the overall performance of Ryzen 9 processors is still much better due to more cores.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 was the flagship graphics card based on Ampere architecture before the release of RTX 3090 Ti. Both these graphics cards are similar, and the performance in real-world applications is close enough too. The RTX 3090 is an extremely powerful graphics card that can play every modern game at 4K resolution, providing more than 60 FPS at ultra settings.
Table of Contents Show
Best CPU for RTX 3090 Reviews
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
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- + Gaming focused CPU.
- + Very competitive pricing.
- + PCIe 4.0 support.
- + Compatible with AM4 motherboards (400-500-600).
- + Power efficient.
- – No overclocking.
- – No iGPU.
- – No cooler included.
A chip specially designed for gamers. AMD’s new 3D V-Cache technology unlocks massive gaming performance by enabling 96MB of L3 cache at an extremely competitive price point of $449. It even shakes Intel’s latest $740 Core i9-12900KS in gaming. It utilizes a hybrid bonding technology to fuse more cache on processing cores, a new feat by AMD.
Thanks to the Ryzen 7 5800X3D’s huge L3 cache, we saw huge performance gains in nearly every title you throw at it. AMD claims a gaming performance game of 15% compared to its 5900X. That’s why AMD claims it as their gaming-focused CPU. But note that if you’re trying to use it for single and multi-threaded work beyond gaming purposes, this is not the CPU for you.
This chip is packed with 8 cores and 16 threads, 4 cores and 8 threads lesser than the 5900X. It also has a lower base speed of 3.4GHz and a boost speed of 4.5GHz. There are some caveats, though. The 5800X3D does not support core overclocking or include integrated graphics or a stock cooler. So it would be best to separately buy your own cooling solution for this CPU.
We say it’s a gaming-focused CPU because you’re technically trading four cores for an additional 64MB of L3 cache, which means losing performance in many applications used in creative work. On the other hand, Intel offers a more balanced performance between work and gaming.
The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is a huge upgrade if you already own an existing Ryzen build — this CPU will likely fit into any AMD AM4 motherboard but do note that you may need to upgrade its BIOS for it to work.
The 5800X3D is a no-brainer for gamers looking to squeeze the most gaming performance for the money and is an excellent processor to match with the RTX 3090.
Intel Core i9 12900K
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- + Up to 5.20 GHz .
- + 16 cores and 24 threads for top multi-thread performance.
- + PCIe 4.0 & 5.0 Support.
- + DDR4 & DDR5 RAM dual channel support.
- – High power consumption.
- – Requires a high-end cooling solution.
This 12th gen Alder Lake beast, the Core i9-12900K, is currently Intel’s fastest consumer gaming and productivity processor. With 16 cores, 24 threads, and a base frequency of 3.2GHz, this CPU boasts a turbo frequency of 5.2 GHz that outperforms every other CPU in the market. It also surpasses the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X in gaming performance. It is notably remarkable when it comes to heavy multi-threading use. The only department where the AMD counterpart has an edge is in rendering. Otherwise, the Intel i9-12900K trumps the AMD 5950X in all other aspects.
Looking closer into its specifications, the i9-12900K has 16 cores; There are 8 P-cores (performance cores) and 8 E-cores (efficiency cores). P-cores run at a standard 3.2 GHz up to 5.2 GHz in turbo and are utilized in high-performance tasks such as games and heavy applications where hyperthreading comes into play. On the other hand, E-cores run at 2.4 GHz, maxing at 3.9 GHz, which allows the chip to run efficiently and provide seamless multitasking capabilities.
It is designed to support PCIe 4.0 and 5.0. Although it does support both DDR4 and DDR5, motherboards do not have DIMM slots that fit both types. Thus, it is important to choose either a DDR4 or DDR5 motherboard. For the i9-12900K, it is a no-brainer that you should buy a motherboard that supports DDR5 RAM. Regarding power consumption, it can reach up to a whopping Maximum Turbo Power of 241 watts.
