8 Best CPUs for RTX 3070 in 2021

If you are gaming in 4K resolution, or 2K with higher refresh rates upward of 144Hz or you have
an ultra-wide screen with dual QHD display or all of the above, you would need a superior
gaming graphics card such as RTX 3070. It 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 G6 memory for realistic visuals and superior performance
even in the most demanding games. Moreover it delivers almost similar level of performance
when compared to RTX 2080 at almost half the price.
Since you are on this page that means you have already made up your mind about buying this
GPU. As you already know that CPU play important role in gaming. Firstly you would need a
CPU that can match the capability of the GPU, RAM and motherboard and secondly you have to
do it without overdoing it to keep costs down. Let me give you a few quick shopping tips that
will help you decide the best CPU for RTX 3070 for unparalleled performance.

QUICK SHOPPING TIPS

 BOTTLENECKING:
Bottlenecking is basically poor designing of a system which results in under-utilization of
resources it is equipped with. This equates to poor performance. The CPU is responsible
for handling mathematical calculations and providing rendering instructions to the GPU
to process. If 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 high FPS and refresh rate, you would need a CPU with
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 feature allows the CPU to be clocked at a much higher frequency than the
maximum frequency it normally achieves. Since the gaming performance of a CPU is
improved with the increase in clock speed, so this feature should be looked out for
while buying a CPU for gaming. Though it comes with the extra cost of cooler and
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 latest
games. But with the AMDs latest Ryzen series both offers state of the art CPUs that
provides top notch performance in the most demanding games. Both CPUs varies
considerably in architecture and requires compatible motherboards.
1. AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
SPECS:
Architecture: 7nm | Socket: AM4 motherboards | Cores/Threads: 12/24 | Base Frequency:
3.7 GHz | Top Boost Frequency: 4.8 GHz | TDP: 105W

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is claimed to be the world’s best desktop gaming processor by the
AMD and rightly so. It contains 12 high speed (3.7 GHz) cores and 24 threads which can be
boosted up to an astonishing 4.8 GHz and more if overclocked, and has a huge cache of
70MBs. It delivers up to 100+ FPS in the most popular games for ultimate gaming
experience and all that while only having a low TDP of 105W.
AMD Ryzen 5000 series are built on a 7nm chip and contains the latest Zen 3 architecture
that has 8 cores directly connected to 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 than a PCI 3.0 slot leaving behind Intel CPUs in ashes.
Although AMD Ryzen 9 offers an impressive value for gaming and content creators alike, but
given its premium price, it’s a little annoying that AMD is not proving stock cooler with its
CPU. You will needs to buy an aftermarket high performance cooler to match this beast. But
if money is not an issue then this the best CPU for 3070 that you can buy and offers the
fastest performance than all other contenders.
PROs:
 Best CPU for Gaming and Content Creating at the moment
 Offers the latest PCI 4.0 chipset support for RTX 3070
 Latest AMD Zen-3 architecture for faster speed and lower latency
 Low heat dissipation

CONs:
 Quiet Expensive
 No stock cooler provided out of the box with the CPU


2. Intel Core i9-10900K

SPECS:
Architecture: 14nm | Socket: LGA 1200 | Cores/Threads: 10/20 | Base Frequency: 3.7 GHz |
Top Boost Frequency: 5.3 GHz | TDP: 125W

The newest flagship in the Intel’s 10th generation is the Intel Core i9-10900K. It offers an
impressive 10 cores and 20 threads CPU which provides the highest clock speed of 5.3 GHz.
Even though it lost the title to Ryzen 5900X, but it’s still one of the best performing CPU for
gaming and content creation alike at a slightly reduced price than the successor.
 Intel Core i9-10900K is a K-series processor which have inherent overclocking ability for
ultimate gamers, but that all excessive firepower comes at a cost. During overclocking this
CPU dissipates considerable amount of heat and requires the finest performing CPU coolers
to cool it. Despite that it is the fastest gaming processor available at the moment if
overclocked properly.
With the latest Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB) Intel is able to boost its single core clock speed
to 5.3Ghz which provides a competitive edge against latest AMD Ryzen processors in lightly
threaded tasks such as Gaming. That being said, despite its higher heat dissipation and
power consumption (with satisfactory cooling), it delivers impressively fast and consistent
performance and quite easily quench the thirst of performance fanatics.

