Best GPU for Ryzen 5 5600X in 2024 – our top picks

The Ryzen 5 5600X is a powerful CPU that can handle demanding tasks and high-quality gaming. However, to fully utilize its capabilities, you need a compatible graphics card. With the high GPU demand nowadays, you would need to surf the web for a long time to find the best option.

So, to help you out, we did the research and put together this guide that lists multiple options available on the market. You’ll find their reviews, which we wrote after thoroughly testing them, specifications, details, and pros and cons in this guide. So, whether you’re building a gaming setup or a content creation rig, this guide will help you make an informed decision.

Products at a glance

How we picked

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. 

In addition, we also conduct rigorous in-house testing of the cards. This gives us insight into how they’ll perform across various scenarios, whether in gaming or professional tasks. 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. If you’re interested in learning about our testing process, head over to the PC Guide Testing lab for more details.

Our top picks

We chose this graphics card as our top pick because, in our RTX 3070 review, it achieved excellent gaming results, and its synthetic performance was neck and neck with the RTX 4070 in Fire Strike Ultra.

To start with, the RTX 3070 is built on NVIDIA’s Ampere architecture, which is last-gen. It comes with 5,888 CUDA cores, which are the units responsible for processing your game’s graphics. With this number of cores, you can expect smooth visuals while gaming. 

Further, the card is forged on Samsung’s 8nm processor with a base clock speed of 1,500 MHz and a boost clock of up to 1,750 Mhz for 14 Gbps effective memory. However, for this list, we have selected the Asus Dual NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 V2 OC, which comes with slightly higher speeds of 1,770 MHz and 1800 MHz. 

As far as memory configuration is concerned, you get 8GB GDDR6 VRAM on a 256-bit memory bus. Now, while 8GB VRAM may not sound like a lot, it’s a decent number to get good performance for 1080p and 1440p gaming. 

Coming to the cooling setup, the GPU features two Axial-tech fans with long blades and a barrier ring that increases downward air pressure. Further, you also get a stop mode, which halts the fans when the card’s temperature falls below 50 degrees.

As for in-game performance, the RTX 3070 still delivers a solid gaming experience. We tested the card on Cyberpunk 2077 at ultra settings (with DLSS disabled). On average, the card managed to deliver 98 FPS at 1080p and 62 FPS at 1440p, which are solid numbers. However, the card struggled at 4K and could only deliver 27 FPS. 

If you want to use NVIDIA’s Ray Tracing and get this card at a discount, then you can grab it. You can expect it to deliver solid 1080p and 1440p gaming performance. However, if you’re looking to game in 4K, then you might want to consider the RTX 4070 cards.

What users say

On Amazon, the Asus Dual NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 V2 has a 4.7-star rating, and it has been reviewed by over 350 people. Most users were satisfied with the performance and quality of the product. A user review says, “This gpu has been a very good choice of mine. It is a dual OC gpu that fits alot of smaller cases, consumes a good amount of power in a good way and performs very well.” However, people had mixed opinions about the noise of the cooling fans. A few users mentioned that the fans were noisy when the GPU was pushed hard.

If you prefer an AMD card for your build, the RX 7600 XT is a good choice. This card is meant for 1080p gaming, which, considering the specs, it can accomplish very well. However, in our AMD RX 7600 XT review, we found out that it also performs well when it comes to 1440p gaming. 

To start with, the AMD RX 7600 XT packs in double the memory pool of its predecessor for a competitive rate. The GPU comes with 16GB GDDR6 VRAM and sports a 128-bit memory interface, which, as you can imagine, speeds up performance. 

Further, the GPU delivers a base clock speed of 2,539 MHz and a boost clock speed of 2,810 MHz, which is slightly faster than the original AMD card. 

For this list, we have selected the GIGABYTE Radeon RX 7600 XT Gaming OC GPU, which has a 3x fan cooling system. Much like the name suggests, the GPU comes with three fans, which should deliver effective cooling when the card is under load. Plus, as these fans have RGB lights on them, it adds to the “gamer” aesthetic. 

To be more specific, we found that the RX 7600 XT was strongest in Full HD, which achieved 60fps or higher in the majority of cases when gaming natively. Naturally, as with the likes of the RTX 4060, you’ll want to engage FSR and Fluid Motion Frames (frame generation) where possible for the much-needed FPS boost. 

We found this card was easily able to chew through The Finals, Doom Eternal, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage without issue, but your mileage may vary if trying to dial brand-new releases up to the max. Considering the sub-$350 price tag, though, there’s a lot to like here.

What users say

On Amazon, the GIGABYTE Radeon RX 7600 XT Gaming OC GPU has 4.7 stars. Most users were satisfied with the performance and quality of the product. “Overall the 7600XT is working pretty will. And the Gigabyte logo make a fine touch to my PC,” said one of the product reviews. However, a few users mentioned that they though that 6700 XT offered better value. 