Another benefit of getting the i9-12900K versus its AMD counterpart is that it is cheaper overall since even budget Z690 motherboards can handle it just fine. This means you aren’t compelled to buy the most high-end Z690 motherboard for this processor if your budget is tight. However, this CPU does run hot, especially in productivity tasks. Therefore, you will likely need a high-end cooling solution to prevent thermal throttling issues. Overall, the i9-12900K is the best CPU for RTX 3090 Ti.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
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- + Supports older AM4 socket motherboards.
- + Stellar single and multi-core performance.
- + Huge performance jump from predecessor.
- + Lower TDP than Intel counterpart.
- + PCIe 4.0 Support.
- – Expensive.
- – No bundled cooler.
AMD’s flagship Ryzen 9 5900X has a top-of-the-line performing enthusiast CPU that can take any triple-A title you throw at it. This processor is the obvious choice for any serious gamer. Packed with 12 cores and 24 threads, with a base frequency of 3.7GHz up to 4.8 GHz in boost frequency. It also packs 64MB of L3 cache and is built on AMD’s latest Zen 3 7nm node architecture with huge IPC performance and efficiency gains.
However, it needs to catch up when compared to its Intel counterpart. We’re not even talking about the i9-12900K. It falls short even in 1080p gaming to the Intel Core i7-12700K. But the biggest plus point is that if you already have an AM4 motherboard (400-500-600 series), chances are that you may need a BIOS update. As for the Intel 12th gen, you have no choice but to buy a new motherboard that supports the new LGA 1700 socket.
Compared to its predecessor, the Ryzen 9 3900X, it has an overall 24% performance increase in 1080p gaming. Unfortunately, AMD no longer includes the wraith prism cooler for newer Ryzen chips, unlike the 3000 series. It runs quite hot compared to its Ryzen 5 series, so consider the budget for a decent third-party cooler in your build.
Since the 3900X and 5900X come with the same 7nm process node, it has the same TDP. However, under load, the 5800X showed a higher wattage draw.
The 5900X is a spectacular choice for gamers and creators. Although succeeded by the next model, Ryzen 9 5950X, the gaming performance between the two is insignificant. Therefore, grab the 5900X and save some bucks, as you do not need the extra cores in the 5950X unless your creative work demands it.
As for pairing with an RTX 3090, it is a solid choice! However, if you only game in 1440p or 4K, the fps gains in games are almost negligible, even when compared to Ryzen 5 5600X.
Intel Core i7 12700K
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- + Price for performance.
- + Same gaming performance as i9-12900K.
- + PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 Support.
- + Overclocking capability.
- + Integrated graphics processor.
- – Z690 motherboards only.
- – Overclocking only on Z690 boards.
- – Uses more power than Ryzen counterpart.
- – No cooler bundled.
The 12-gen Alder Lake Intel Core i7-12700K is the best CPU you can buy, with the highest gaming performance at a competitive price point. Packed with gaming performance similar to the more expensive i9-12900K, it also beats the Ryzen counterpart in almost all benchmarks. The lower price of $409 makes it an exceptional CPU choice for gamers.
This CPU has 12 cores, 8 P-cores (3.6-5.0 GHz / base clock) for hyper-threading, and 4-E (2.7-3.8 GHz / base clock) for single-threading, totaling 20 threads. Performance and efficiency cores are created with different architectures and run at different frequencies. Performance cores process 19% more IPC than its predecessor, while E-cores help balance the chip’s energy efficiency and overall performance.
The processors also have 25MB of L3 cache and Intel’s UHD Graphics 770 (iGPU). The GPU is extremely useful during troubleshooting discrete GPU issues. Alternatively, you can buy the i7-12700KF, which does not include an iGPU, and save a few bucks. Its power consumption is rated at 125 watts up to 190 watts MTP. This processor also supports both DDR4 and DDR5.
As an unlocked K-series CPU, it is overclockable when paired with a Z690 motherboard. Due to Intel using the new LGA 1700 socket, the older LGA 1200 motherboards cannot support this CPU. Essentially, this CPU always runs at 190 watt MTP under load and consumes much more power than its AMD counterpart, the 5800X, which consumes only 105 watts TDP compared to the 125 watts in the i7-12700K.
