Best CPU for RTX 4080 in 2024 – Intel, AMD and budget picks
The RTX 4080 is an exciting new product that may well shake up the world of graphics cards. If you’re one of the many looking to pick up Nvidia’s RTX 4080, you’ll probably be wondering what the best CPU is to pair alongside your new GPU. While there are a plethora of different factors to consider, we’ve compiled a list of the best CPUs for RTX 4080 based on performance, value, and features.
The RTX 4080 promises a ton of power and speed, and with already-existing real-world looks into the performance of the 4090, we know computers are going to need a powerful CPU to draw all the power from this GPU.
There are plenty of options to choose from, with the release of Intel’s new 13th series, or even the well-known Alder Lake, or Zen 4 CPUs. Whichever one you choose, you’ll be set in tandem with the RTX 4080, but let us give you a more detailed look into the best CPUs for Nvidia’s card so you can make the right decision before buying a new chip.
Products at a Glance
How we picked the best CPU for RTX 4080
When picking CPUs for the RTX 4080, we first considered several key factors, namely clock speed, the number of cores, and power consumption. Fortunately, the majority of CPUs available in the market offer pretty well-balanced enhancements in this respect. So, we also took into consideration price and motherboard compatibility.
If you are looking for more RTX 4080 recommendations, then head over to our best cases for RTX 4080 guide. As well as, our best RTX 4080 graphics cards article.
Product Reviews
- Great price-to-performance ratio
- Backward compatibility
- Compatible with both Z600 and Z700 motherboards
- Max speeds make it great for overclocking
- No bundled cooler
- High power consumption
The essential price-to-performance ratio is one of the most important features to consider when buying any piece of technology, especially when talking about high-priced components like these the RTX 4080 and various CPUs.
The Intel Core i7-13700K offers the perfect ratio for this category. Coming in at an MSRP of $409, the new chip features eight performance cores and eight efficient cores for a total of 16 cores, plus it has Intel’s Hyper-Threading technology with a total of 24 threads.
The match of the Core i7-13700K with the RTX 4080 will give a maximum P-core turbo frequency of 5.30GHz and a max E-core turbo frequency of 4.20GHz for a total of 5.40GHz Max turbo frequency. Add that up with the power and speed of the RTX 4080 cores and you’ll end up with a beast of a computer without the necessity of spending too much money. This is the best Intel CPU for your RTX 4080.
- Support for PCIe 5.0
- Support for DDR5 and DDR4
- Backward compatible with existing coolers
- Enhanced CPU overclocking features
- Pricey
- Might be overkill if not used correctly
Considering all the many factors, we believe the Intel Core i9-13900K is one of the best CPUs for the RTX 4080. It offers great performance and features at an affordable rate, making it an ideal option for anyone looking to buy a new Nvidia graphics card.
Not only does it offer great performance, but it is also very versatile and compatible with several different motherboards. Whether you’re looking for the best possible performance or compatibility, the Intel Core i9-13900K might be the perfect fit for you.
The new Core i9 13th gen features 24 cores (eight performance cores and 16 efficient cores), 32 total threads, a max turbo frequency of 5.80GHz, and a processor base power of 125W. With this much power, the chip will make the RTX fly.
The GPU will be free to perform as well as it wants giving you the freedom to put it up against any game at any configuration you’d like. And it is not only a good configuration for gamers alone, it’s the go-to option for content creators like 3D renderers, video editors, and even overclockers looking to draw the most from their PC.
- Powerful single- and multi-thread performance
- High boosted frequency
- Triple 5: DDR5, PCIe 5.0, AM5
- AM5 support is longer than LGA 1700
- It doesn’t have a bundler cooler
- DDR5 only
- No backward compatibility
Intel is not the only company designing amazing CPUs. AMD is hitting that market fiercely with a contender to match and even improve upon Intel’s performance benchmarks. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is the top dog behind red teams’ last-generation chip.
The Ryzen 9 7900X comes with 12 CPU cores with a base clock of 4.7GHz. It features up to 24 total threads that add up to achieve a boost clock speed of 5.6GHz. That’s not all, because this beast also has 64GB of L3 cache and 170W/230W TDP/peak power rating.
This marks a record for the red team and a 65W increase over the previous Ryzen 9. The increased power consumption is partly due to the AM5 socket’s improved power delivery. The downside of this boost in power, though, is that it returns higher chip temperatures because of the power it provides to keep the cores running at full during a heavy load.
Regardless, this is the best AMD CPU to match with your RTX 4080. And, if you’re on team red, you shouldn’t think twice before getting one of these bad boys.
- Great price-to-performance ratio
- Considerable overclocking qualities
- iGPU
- High boost frequencies
- Needs AM5 motherboard
- No backward compatibility
This is the second-best option if you’re focused on getting an AMD processor. Being the second best also means being better than every other option on the market. The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X has the best performance-to-price ratio available at an amazing rate. With a $300 price, this chip jumps to the front to compete in the most demanding markets and manages to achieve this special place on the podium.
If you decided to go with a last-gen AMD processor, you should know that you’ll have to have a matching AM5 motherboard to get the best out of the component. Saving via the relatively good price of the chip and saving with the low price of the RTX 4080 should cut you some slack in acquiring an AM5 board.
Once you have all of those components, you are set to enjoy the six cores with 12 total threads, a base/boost clock speed of 4.7GHz/5.3GHz, and a default TDP of 105W. With specs like this, your rig will have more than enough bandwidth to support any game or task you throw at it.
- 80 MB of cache
- Strong gaming performance
- Prone to overheating
The Ryzen 7 7700 is a great value CPU for the RTX 4080. With this AMD offering, you’ll get 8 cores and 16 threads – great for multitasking. As well as, AMD’s Gen 4 architecture with a maximum speed of 5.4 GHz.
The Ryzen 7 7700 also offers Linux and Windows compatibility, DDR5 memory support, and PCle 5.0. Overall, it is another great choice for anyone looking for an affordable desktop processor that offers strong gaming performance.
Features and considerations
It’s important to note that the RTX 4080 requires a CPU that can handle its high-end demands. When perusing the best CPU for the RTX 4080, make sure to consider the following features: Clock speed, number of cores, and power consumption. It’s also important to consider the price of the CPU, as the more expensive CPUs may not offer much of an advantage over cheaper options when paired with the RTX 4080.
Our Verdict
And that’s all among the best CPUs for the Nvidia RTX 4080. There are a ton of options to choose from, with Intel and AMD both reining supreme in the chip space. While the new 13th Gen i7 stole the show, you might be better off with an AMD CPU, given the better price points, but those chips are often better saddled up alongside an AMD card, as evidenced by the firm’s recent RDNA 3 announcement.
Team blue wins this battle when paring the best CPUs with the RTX 4080. The amazing compatibility and price-to-performance ratio of the Intel Core i7-13700K make it the smartest choice for a power-hungry but serene GPU. You can be sure you won’t end up with a bottleneck situation and won’t overspend if you bet on this choice.
But you can also bet on stronger CPUs. If you have the pocket for it and decide on upgrading the RTX 4080 to a 4090 later on, you can future-proof your rig a little bit more and get the Core i9 or the Ryzen 9 7900X.