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ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 4070 Super OC Edition

Hands-on Review

4 /5

Editor’s Rating

How We Review

Specifications

• GPU: AD104
• CUDA cores: 7,168
• VRAM: 12GB GDDR6X
• Bandwidth: 504 GB/s
• Memory bus width: 192-bit
• Boost clock speed: 2595 MHz

What We Think

If you want the latest NVIDIA architecture (Ada Lovelace) with the current-gen Ray Tracing and DLSS, then the RTX 4070 Super is a good investment- especially if you want to future-proof your build.

Reasons to Buy

•  Powerful 1440p performance
•  DLSS 3 Frame Generation
•  Competitively priced

Reasons to Avoid

• Still expensive for a mid-range GPU

• Shop on Amazon
• Shop on Best Buy
• Shop on NewEgg

If you want a GPU that performs well without draining your bank balance, then we think that the RTX 4070 Super is a great choice. In our testing, we found this card excelled across the board in both 1080p and 1440p, even doing well enough in 4K if you can utilize DLSS 3 Frame Generation. For more details, read our dedicated RTX 4070 Super review.

To start with, the video card features 20% more CUDA cores than its predecessor, the RTX 4070, with no price increase, meaning it can do a lot more without costing you anything extra. To be more specific, the GPU comes with a total of 7,168 CUDA cores, which quite a jump from the base RTX 4070 card.

Further, the RTX 4070 Super comes with a base clock speed of 1,980 MHz and a boost clock speed of 2,480 MHz. However, the variant that we have selected for this list, which is the ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Super OC, raises those numbers to 2565 MHz (Default mode) and 2595 MHz (OC mode).

Coming to memory configuration, the graphics card offers 12GB GDDR6X VRAM on a 192-bit memory bus, which is the same as the base card. With a 12GB VRAM, you can expect the GPU to process high-resolution textures smoothly. 

To give you a bit more insight, we found this card was especially impressive in more well-optimized games such as Doom Eternal, The Finals, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Framerates above 100fps were common in Full HD and Quad HD, and 4K60 was possible more often than not, with a couple of expectations. Considering the price point, we think this GPU is a stellar buy.

What users say

On Amazon, the ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Super OC GPU has a rating of 4.7 stars, and over 500 people have reviewed it. Most reviews mentioned that the GPU delivers great performance, has good build quality, and efficient cooling. 

One of the reviews sums it up as “THIS 4070 Super from ASUS is also more reliable in MY opinion because ASUS uses much better quality chips/capacitors/etc. which also, admittedly, makes them somewhat more expensive. Far more reliable in all my builds than most other brands.”

However, a few reviewers thought that the card was quite pricey.

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AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT

Hands-on Review

4.5 /5

Editor’s Rating

How We Review

Specifications

• GPU: Navi 32
• Stream Processors: 3,840
• VRAM: 16 GDDR6
• Memory bus width: 256-bit
• Bandwidth: 624.1 GB/sec
• Base clock speed: 1,295 MHz
• Boost clock speed: 2,430 MHz

Reasons to Buy

• It has excellent 1440p performance
• It can push 4K
• Better performance to value ration than RTX 4070 Super

Reasons to Avoid

• It isn’t the best card for creative purposes
• It doesn’t have as good Ray Tracing results as Nvidia cards

• Shop on Amazon
• Shop on Newegg
• Shop on Best Buy

You might be surprised by this selection and think that this card is too powerful for the 5600X, but these components combined should deliver excellent in-game results at 1440p. We can say this with certainty, as during the testing for our RX 7800XT review, it managed to churn out decent frame rates in demanding games and had a decent performance in synthetic benchmarks as well.

That level of performance is courtesy of its 3,840 stream processors, a game frequency of 2,141 MHz, a boost frequency of 2,430 MHz, and 60 Ray Accelerators. If you’re wondering what these specifications mean, it means that it packs plenty of hardware under the hood to handle any title you throw its way without worrying about performance degradation.

Combined with the processing power of the 5600X, it should be able to churn out excellent frames at 1440p, and AMD even labeled it as the “Ultimate 1440p card”. On top of that, it has 16 GB of GDDR6 VRAM with a 256-bit memory interface. What this means is that you should be able to crank up the in-game visuals without running out of memory or turning down other graphics settings.

The card we got our hands on was AMD’s reference model, and it measures 10.5 x 4.4 x 2 inches (LxWxH). However, depending on the third-party manufacturer, these dimensions could be bigger or smaller if they choose a low-profile or triple-fan design. So, you might need to invest in a larger PC case to accommodate it comfortably.

