Best CPUs for the RTX 3060 in 2024 – our top picks

The RTX 3060 is no slouch, and while it might’ve been overshadowed by the RTX 4060, we can’t deny its performance. For those operating on a budget, it is an excellent graphics card. With 12GB of GDDR6 memory, it packs a punch when it comes to gaming performance. However, to truly get the most out of your GPU, you’ll need an equally capable processor.

The RTX 3060 has been around for a while, and that means there are plenty of CPU options with which to pair it. From the AM4 5600X to the Zen 5 9600X, it can be paired with these processors and others and deliver top-notch gaming experiences at 1080p and 1440p. That said, don’t expect too much for 4K gaming, though.

With that being said, we have compiled a list of processors that we think are best suited for the RTX 3060 based on their price, features, and performance they showcased during our in-house testing. So, without further ado, let’s get right into it.

Products at a glance

How we selected the best CPUs for the RTX 3060

When it comes to gaming, having a reliable, powerful CPU is essential for playing the latest and greatest games. If you’re looking for a new CPU to pair with an RTX 3060 graphics card, there are plenty of features and considerations before you make your purchase.

Our team of experts at PC Guide has researched and looked at several processors that are suitable for the RTX 3060. In addition to specs and features, we also went through user reviews to get an idea of what customers have to say about the processors. Plus, we went a step ahead and tested the CPUs to give you real-world and synthetic benchmarks. If you’re interested in exploring how we select and review products, our PC Guide Testing Lab has you covered.

01

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X

Hands-on Review

4 /5

Editor’s Rating

How We Review

Specifications

• Cores: 12
• Threads: 24
• Boost clock speed: 4.8 GHz
• Base clock speed: 3.7 GHz
• L3 Cache: 63 MB
• TDP: 105 W
• Platform: AMD Socket AM4

Reasons to Buy

• 12 cores and 24 threads for multi-tasking
• Decent performance for gaming
• Low TDP of 105W

Reasons to Avoid

• Not the latest PCIe support
• Slower last-gen DDR4 RAM

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The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X was one of the best processors for gamers and content creators from its generation. In our Ryzen 9 5900X review, we tested its synthetic and real-world performance and weren’t disappointed with the results.

Featuring 12 cores, 24 threads, and a total L3 cache of 64MB, this 3rd Gen Ryzen processor delivers high performance for all your tasks, whether it be simple gaming or video editing. With a base clock speed of 3.7GHz and a maximum boost clock of 4.8GHz, you can expect a smooth gaming experience.

We tested the CPU by playing some games on it – and it did not disappoint. We were able to get over 140FPS at 1080p low settings in demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077, Star Field, and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. 

Of course, these numbers would vary depending on your build. But if you pair it up with powerful GPUs and components, you should be able to get good performance. Overall, we saw good multi-core and single-core performance, so you should be able to use it for gaming and content creation.

It’s a PCIe 4 interface, so you shouldn’t expect any performance metrics as seen on the latest components. However, this technology showed a very nice increase in data transfer speeds compared to PCIe3, making it a suitable CPU for the RTX 3060.

What users say

On Amazon, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X has a rating of 4.8 stars, and it has been rated by more than 11,500 people. As per the customer reviews, most users mentioned that the CPU was powerful, good for gaming, and was worth the price. However, customers had mixed opinions on temperature management of the processor.

If you’re looking for an upgrade for your RTX 3060 build and want a processor with good multi-core performance, we recommend the Core Ultra 5 245K. We’ve tested and reviewed this processor for our Core Ultra 5 245K review and were surprised to see it delivering better in-game results than the 13600K.

The CPU has 14 cores and 14 threads. Intel moved away from the more threads model, and now we only get the same number of threads as cores. What this means is that not all 14 cores divided between six performance and eight efficient cores aren’t hyperthreaded. However, despite this seeming downgrade, it still has better performance in multi-threaded workflows and is more energy efficient.

According to Intel, this processor has a base power of 125W, which we’ve seen before but the maximum turbo power is 159W, which is 22W less than 13600K’s TDP. So, the smaller CPU processes and fewer threads do make a difference in efficiency. However, since this processor can be overclocked, the TDP can increase and ramp up heat generation. So, we recommend installing a robust cooling solution like the best AIO CPU cooler to keep it cool, especially if you’re located in a region with high ambient temperature.

That said, if you’ve got an RTX 3060, chances are that you’ve got an overall budget build. Since this processor is based on the LGA 1851 platform, you’ll have to get a Z890 motherboard, as budget motherboards aren’t currently available, and also get your hands on DDR5 RAM. So, this significantly raises the overall cost of upgrading to this platform.

