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If you’re looking for the best GPUs for Core i7 – 12700K, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know.
Intel might be on the highway to churning out its powerful 14th-generation processors, but that doesn’t mean the previous generations are out of order. They are still alive and kicking and capable of handling the latest generation of Nvidia and AMD GPUs.
That said, picking a single GPU out of a sea of options is easier said than done, especially when you have to factor in many aspects, such as bottleneck, compatibility, in-game performance at different resolutions, etc.
To that end, we took the liberty of doing the research for you and put together this in-depth buying guide that lists different options. You’ll find their details, pros and cons, and reviews, which should help you make an informed decision.
- 01Best GPUs for Core i7-12700K
- 02Best NVIDIA GPUs for Core i7-12700K
How we picked the best GPUs for Core i7-12700K
We researched the market and found various options from Nvidia and AMD. We filtered those options based on their price, compatibility, performance, and other features, such as DLSS and FSR. This gave us a list of GPUs that we think are the best to pair with an i7-12700K. We’re always updating our list with the latest information, so if there are better pairings than these, we’ll be sure to update them, so check back with us.
Best GPUs for Core i7-12700K in 2024 – our top Nvidia and AMD picks
- GPU: AD106
- CUDA cores: 4,352
- VRAM: 8GB GDDR6
- Bandwidth: 288.0 GB/s
- Memory bus width: 128-bit
- Bast clock speed: 2310 MHz
- Boost clock speed: 2550 MHz
- Has DLSS 3.5 for extra frame generation
- Performs well at 1080p and 1440p
- Has a 16 GB variant for more VRAM and better performance
- Relatively affordable price point
- Not the best card for 4K gaming
- 8 GB VRAM might not be enough for resource-intensive tasks
If you were searching for the best GPU for i7-12700K, check out the RTX 4060 Ti.
You might be surprised to find the RTX 4060 Ti at the top of this list, but we got up close and personal with it and found that it performs exceptionally at 1080p and 1440p. Check out our in-depth review to learn more.
For starters, this GPU has a base clock speed of 2.31 GHz, which can be increased to 2.54 GHz. Add to this the 4,352 CUDA cores, and you’ve got a powerful GPU that should blow through any graphical or other complex computational tasks you put in front of it.
CUDA cores are designed to process large amounts of data in parallel at pace. What this means for GPUs and gaming is that the more CUDA cores an Nvidia GPU has, the faster it’ll be, and that means better in-game performance and frame generation.
This GPU is also much more powerful than its predecessor, the RTX 3060 Ti. To put things into perspective, the 4060 Ti has 5.5 times better performance than the 3060 Ti at 1080p, high settings, and with DLSS and Ray Tracing on.
Besides that, the RTX 4060 Ti comes in two variants with GDDR6 memory: 8 GB and 16 GB. Having more VRAM to work with is always better, as you can tweak different settings to the max without overburdening the GPU and simultaneously get better in-game performance.
Another neat feature of this GPU is that it can support up to 4 displays and has a maximum resolution of 4K at 240Hz. This means that you can connect multiple monitors for productivity or gaming, and if you have a 4K monitor, this GPU combined with the powerful i7 CPU should deliver crisp 4K.
The RTX 4060 Ti also uses DLSS 3.5, which uses AI to render frames in lower quality and upscale them to the native resolution. What this does is give a boost to your FPS, which can improve the gameplay quality and experience. According to Nvidia, enabling DLSS with Ray Tracing should give you, from a minimum of 49 frames to 130 frames in games like Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.
It is also compatible with PCIe 4.0, which is great as the i7-12700K is compatible with the same and 5.0. So, if you have a previous-generation motherboard, you should be able to pair these two together without sacrificing performance or running into compatibility issues.
While its elder and more powerful siblings might overshadow the RTX 4060 Ti, it doesn’t mean it’s out of the fight. That said, it’s one of the best GPUs for i7-12700K in terms of performance and value.
- GPU: AD104
- CUDA cores: 7,168
- VRAM: 12GB GDDR6X
- Bandwidth: 504.2 GB/sec
- Memory bus width: 192-bit
- Base clock speed: 1,980 MHz
- Boost clock speed: 2,475 MHz
If you’re looking for the best Nvidia GPU to pair with your Intel Core i7-12700K, we recommend giving the RTX 4070 Super a shot, as it showed promising results across different resolutions in our hands-on review.
For starters, this GPU has 7,168 CUDA cores, a base clock speed of 1.98 GHz, and a boost clock speed of 2.48 GHz. Let’s look at what these specifications mean. Its base clock speed should be more than enough to process various graphical tasks without a hitch, and the boost clock speed should make that process even faster and smoother. On top of that, the vast number of CUDA cores should deliver exceptional performance, whether in-game or working on complex training models.
It also features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory, which offers 19-21 Gbit/s compared to GDDR6, which tops out at 1 Gbit/s. What this means in terms of gaming is that you shouldn’t feel any lag or spikes during gameplay. Furthermore, it also allows you to increase your settings without running out of VRAM or compromising on performance.
The RTX 4070 SUPER also uses Nvidia Reflex, which lowers the in-game system latency. It has various settings to choose from, and each further reduces the latency. This makes your gameplay snappier, as the information is registered and processed quickly. This should give you a much-needed advantage in competitive FPS games like Apex Legends, Rainbow Six Siege, Valorant, and Call of Duty: Warzone.