However, if you already own an AMD motherboard (400,500,600 series), upgrading your CPU to a Ryzen 5800X would make more sense, as Intel Z690 motherboards with DDR5 memory can get expensive.
We recommend it as the best CPU for RTX 3090, with little to no bottleneck for 1440p and 4K gaming.
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
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- + Excellent gaming performance.
- + Great single-core performance.
- + Efficient, Lower TDP compared to Intel counterpart.
- + Overclocking capable.
- + Supports older motherboards.
- – Price vs Performance in gaming compared to 5600X.
- – No cooler bundled.
- – No integrated graphics.
- – Diminishing returns in creative applications if you already own Ryzen 3000 series.
AMD’s Zen 3 Ryzen 7 5800X has stellar performance. Packed with 8 cores and 16 threads, it is a solid CPU choice for gaming with huge improvements in speed and efficiency than its predecessor, the Ryzen 7 3800X.
Coming to its raw performance, the 5800X was 18% faster in single-core performance and up to 12% faster in multi-core performance than its predecessor. As for gaming performance, it was 20% faster than the Intel i9-9900K in single-core performance, even outperforming the i9-10900K.
This CPU is perfect for creators that need single and multi-core performance for their work thanks to the 8 cores and 16 threads. Although gamers are getting a massive leap in performance compared to the Ryzen 3000 series chips — creators that use creative applications do not get the same performance bump. The $449 Ryzen 7 5800X, despite being the big brother of the $299 Ryzen 5 5600X, unfortunately, provides minimal gaming performance increase with an added cost of $150.
Not to mention, the 5800X has a higher TDP rating (105W) compared to the 65W TDP in the 5600X. The 5600X also comes bundled with a wraith cooler and has much lower temperatures than the 5800X.
Despite the performance and price increase, AMD decided to leave its bundled cooler out of the package expecting users buying CPUs in this price range to buy their aftermarket cooling solutions that offer much better cooling.
However, the +$50 price increase compared to its previous-gen disappointed many users. Since it runs on the same AM4 socket as previous generations, and you have an existing 400 or 500 series board, you can update the board’s BIOS and save a few bucks.
The 5800X can be a great upgrade choice if you have an existing AM4 motherboard, and it’s the best CPU for RTX 3090 with only a 5% bottleneck in FPS in games.
Intel Core i9 11900K
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- + Fast single-threading performance.
- + Better integrated graphics processor than predecessor.
- – Too expensive.
- – Only 8 cores compared to its predecessor with 12.
- – Poor PCIe 4.0 performance.
- – Overall downgrade compared to the predecessor.
- – Based on a 14nm design instead of a 10nm.
Thinking of skipping the Intel Core i9-10900K and buying the Intel Core i9-11900K because you think its successor is better? Unfortunately, this isn’t the case with this CPU. Although this 14nm Rocket Lake CPU comes with a new addition to Intel’s new microarchitecture, Cypress Cove, the i9-11900K comes packed with only eight cores and sixteen threads. This essentially is a downgrade to the previous ten-core Comet Lake i9-10900K.
However, both of these processors are no match to AMD’s flagship: 16-Core, 32 Threads Ryzen 9 5950X. This Rocket Lake CPU does have some notable improvements, though. Such as faster single-thread performance, DRAM speeds, and finally, the switch to PCIe 4.0 interface, but its PCIe 4.0 performance is quite limited. The GPU is the major upgrade for this CPU. It comes with the Intel Iris Xe UHD Graphics 750, which can have 4K resolutions at 60Hz.
Since Intel launched this CPU with fewer cores and an older and less efficient 14nm node, they have tried to make up for the fewer cores by cranking up its power consumption to increase the performance. This, in turn, required users to use high-end cooling solutions to prevent thermal throttling. Although it has good performance, it simply does not provide enough plus points to justify its hefty price tag — especially when the AMD equivalent is much cheaper with much better performance.