Putting that aside, let’s take a lot at its gaming and synthetic results. We paired this CPU with the RTX 4070 Ti Super and ran Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p low resolution. It managed 189 FPS while the 13600K maxed out at 179 FPS. However, consider the cost you’ll be paying for 10 extra FPS doesn’t make it an enticing option.

Overall, if you’re looking at this processor as a standalone option, it isn’t bad, but with other CPUs available and the high cost of the new platform, an older budget or mid-range CPU would be best for the RTX 3060. However, if your work consists of multi-threaded workflows, the Core Ultra 5 245K is a worthwhile upgrade as it performs better than the competition and its predecessors.

03

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AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

Hands-on Review

4.5 /5

Editor’s Rating

How We Review

Specifications

• Cores: 6
• Threads : 12
• Boost speed : up to 4.6 GHz
• Base speed: 3.7 GHz
• L3 Cache: 32 MB
• TDP: 65W
• Platform: AMD (AM4)

Reasons to Buy

• It’s overclockable
• Great power-efficiency
• PCIe Gen 4 support

Reasons to Avoid

• No integrated graphics

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The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is one of the best budget processors for gamers looking to get the most out of their RTX 3060 graphics card. It doesn’t cost a lot, as it is an entry-level processor, and it should complement the graphical capabilities of the RTX 3060. In addition, in our Ryzen 5 5600X review, it has pretty good performance across the board.

The 6-core, 12-thread processor has enough power to handle most games and offers great value for its price. It’s not as powerful as high-end processors, such as the Ryzen 9 5900X or Intel Core i9 10900K, but it still offers plenty of performance for gaming and multitasking.

AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600X has proven to be a highly efficient and powerful processor in the lineup of AMD processors. The Ryzen 5 5600X features impressive clock speeds up to 4.6GHz, allowing for exceptionally fast boot times and smooth multitasking capabilities.

Additionally, this processor offers an impressive boost in gaming performance with support for DirectX 12 Ultimate technology for next-generation visuals.

With the combination of its cutting-edge technology and price point, AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600X is sure to make waves among gamers and content creators alike who are looking for an affordable yet powerful computing experience that can handle virtually any task thrown at it.

What users say

Users on Amazon were incredibly happy with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, providing it with a 90% 5-star rating score. This is pretty incredible for any product on the site. Users heaped praise on the performance, value for money, and overall quality of the CPU. One reviewer noted, “if you are looking for a powerful and affordable CPU for your next PC build, you should consider the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X”.

04

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Intel Core i5-12600K

Hands-on Review

4.5 /5

Editor’s Rating

How We Review

Specifications

• Cores: 10 (6P + 4E)
• Threads: 16
• Boost Clock Speed: 4.9 GHz P / 3.6 GHz E
• Base Clock Speed: 3.7 GHz P / 2.8 GHz E
• L3 Cache: 20 MB (shared)
• TDP: 125W
• Platform: Intel (LGA 1700)

Reasons to Buy

• Features the big.LITTLE architecture
• Goes with DDR4 and DDR5
• Strong single-core performance

Reasons to Avoid

• Heats up a bit during intense workloads
• The 13600K supersedes this one

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If you are a little tight on budget but don’t want to compromise on performance, we think the Intel Core i5-12600K is an excellent mid-range option. This Intel processor is a rival to the Ryzen 5 models. If you compare the two, you will see that Team Blue beats Team Red on most benchmarks. To give you a better idea, we’ve reviewed the 12600K and its performance left nothing on the table.

Talking about the Intel Core i5-12600K specifically, the processor comes with 10 (6P + 4E) and 16 Threads. As the core count and combination suggest, the processor can switch between performance and efficiency – thanks to the big.LITTLE architecture that debuted with this CPU.

Further, the CPU can deliver a base clock speed of 3.7 GHz, which can get toned down to 2.8 GHz with the E cores. Similarly, the processor can do a boost clock speed of 4.9 GHz with the P cores, and up to 3.6 GHz with E cores. 

We tested the CPU and found out that it excels in single-core performance and outdoes its competitors. And while it can handle multi-core workloads, it can falter sometimes under pressure.

We also played demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Days Gone, for which we got 301 FPS and 222 FPS, respectively. Note that the settings were low, and we played at 1080p. So, if you pair it with a 1080p GPU like the RTX 3060, it should run games quite well.

As mentioned earlier, the Intel Core i5-12600K is quite efficient in terms of performance as well as power consumption. The CPU has a TDP of 125W, which is quite low. However, this is twice of what the Ryzen 5 5600X consumes. But then the Intel processor also delivers twice the performance. 