Pairing this GPU with the i7-12700K should result in a fantastic gaming experience at 1080p, 1440p, and even 4K on some titles. While you may see a performance drop at 4K, enabling DLSS 3.5 should help generate more frames. This combination is a solid QHD performer, even more so if you have RT + DLSS on at 1440p.
The power and performance of both these components should complement each other and are compatible with the PCI 4.0 express configuration. However, if you feel like upgrading your motherboard to give you more of an advantage, we’ve got you covered with our best motherboards for i7-12700K guide that has the top picks.
- GPU: Navi 32
- Stream Processors: 3,456
- VRAM: 12GB GDDR6
- Bandwidth: 432 GB/sec
- Memory bus width: 192-bit
- Base clock speed: 1,435 MHz
- Boost clock speed: 2,544 MHz
- Top-notch 1440p performance at max settings
- Good power efficiency
- Comparatively affordable than the RTX 4070
- Lacks in Ray Tracing
- RX 7800 XT offers better performance with a little price difference
If you’re looking for the best AMD GPU to complement the i7-12700K, check out the RX 7700 XT.
This GPU costs less than the RTX 4070 but still delivers on what it promises. It also performed well during our in-house testing; you can check out the results in our in-depth review.
The RX 7700 XT features 3,456 Stream Processors, has a game clock speed of 2171 MHz, and a boost frequency of 2544 MHz. What this means is that this GPU should be fast and efficient enough to deliver excellent in-game performance. However, if a task requires more power, the boost clock speed should come in handy and take care of such scenarios.
This GPU also sports the AMD Infinity Cache technology. This keeps data that is called frequently locally on the GPU, reducing the calls for the same information from the VRAM. Since the data doesn’t need to go back and forth from the VRAM, the bandwidth required is reduced and freed up. On top of that, keeping the data in the cache also speeds up access times.
Furthermore, it has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 192-bit memory interface. What this means is that it should be able to churn out and handle demanding graphic tasks such as video editing, rendering, and gaming. While the 192-bit isn’t preferred over the 256-bit interface, it should provide enough data transfer lanes and speed to deliver good performance.
According to AMD, this is a solid 1440p card, as they have listed a couple of games along with their FPS and Ray Tracing settings. These titles include:
- Dying Light 2 – 75 FPS (RT)
- Forza Horizon 5 – 75 FPS (RT Extreme)
- Overwatch 2 – 208 FPS
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales – 80 FPS (RT Very High)
These results are impressive, even more so when considering that they are in the maximum settings. However, this doesn’t mean 4K is completely out of the equation. While the performance may not be at the same level as cards like the RX 7900 XTX, which we’ve also reviewed in-house, FSR and Fluid Motion Frames should boost 4K performance.
How to pick the best GPU for i7-12700K
There are a couple of factors you need to keep in mind before you select a GPU for your i7-12700K because going for the option with the biggest price tag isn’t recommended. You might not need all that muscle, which could become a bottleneck situation, as the i7-12700K is underpowered for that. So, to help you make an informed decision, we’ve listed some of these factors below.
Performance needs
The first thing you need to consider is your performance needs. Which resolution are you looking to game in? Do you also want to do video editing and rendering with it? These questions will filter the options and help you choose a GPU that compliments the i7-12700K to keep things as balanced as possible.
Going for an overkill GPU, such as the RTX 4090, which we’ve had hands-on experience with, will most likely only put a dent in your wallet, and you’ll find that the CPU is the limiting factor in some scenarios. That said, if you upgrade your CPU to an Intel i9-13900KS, you might find that the 4090 isn’t able to give its all in some scenarios, and that is how it goes.
So, the best approach is to pair the two components with counterparts that are as close as possible in terms of performance to achieve the best performance and value.
Budget
Another important aspect to consider before investing in a GPU is your budget. If you’re only gaming at 1440p and aren’t going to push it to 4K or train deep learning models with it, you probably don’t need the best of the best and can do perfectly well with a mid-range GPU.
Going overboard while you’re building your setup is easy, and the newer and faster tech has its appeal, but unless it is an enthusiast build, it doesn’t need to be decked out of this world. Putting that money towards better RAM, SSD, or a motherboard will be more beneficial in the long term.
Compatibility
It’s vital to ensure that the GPU you select is compatible with your motherboard and can sit comfortably in your casing. If the GPU is too big, it won’t fit, and you’ll have to get a more spacious casing. Also, double-check what PCIe version the GPU runs on. Currently, the latest Nvidia 4000 and AMD 7000 series GPUs use PCIe 4.0, and every PCIe generation is backward compatible. This means you can put these cards on a PCIe 3.0 motherboard without any compatibility issues, albeit at the sacrifice of some performance due to the bandwidth limitations of the older generation.
Is the i7-12700K overkill for gaming?
There is no straight answer to this question because you can game with an Intel i5-9400F at low resolutions, but you’ll be gaming. Whether the i7-12700K is overkill depends on your build, the type of gaming you want to do, and the GPU you pair it with. If this CPU is the strongest component in your build, then it might be overkill, as the other components will bring its performance down.
However, if you pair it with a decent mid-range GPU such as the RTX 4060 Ti or the RX 7800 XT, you should get good performance and game comfortably at 1440p with high and ultra presets. On the other hand, if 1080p gaming is all you want, you could do it with an Intel 10th or 11th-generation card.
