Best CPU to match 9060xt with DDR4?
Posted by boom_cat007@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 21 comments
Recently bought an RX 9060XT and my CPU (i5-10400F) is severely bottlenecked so I figured it was time for an upgrade to match it properly.
Most CPUs best for no bottlenecks I've researched were DDR5 CPUs, which is why I'm making this post. Replacing fairly new 2666mhz 32GB RAM would be pointless.
Can anyone recommend both a CPU and a corresponding motherboard for my case? I'll be upgrading PSU and case too, which is why power supply shouldn't be an issue. If something were to be bottlenecking I'd prefer for it to be the CPU as most of the games I play are CPU heavy.
Open for any recommendations. Budget is high, as long as its good for the 9060XT.
Thank you in advance :)
Scanoe@reddit
I upgraded a Co-workers PC for Him, he bought the parts I supplied the free labor. He started with a ryzen 3600, 750ti and 16gb ram. I upgraded it to a 9060xt-16gb ($380 at Micro Center) and 2x16gb ddr4 3000 cl16 Ram ($70 used on Ebay). That was back in October 25'.
In BF6 that 3600 was horrible, 100% usage at all times. So he bought a 5800xt at MC for $180, I installed it.
That 5800xt still hits into the 80's % usage at times in BF6.
So I would say 5600 as minimum for cpu, if your going to play Star Citizen I'd suggest the 5700x or 5800x for SC is Very Heavy CPU usage in Highly populated areas.
1rkella@reddit
I do think a lot of people are missing the fact that your DDR4 is only 2666MHz. This will negatively impact performance of most CPUs vs most benchmarks you might watch, where 3200MHz is more common, so keep that in mind. The performance impact is game-dependant, but it can range from ~0-20%, so you might want to look up specific titles that you play.
You could look into overclocking your RAM, as there is likely some headroom if it's relatively new modules.
That all said, as others have mentioned, the best performance you can achieve while holding on to DDR4 (at least while purchasing at retail) would be with 14th gen Intel. Without knowing your budget, I've put together something reasonable in Germany:
PCPartPicker Part List
That said, if your budget is constrained, this build would still be a notable upgrade:
PCPartPicker Part List
Both CPUs will suffer from the 2666MHz memory unfortunately.
AMD did also recently announce that they were producing more 5500X3Ds, which could be a good option in your situation, but they aren't readily available on the European or North American markets, so you would have to order one from somewhere like AliExpress.
boom_cat007@reddit (OP)
Thank you for the detailed response!
Is a 850W PSU necessary or is that a recommendation based on the overclocking of the RAM? With the prices right now I wouldn't want to buy RAM again, so I'll stick to the 2666mhz.
The 1st build is well within budget.
1rkella@reddit
My initial aim was for a quality 650w - 750w power supply, as they usually only cost a small amount more than a decent ~500w and would leave plenty of room for future builds or upgrades, but this 850w PSU is currently on sale for €1 more than the 750w version.
Overclocking RAM should generally not draw much more power, as RAM uses relatively minor amounts of power vs the CPU or GPU, but clean and stable power is still beneficial.
If you'd like to save a small amount of money on the PSU, the 650w version is a bit cheaper (Link), but I don't see any units lower than 650w that I would recommend on the German market currently.
Hmmm71-8@reddit
what is your current case and power supply
boom_cat007@reddit (OP)
MPE-4001-ACABW (400W) PSU and model 1001315 terra case
image of the case:
https://image320.macovi.de/images/product_images/320/1375164_2__8983158-2.jpg
Hmmm71-8@reddit
ok for a sub $450 upgrade this would be decent. https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/qhwcqd
1rkella@reddit
I would avoid this motherboard, the VRM (power delivery components) are of fairly low quality.
aragorn18@reddit
You need at least a 450W PSU.
boom_cat007@reddit (OP)
yes thats why I'm upgrading it...
aragorn18@reddit
Sorry, I missed that. My bad.
Its_Pamela_Isley@reddit
5500x3D if mostly gaming. Not that degrading intel stuff.
Scarabesque@reddit
14600K will perform the best, a 5600X on cheap B550 is probably far, far better value. 12-14th gen does not perform great on DDR4, and gaming performance won't be far off with a 5600X.
Haven't seen a 14600K for decent value in a while, though unfortunately the 5600(X) also seems to be risking in price...
boom_cat007@reddit (OP)
I've been seeing both 14600K and 14600KF being recommended, which one would be preferred and what is the exact difference?
Scarabesque@reddit
Any intel -F CPU does not have an iGPU, so you need a GPU to display an image. They perform the same otherwise.
AMD also seemed to have adopted the -F moniker for CPUs without a GPU starting with the 7000 series.
Naerven@reddit
I've been using a R5-5600 with a RX9060XT 16gb on a 1440p monitor and it's been fine. If I were buying something new however and couldn't use a Microcenter combo I would look into an I5-12600kf or I7-12700kf. Maybe the 13400, 13600, 14400, and 14600 series of CPUs depending on pricing.
KrasikTrash@reddit
I love the hell out of my 9800X3D. Crushes anything and everything I throw at it. I was able to max beamng.drive. Ultra settings at 4K. Getting an average of 100fps. GPU is a 5070 and ram is 32gb 5200.
621_@reddit
14600k like someone else said or a 5600.
Nice_Knee_1538@reddit
a good X3D chip.
VoraciousGorak@reddit
5500X3D. Intel chips suffer from slow RAM a lot more than X3D chips do; you can get the 5500X3D cheap on Aliexpress and pair with a used B550 motherboard.
9okm@reddit
14600k and a B760 DDR4 board.