What users say

According to Amazon reviews, the Intel Core i5-12600K has a 4.9-star rating, and the product has been rated by more than 2,200 users. According to the customer reviews, the processor runs fast, works well for gaming, and comes with a reasonable TDP. The users also appreciated the ease of installation of the processor.

If you want to pair your RTX 3060 with one of the latest Zen 5 processors, we recommend the Ryzen 5 9600X. It checks all the boxes that make it an excellent processor for this card. In our Ryzen 5 9600X review, it also had a stellar performance and a good generational uplift, which further solidified its position as the new best-budget CPU.

To begin with, the Ryzen 5 9600X comes at an affordable price point, which is already a plus as the RTX 3060 is also an entry-level graphics card. This processor features six Zen 5 cores, 12 threads, a base clock speed of 3.9 GHz, a boost clock speed of 5.4 GHz, and a humble TDP of 65W. What these specifications mean is that it should be able to handle gaming at various resolutions, but realistically speaking, with a 3060, you’ll most likely be playing games at 1080p and 1440p.

That said, the lower the resolution is, the more CPU-dependent the title becomes, but with the 9600X powering your rig, you shouldn’t run into bottleneck issues due to its 4nm CPU process technology powering each core. So, whether it’s Cyberpunk 2077 or CS2, you can easily win any gunfight without interruptions such as lag or stuttering.

To put things into perspective, we tested its in-game performance in Cyberpunk 2077 and Day’s Gone, and it delivered 325 and 246 FPS, respectively. We put the 7600X besides it to paint a better picture of performance uplift and the 7600X churned out 295 and 236 FPS in the same titles. It also consumes 40W less than its predecessor. So, better performance while having a lower power draw is a definite win, as that means lower electricity bills in the long run.

This processor also comes unlocked for overclocking, meaning you can squeeze every bit of performance out of it by increasing its frequencies. However, we don’t recommend running a CPU in a highly overclocked state for extended periods, as that could damage it and void the warranty. On top of that, it also increases its thermal output and TDP, meaning you’ll have to invest in robust cooling solutions to keep it tame.

We recommend using the best thermal paste combined with the best CPU cooler for 9600X to ensure efficient heat dissipation. You also have the option to overclock your GPU for better performance, but ensure your PC case has powerful fans like the best 140mm case fans that promote adequate cross ventilation. If you’re interested in learning how to overclock your GPU, we’ve got you covered in that domain as well.

Overall, this is one of the best CPUs for pairing with the RTX 3060 and should be a good investment. Its hardware should give it the versatility to handle mid-range and even high-end cards, setting you up for future upgrades.

Considerations for the best CPUs for RTX 3060

Here are a few key considerations to take on board when picking up a CPU for your RTX 3060 GPU –

GPU

While the Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU is a little on the old side now, it is still important to pick up the best version of this GPU. You won’t be able to change too much about the fundamentals of the card, but you can maximize your boost clock speed with overclocked versions, and you can also get different designs and RGB lighting. Check out our best GPUs for RTX 3060 article for more information on the best picks.

Gaming PC / Pre-Built System

Want to skip all the steps and go straight for a pre-built system? Well, you can with our best RTX 3060 gaming PCs article. It goes through all the necessary details you need to find the best system for your needs – including CPUs. Make sure to check it out.

Resolution and Refresh Rate

The resolution of your monitor, whether 1080p, 1440p, or 4K, and its refresh rate, either 60Hz, 144Hz, or 240Hz, will impact the CPU you need. At 1080p, a less powerful CPU will be able to keep up with the RTX 3060, while at 1440p and 4K gaming, you may benefit from a stronger CPU to avoid bottlenecks.

Price

While we have divided our picks into ‘overall’ and ‘value’, budget is still a major consideration for all users. For some, it may even be the defining factor in their choice. Luckily, the RTX 3060 is relatively cheap for a GPU, which will open up your options for a CPU. To get the best price for a CPU, we recommend purchasing during seasonal sale periods and using price tracker applications like Camelcamelcamel – this will allow you to get the most out of your budget.

Is an RTX 3060 a good GPU?

When paired with the latest CPU, it can make for a formidable GPU that can run top games at high resolutions, including 4K. Despite them sharing the same name, the Nvidia Geforce RTX 3060 Ti offers superior performance to the 3060. However, the RTX 3060 still stands out as one of the leading mid-range cards out there and is a great option if you’re looking to build a PC at a more affordable price point.

What CPU is needed for an RTX 3060?

From testing, we recommend a fifth-generation CPU from either AMD or Intel such as an Intel core i5 11600k. A processor with good single-core speeds would be best. This would reduce the chance of your CPU causing bottlenecking issues.