5 absolute best CPUs for the RTX 4090 graphics card

MSI RTX 4090 Suprim liquid (Image via MSI)
MSI RTX 4090 Suprim liquid (Image via MSI)

The RTX 4090 is a high-end graphics card that delivers excellent gaming performance. However, pairing it with a suitable CPU is essential to get the most out of it. RTX 4090 is one of the best GPUs on the market, but it can be a bit of a power hog. So, if you’re looking to pair it with a CPU, you’ll want to ensure you get a good one.

This article will look at the five best CPUs to pair with RTX 4090. We will consider several factors, including price, performance, and features.


5 CPUs that can handle the RTX 4090 graphics card

When building a powerful gaming PC, the CPU is just as important as the GPU. In fact, they work together to produce the best results. CPU is the brain of your computer. It processes all your computer's instructions and carries out the tasks you ask for. So, it’s crucial to choose a good one.

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With so many different CPUs on the market, it can be hard to know which one to choose. If you’re looking for the best CPU to pair with an RTX 4090, you’ve come to the right place. This article compiles a list of the five best CPUs to pair with an RTX 4090.

Note: This article reflects the writer's opinion.


1) Intel Core i9-13900K ($589)

Core i9-13900 K, Intel's top CPU, has captured the interest of many people. We have 24 cores based on 8 P-cores that are renowned for their performance, based on the 13th generation Alder Lake. Additional 16 E-cores with a combined cache of 30Mb will be employed for greater efficiency across a range of workloads. Without a doubt, the benefits this processor will provide to the customer justify its price.

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On the plus side, you may get speeds of up to 5.8 GHz, especially when 2 P-cores operate at their maximum capacity. This is one of the best processors to consider for your brand new RTX 4090 GPU.


2) AMD Ryzen 9 7950X ($700)

The Ryzen 9 7950X, a Zen 4 16-core CPU that AMD is hoping would dominate the charts for both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads, is the company's flagship for this generation. The Ryzen 9 7950X is the fastest desktop x86 CPU to date, with a base frequency of 4.5 GHz and a maximum turbo clock speed of 5.7 GHz.

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With the addition of AVX-512 instruction support and significantly larger caches and buffers throughout the CPU, AMD has improved the IPC of its CPU architecture by an average of 13%. As a result, the Ryzen 7000 chip can deliver significant performance improvements in several areas and pair exceptionally well with current-gen GPUs to deliver the best performance possible.


3) Intel Core i7-13700K ($409)

With a single-thread rating of 4,347 and a CPU Mark score of 34,431, the i7-13700K is a worthy companion to the RTX 4090. The latter score is sufficient for the i7-13700K to compete head-to-head with high-end desktop processors like the i7-12700K and AMD Ryzen 9 5900. With only two samples benched thus far, there is a large margin for error.

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A deeper examination reveals, once more, that Intel has prioritized Raptor Lake's design over its actual performance improvements. Despite only outperforming the Intel Core i7-12700 in single-thread and multi-test scores by +10.15% and +9.64%, respectively, the i7-13700K does have a core-count advantage. The Alder Lake CPU has 20 threads and 12 cores (8P + 4E), while the Intel i7-13700K now has 24 threads and 16 cores (8P + 8E).


4) AMD Ryzen 9 7900X ($549)

The new AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs are genuinely delivering on the many technological promises made in their technical specs. We find that the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X performs 26% better than the Ryzen 9 from the 5000 generation.

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In terms of performance, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is even noticeably quicker than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X. In individual benchmarks, the new 12-core easily beats the 16-core flagship from the last gen. This processor is best suited for people who are not going bowlers with their build and just need that sweet spot for extreme gaming.


5) AMD Ryzen 5 7600X ($299)

The cheapest option on the list is the 7600x, but that doesn't mean it cannot handle Nvidia's top-dog GPU. The 7600x brings a new, unequaled level of performance at the $300 price range by offering up to 18% quicker gaming performance than its predecessors, along with 25% and 34% increases in single- and multi-threaded tasks, respectively.

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The 4.7 GHz base and 5.3 GHz peak clocks of the $399 6-core Ryzen 5 7600X follow this generation's trend of exceptional clock speeds. This chip features 32MB of L3 and 6MB of L2 cache, which is twice as much as its predecessor.

The Ryzen 5 7600X sets a new record for Ryzen 5 with a 125W TDP rating and a 181W peak power drain. All these specs boil down to the fact that you can easily couple this CPU with the RTX 4090, and everything will work out perfectly fine without you having to worry about anything else.

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Edited by R. Elahi