PROs:
 Offers superb performance in Gaming and Content creation
 With the Intel’s TVB technology achieves the highest single core clock speed of
5.3Ghz
 Excellent overclocking ability

CONs:
 No PCI express 3.0 support
 Significantly Higher heat dissipation during overclocking
 High power consumption

3. AMD Ryzen 7 5800X

SPECS:
Architecture: 7nm | Socket: AM4 | Cores/Threads: 08/16 | Base Frequency: 3.8 GHz | Top
Boost Frequency: 4.7 GHz | TDP: 105W

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is stacked with an impressive 08 cores and 16 threads, along with Zen3
architecture for faster speed and lower latency, it offers significant increase in core
performance and IPC ( Instructions per clock) than the last gen eight core processors,
making it one of the best CPUs for productivity and gaming alike.
Another plus is that the previously available motherboards are compatible with the latest
Zen 3 architecture with just a simple BIOS update. However, all this juice comes at a
somewhat higher price than the previous gen’s model. Moreover AMD has once again
decided to drop the stock cooler with the CPU so you will need to buy it separately.
In raw gaming performance Ryzen 7 5800X beats Intel’s latest flagships without even
breaking a sweat. It consistently delivers higher FPS than the Intel counterparts and offer
better value than its successor 5900X in 1080p gaming with G-sync enabled. If you have a
high end GPU like RTX3070 coupled with the extraordinary single core performance of
5600X, it is the best CPU for RTX 3070 for gaming for high end builds.
 PROs:
 Best performance in Gaming and Content Creation alike
 Offers the latest PCI 4.0 chipset support for RTX 3070
 Latest AMD Zen-3 architecture for faster speed and lower latency
 Low heat dissipation

CONs:
 Higher price than the previous generation’s equivalent
 No stock cooler provided with CPU
 No integrated graphics

4. Intel Core i7-10700K

SPECS:
Architecture: 14nm | Socket: LGA1200 | Cores/Threads: 08/16 | Base Frequency: 3.8GHz |
Top Boost Frequency: 5.1GhHz | TDP: 125W

Intel Core i7-10700K is yet another superior performing CPU by Intel at a very reasonable
price. Due to relentless competition from AMD, Intel is forced to offer the same number of
core/threads (08 cores and 16 threads) in i7-10700, that they offered in their last gen
flagship i9-9900K and that too at a lesser price.
Although Intel i9 series offers the best features but Intel i7 series is closely matched in
performance with the Intel’s Turbo Max 3.0 technology. It allows the two fastest CPU cores
to be boosted up to 5.1GHz to improve core output which boosts overall gaming
performance and is the best CPU for 3070 delivering up to 120+ FPS in 1080p gaming.
Another positive thing that we noticed is that Intel Core i7-10700K is surprisingly good at
overclocking with low power consumption and heat dissipation. So any off the market
decent cooler will do the job. Moreover its overclocking performance is nearly matched
with the latest i9-10900K at a significantly reduced price providing better value for money.

PROs:
 Provides better value for money in high end gaming rigs
 Performance matched to i9-10900K when overclocked
 Low heat dissipation
 No need for high end CPU cooler

CONs:
 No PCI 4.0 support
 Doesn’t have Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB) technology
 Doesn’t come with a stock cooler
5. AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
SPECS:
Architecture: 7nm | Socket: AM4 | Cores/Threads: 06/12 | Base Frequency: 3.7 GHz | Top
Boost Frequency: 4.6 GHz | TDP: 65W

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a mid-range gaming beast which comes at a really affordable price
tag. It has 6 cores and 12 threads which delivers solid gaming performance in budget to high
end gaming rigs and easily beats Intel mid-range CPUs in terms of value and performance. It
is also the best CPU for RTX 3070 for budget gaming builds without bottlenecking the RTX
3070 and offers solid 1080p gaming performance with 100+FPS in popular titles.
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
CPU and use its full potential.
Interestingly enough this is the cheapest Ryzen processor that offers the latest Zen 3
architecture as compared to the previous gen predecessor 3600X and that too with a small
price bump. This price bump is justified given that the newer architecture allows more cores
to be connected directly to the cache resulting in faster access times and improved single
core output and up to 20% increase in gaming performance.
PROs:
 Best CPU for budget Gaming builds
 Offers the latest PCI 4.0 chipset support for RTX 3070
 Offers AMD Zen-3 architecture
 Comes with a stock cooler

CONs:
 No Integrated graphics
 Slight price bump than previous gen CPU
 Mediocre overclocking capability

6. Intel Core i5-10600K

SPECS:
Architecture: 14nm | Socket: LGA 1200 | Cores/Threads: 06/12 | Base Frequency: 4.1 GHz |
Top Boost Frequency: 4.8 GHz | TDP: 125W

Intel Core i5-10600K is the Intel 10th generation budget gaming king. It is packs a solid 6 core
and 12 thread CPU with boost frequency of up to 4.8 GHz. It offers an almost similar
 performance when compared to last generation i7-9700K and that too at a lower price
point. This makes it one of the best CPU for 3070 that Intel has to offer for 1080p gaming.
Since it belong 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, then that would be a plus for
you. Though you would need to buy the newer LGA1200 chipset motherboard to support it.
Intel Core i5-10600K offers 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 solid 90+ FPS in Total War: 3 Kingdoms, 140+ FPS in Civilization Vis,
90+ FPS in Dawn of War 3 and 120+ FPS in Far Cry 5 at 1080P Ultra high settings, making it
our budget gaming champ.

