Best CPU for RTX 3070 – top picks from Intel and Ryzen

If you’re looking for the best CPU for RTX 3070, we’ve got you covered with our top picks.

The RTX 3070 is one of the most powerful graphics cards from Nvidia’s RTX 30-series. While not as powerful as the RTX 3090, it is still one of the best GPUs for 1080p and 1440p. It’s even pretty proficient in 4K, though you’ll need a 4k monitor to make use of this.

However, all this power could go to waste if you don’t have a CPU that can keep up. To stop that from happening, we’ve picked 3 processors that are powerful enough to let your RTX 3070 rip.

Maybe you already have a rig built with the RTX 3080 and are simply looking to upgrade the CPU. If that’s the case, you’ve chosen a good time to do it. Ryzen has just released its latest wave of chis, including the X3D range. These chips use 3D V-cache technology to massively increase the cache size. This makes for some of the most effective gaming chips ever made.

We’ve got a brief description of each of our choices so you can get a sense of what is what, and which you think you should go for. Let’s get into our picks.

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a 12-core/24-thread multi-core processor perfect for professional workloads and intense gaming. It’s built to compete with top-tier CPUs on the market, and it definitely keeps up. 

With a 13% IPC improvement and clock speeds above 5GHz, it offers a 44% multithreaded performance boost, which, translated for non-experts in this area, is pretty impressive. It’s an excellent choice for creator workloads that scale across all cores and match the performance of the 16-core “Zen 3” 5950X at a lower price point.

Read More: Best RTX 3070 graphics cards

Among all the CPUs considered in this guide, it appears to be the processor with the highest energy consumption, settling at a TDP of 170W, so it’s always good to consider the capacity of your power supply before buying.

Therefore we can say that at a price that is around 500$, the Ryzen 9 7900X offers an attractive price point and a future-proof platform. 

The best CPU to match your RTX 3070 depends on your specific needs and budget but If you’re a professional who needs a powerful CPU for heavy workloads, and you have no issue about paying a little bit more, the Ryzen 9 7900X is a solid option to consider 

Intel Core i9-13900K

Intel Core i9-13900K is a high-performance CPU with 8 cores and 16 threads. This processor made by Intel, delivers great gaming and professional performance, thanks to its high clock speeds and DDR5 memory support that guarantees ultra-fast data transfer speeds. 

It features PCIe 5.0 compatibility, ensuring faster data transfer to the graphics card, and giving you a premium gaming experience. 

As we said before, choosing the best CPU for your RTX 3070 is a tough thing to do, each user has different needs and above all in a high market segment such as the one considered in this guide, the choice becomes even more specific. 

Read More: Ryzen 9 vs Intel i9

The Intel i9-13900K offers an excellent balance of performance and value but its price is slightly higher than its direct competitor the AMD 7900X. 

If you need the absolute best performance and are willing to pay for it, the Intel Core i9-13900K is a great choice that won’t disappoint 

However, before buying, we advise you to observe the characteristics carefully and find the alternative that best fits your needs.

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is a CPU with 8 cores, 16 threads, fast clock speeds and support for DDR4 memory.

 It’s a good alternative for handling demanding workloads and playing the latest games without problems or limitations. 

Thanks also to its hardware virtualization technology and supports ECC memory, It’s definitely one of the best budget CPUs to go with your RTX 3070.

Read More: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D vs 9 7900X3D

Considering its price point that is a little bit lower than the other CPUs on this list we can affirm that if you are seeking a great choice and at the same time a very interesting performance/price ratio, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is an excellent choice. It offers a perfect balance of performance, efficiency, and value. 

So, without going too far, for all the people who are on a budget, this CPU is the choice to make without any sort of doubt, you will not regret it.

Frequently asked questions

Is the RTX 3070 good enough for gaming?

Yes, the RTX 3070 is an incredibly proficient gaming GPU, capable of handling demanding games at high settings, even with ray tracing enabled.