Overall, the gaming performance gains are minimal as compared to its predecessor. Cinebench scores are way below satisfactory, with most of its performance losses due to CPU thermal throttling. The Ryzen 9 5900X, on the other hand, is approximately 40% faster than the i9-11900K, which placed Intel in dark times. Especially when both of these CPUs have the same price point.
Lastly, if you want to pair your RTX 3090 with this CPU, you are better off getting the AMD counterpart or looking into the 12th generation Intel Core series instead.
Best CPU for RTX 3090
In this buying guide, we will be discussing almost every best CPU for RTX 3090. RTX 3.
Building a custom PC or upgrading the old PC is becoming more popular among gamers and pro users. If you are interested in building or upgrading your PC with RTX 3090 ( Amazon ), then you should also be aware of the available options for the most suitable CPUs for RTX 3090. In this buying guide, we will be discussing almost every best CPU for RTX 3090. RTX 3090 is a high-end graphics card and undoubtedly the best one you can buy for the money. Performance-wise, this card outwits almost all of its predecessors and most rivals. It offers bundles of memory for the tons of data your top-end games are likely to store. Plus, its versatile nature makes it the best choice for enthusiast gamers and content creators, and other users wanting to deal efficiently with their immense workloads. This card bears the crown of being the most desirable one for all users out there.
For this powerful beast RTX 3090, which delivers jaw-dropping 8k gaming along with perfect 3D rendering and encoding performance, one must own robust components. The components must be able to cope with the card’s super-fast speed and complement its performance. A CPU is the first and foremost thing that should pop up in your mind now. Finding the most suitable CPU isn’t much of an easy task. But wait! Don’t freak out! We are here to help you out with this matter. So wait no more and get going with us, deeper into the world of the best processors. But before you start that joyous journey with us, take your time to look into the tips for getting the perfect CPU that we have stated right below.
Quick Shopping Tips:
Purpose: The type, brand, and cost vary significantly for different purposes. If you want just a basic rig for seldom usage or tasks like browsing through some web pages or simple tasks like that, a simple chip with a few cores would be enough for you. Why would you want to spend a fortune on unnecessary features which you aren’t going to use in upcoming years? So it’ll be the most practical idea to go for an entry-level processor in that case. But if you want higher productivity levels for intense gaming, content creation, or multitasking, you should choose something more powerful which can handle these tasks without causing overheating.
Brand: It might be a little hard to decide what brand you want to go with, AMD or Intel. A little more challenging than what you’d expect if you are new to the PC building. But if you have already done a bit of research or are sure of your purpose, as discussed above, you might find it a bit helpful to know that in terms of gaming, Intel does slightly better than AMD. And when it comes to content creation or wanting the best-for-the-value product, AMD is somewhat more preferable. Both brands are top-notch, but you need to opt for the one that goes well with your other components and does the job well.
TDP: Thermal Design Power, commonly known as TDP, is essential to know before choosing a CPU. It shows the maximum amount of heat that a processor is likely to produce under immense workloads. Low TDPs are always better, but you can tackle the higher ones with CPU coolers as well. If you do not want to invest in coolers, pick a CPU with less TDP rate, which means that the product will produce less heat. It is measured in watts and is mentioned on the specification sheet of the product.
Overclocking: Overclocking can step up your game since it increases the processor’s performance significantly. But the thing is, not every processor has this feature. Most gamers want to overclock their rigs to insane extents, so their in-game performance and their system’s overall performance boost. If you are a serious overclocker, you need to go carefully through the details of the product you fancy to make sure that it supports overclocking. Plus, you will have to sacrifice your savings since this feature calls for a compatible and high-end motherboard and a top-tier CPU cooler to keep the temperatures at optimal levels.
Features: When you hunt for a CPU for 3090, you must lookout for some features that might or might not be necessary but will take your rig to an elevated level. Clock speed is one of those critical factors. You should take the number of threads and cores into account as well and the TDP rate, as mentioned above, is crucial to note. You should also check the socket types your CPU can support so that your new purchase doesn’t mess up with the existing or new motherboard. Built-in Wi-Fi is not a must-have but is still nice to have.