This is important because if the GPU is cramped, the airflow could get restricted, meaning it could overheat and thermal throttle, which will reduce its performance. So, we recommend opting for the best full tower PC case combined with powerful 140mm case fans to ensure adequate cross ventilation to keep your components and GPU running cool.

Regarding its performance, we loaded up various titles to see how it would fare. In Cyberpunk 2077, it managed 140, 91, and 39 FPS at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolution with ultra settings. On the other hand, well-optimized titles like Doom Eternal managed 362, 280, and 153 FPS in the same three resolutions. That said, with Ray Tracing enabled, the FPS dropped but still remained very much playable with 237, 173, and 95 FPS.

So, depending on the title, you can even play games at UHD resolution, and these tests were done natively, so you can even use FSR to boost the in-game FPS further.

Overall, the RX 7800XT is an excellent graphics card to pair with the Ryzen 5 5600X. It costs less than Nvidia alternatives and has excellent in-game performance, as we saw during our in-house testing.

What users say

According to Amazon reviews, this is an excellent card as it has great performance and doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket. One reviewer said: “My review it plays any game out . All the games i play i max out all the setting in the game and it still get the same FPS. I am not a card tuning expert i left it all in the default mode works well.”

If you are tight on budget and need a high-performing GPU for your build, then you can check out the RX 6700 XT. 

To start with, the RX 6700 XT comes with 4608 Stream Processors, which are the building blocks that handle the visual workload. A higher core count means that the GPU can process more instructions simultaneously, which results in smoother frame rates and better overall performance.

Further, the PowerColor Fighter AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT offers up to 2580 MHz boost clock speed, which should deliver smoother gameplay and quicker response times in fast-paced games.

Coming to memory, the GPU offers 12GB GDDR6 VRAM, which is better than a GPU with 8GB VRAM. Now, more VRAM means more room for the GPU to store high-resolution textures and complex game assets readily available. For gamers, this means that the GPU would prevent stuttering and enable smooth visuals.

Much like other AMD GPUs, the RX 6700 XT also comes with AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution  (FSR), which upscales lower-resolution games and delivers near-native image quality. With this, you can play demanding games at high frame rates with a boosted frame rate. 

Further, you also get Ray Tracing, as the GPU comes with dedicated Ray Tracing cores. When enabled, your games will have stunning visuals with detailed shadows, reflections, and global illumination.

Overall, the RX 6700 XT strikes a good balance between performance, features, and value – especially for a Ryzen 5 5600X build.

What users say

On Amazon, the PowerColor Fighter AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT graphics card has a 4.4-star rating, and it has been reviewed by over 650 people. Most people mentioned that this was an amazing card for the price point. One of the reviewers said, “I have no problem with a previous generation card. The price on this one was acceptable and I have been blown away by the improvement.” People also spoke positively about the compact size, which makes it easier to fit it into small builds. However, a few users reported buggy performance. 

How to pick the best GPU for Ryzen 5 5600X

If you want to get the best gaming performance out of your AMD Ryzen PC, there are a few extra things you need to consider. 

Clock speed

High-refresh-rate gaming is going to be beholden to the chipset’s clock speed, whether that be its base frequency or the boost clock. Unlike newer chips, the 5600X doesn’t quite excel to far-flung frequencies with its 4.6 GHz max boost, and the base clock speed of 3.7 GHz is a far cry from today’s processors in 2024. However, it remains an excellent value for budget-conscious gamers who are still on the AM4 socket and a top choice for one of the mid-range or high-end video card configurations featured in our roundup.

VRAM and memory bus

Enthusiasts are likely going to benefit from a GPU with additional VRAM and a larger memory bus for bigger bandwidth, but with the understanding that the CPU could be the bottleneck in this respect. For this reason, we think that the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super is the ideal choice to pair with the card over a higher-end RDNA 3 equivalent such as the RTX 7900 XTX. That’s for those who want top-tier performance in 1440p.

However, we would be leaving out those on a tight budget who want to enjoy AAA gaming without gutting their machines. That’s where the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT and 6700 XT fill the gap well in the mainstream to mid-range space, for which Nvidia doesn’t have too many options. It comes down to the larger memory pools of GDDR6 memory, with larger memory buses at a more affordable price bolstered by FSR where appropriate.

Advanced features

Other than the above specs, you should look for advanced features like AMD FSR or NVIDIA’s DLSS to further enhance your gaming experience. You can also look for ray tracing, which improves visual immersion. Newer GPUs, like the RTX 40-series offer an improved version of these technologies like DLSS 3.

Is the Ryzen 5 5600X good for gaming?

Despite its age, the Ryzen 5 5600X remains a solid CPU for gaming even in 2024 thanks to its 6 cores and 12 threads, which means it’s perfectly able to do 1080p and 1440p gaming with little risk of bottlenecking.