PROs:
 Provide best value for money
 Superb overclocking ability due to thicker heat spreader
 Higher single core clock speed than competitors

CONs:
 No PCIe 4.0 support
 Higher power consumption and heat dissipation
 No NVME SSD support

7. Intel Core i9-9900K

SPECS:
Architecture: 14nm | Socket: LGA 1151 | Cores/Threads: 08/16 | Base Frequency: 3.6 GHz |
Top Boost Frequency: 5.0 GHz | TDP: 95W

Intel Core i9-9900K is the last year’s Intel flagship. Since the arrival of AMDs top tier Ryzen 7
series, Intel has upped his 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 doesn’t only looks outstanding on paper but also achieves very
high scores in our benchmarks.
The Intel i9 series is intended specifically for extreme performance enthusiasts due to its
higher no. of cores and higher clock speed and offer up to 30% boost in speed as compared
to i7s due to its hype 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.
Another notable thing is that Intel switched to STIM (Soldered Thermal Interface Material)
rather than silicon thermal paste for better heat dissipation of CPU. This give it unmatchable
overclocking capability and makes it one of the most suitable choices for RTX 3070 best CPU
 battle arena. It delivers 135+FPS in Far Cry Primal and 140+FPS in Rise of Tomb Raider
leaving behind the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X at 1080p Max setting.

PROs:
 Better heat dissipation with STIM
 Hyper threading supported for better multi thread performance
 Decent overclocking capability
 Suitable for high end gaming rigs

CONs:
 No PCIe 4.0 support
 Premium pricing
 Higher power consumption
8. AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
SPECS:
Architecture: 7nm | Socket: AM4 | Cores/Threads: 12/24 | Base Frequency: 3.8 GHz | Top
Boost Frequency: 4.6 GHz | TDP: 105W

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X is the last generation leader by AMD due its higher number of 12 core
and 24 threads it offer superb multi-tasking capability for content producers as was as
extreme gaming performance due to its Zen 3 architecture. The latest Zen 3 architecture
allows direct core access to L3 cache which result in lower lag and faster response time
which is suitable for high FPS gaming.
It also contains the latest PCIe 4.0 support for latest GPUs like RTX 3070 offering twice as
much bandwidth than PCIe 3.0. When coupled with RTX 3070 it offers 170+ FPS in most
popular titles at 1080p and up to 125+ FPS in 1440p ultra high settings, making it one of the
RTX 3070 best CPU choice.

PROs:
 Best performance in 1080p and 1440p gaming
 Offers the latest PCI 4.0 chipset support for RTX 3070
 Latest AMD Zen-3 architecture for faster access to L3 cache and lower lag
 Low heat dissipation

CONs:
 Higher power consumption than its successors
 Mediocre single core output
 Sub-par overclocking ability
 CONCLUSION
So our search for the most suitable CPUs for RTX 3070 has come to an end. Since RTX is a
high performing graphics card it needs an equally capable CPU to complement its
performance rather than reducing it. All the CPUs mentioned above were selected after
through research by our experts and are fully compatible with the said GPU and do not
bottleneck the significant firepower of the RTX 3070. The best selection would no doubt be
the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X due its highest number of cores & Zen 3 architecture and offers the
best gaming performance in up to 4k resolution money can buy.
If that beast is not within your budget then don’t be discouraged we also a budget king for
you which is the Intel Core i5-10600K, it offers 6 core and 12 thread CPU with superior heat
dissipation, superior overclocking ability due to thicker heat spreader and comes at a very
reasonable price. It provides solid gaming performance of up to 90+ FPS in 1080p at max
setting in most popular AAA titles.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: What CPU should I get for RTX 3070?
A: It all depends on your budget. If you want the best of the best, then I would recommend the
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X due to its top of the line performance, a massive 12 core and 24 thread
CPU, latest Zen 3 architecture and PCIe 4.0 support for delivering the highest FPS when coupled
with the RTX 3070 during high end gaming.
Q: What processor do I need for RTX 3070?
A: Simple answer is a CPU that complements RTX 3070 performance rather than hampering it.
We would recommend at least a mid-level gaming CPU like AMD Ryzen 5 5600X which offers 6
cores and 12 thread CPU, AMD’s latest ZEN 3 architecture and PCIe 4.0 support for better
gaming performance and delivers 100+FPS is 1080p resolution in the most popular titles.
Q: Will the RTX 3070 bottleneck?
A: No, if you selected a CPU whose performance is up to mark with the RTX 3070. If the CPU is
sending instructions to the GPU at a speed at which it can perform, then it will never
bottleneck. You should think about Intel Core i7-10700K because of its lower offering price than
the last gen’s processor. It delivers up to 120+ FPS in 1080p gaming.
Q: Is RTX 3070 overkill for 1080p?
A: It depends. It would definitely be an overkill for gaming in1080p in all the top titles from the
last year. But with the latest advancements in game development, the newer titles are
becoming more demanding due to higher level of details and effects in games, high
performance graphic cards like RTX 3070 would likely be needed even for 1080p. You can save
some money on CPU and go with the last year flagship AMD Ryzen 9 3900X for future proofing.