Best CPU & GPU Combos to Buy 2025

Looking for the Best CPU and GPU combo to buy? This article is for you! I’ll be walking you through some of the best combinations that the 2025 market has to offer. The choice of CPU and GPU is key to getting the most out of your system, get this choice right and your PC will have the legs to crush the latest AAA titles for the years to come.

We’ve tested numerous CPUs and GPUs to see which combinations thrive together, which combos to actively avoid and, most importantly, which combos are worth your money. All of the combos we’ve picked out today have been tested in-house and selected with a view to minimising system bottlenecks and maximising not only performance but price to performance too. The combinations below are in order of recommended resolution, starting with the more budget-friendly 1080p pairings, right the way up to the high-end 4K options.

Best 1080p CPU & GPU Combos

1. AMD Ryzen 5 7600 & NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060

Though the most affordable combo in our guide today, the Ryzen 5 7600 and RTX 5060 still pack a significant punch, comfortably soaring to ultra-high framerates at 1080p and offering a smooth gameplay experience in the latest titles. This pairing acts as a true value-for-money powerhouse, maximising performance whilst minimising cost.

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is currently priced comfortably below MSRP. With 6 cores and 12 threads, a base clock speed of 3.8GHz, which is pretty quick for a single-threaded activity, and a boost clock speed of 5.1GHz, the 7600 offers a lot of bang for your buck. For games that are more CPU-focused, this CPU will hold up fairly well.

The GPU we are testing is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, which is a mid-range card offering 8GB of GDDR7 VRAM on a 128-bit memory bus. Though capable of playing select titles at 1440p, this GPU is best placed at 1080p, as 8GB just isn’t enough nowadays for 1440p gaming.

At the current time of writing this, I am seeing the RTX 5060 predecessor, the RTX 4060, on sale for around $70 more than MSRP, whereas the RTX 5060 is readily available for its MSRP price of $299. For that $70 price difference, you can pick up the new generation of this card, offering stronger specs and better compatibility for newer game releases. Whilst you are still getting only 8GB of VRAM, which will struggle when put to the challenge of 1440p, you benefit from the newer GDDR7, which runs at a 30% faster speed than the inferior GDDR6.

In Apex Legends, we saw FPS averages of 230 at high graphics settings, while Cyberpunk 2077 sat at around 120 FPS, and Marvel Rivals had a comfortable average of 100FPS. Both surprising and welcome yield of results, this is not the case of “you pay for the quality you get”; this combo holds up its own, and you shouldn’t feel the need to upgrade or replace them for a good few years.

2. AMD Ryzen 5 7600 & AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB

This duo are a good match for each other at 1080p, but they are a very even match at 1440p, having enough processing power to keep the RX 9060 XT fed with data in nearly all 1440p gaming scenarios, without dramatically bottlenecking the system performance. It’s important to note, however, that this combo is specifically for the 16GB model of the RX 9060 XT, not the 8GB. The RX 9060 XT is a model we recommend avoiding.

Again, coming in with the AMD Ryzen 5 7600, we recommend this CPU because it is on the more affordable side and because it is going to be a long-lasting component. It comes equipped and ready to support PCIe 5.0 and the latest DDR5 memory, improving data transfer rates for the GPU and RAM. Also, this CPU is overclockable; it can be boosted up to 5.1GHz, a higher-end clock speed, meaning lower latency and smoother frames, especially at 1080p, where the CPU can be a limiting factor.

With an MSRP price difference between the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 of just $50, the RX 9060 XT offers a considerable performance uptick. For just $50 more, you can pick up a graphics card that not only offers better performance but also stronger specs and better future-proofing. And, with double the amount of VRAM, it can comfortably handle 1440p.

When we tested Alan Wake, the RX 9060 XT 16GB had an average of 96 FPS, considerably better than the 9060 XT 8GB at 66 FPS. You are getting 30 more frames just because you doubled the VRAM, making your gameplay noticeably smoother.

Apex Legends at 1080p saw FPS of 252, and when compared to its rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, we saw an increase of 20 frames per second when paired with the same CPU. The RX 9060 XT 16GB averaged an additional 10 frames per second in Cyberpunk 2077 and an impressive 46 frames more per second in Marvel Rivals when compared to the RTX 5060; all at 1080p high, rasterisation only presets.

Best 1440p CPU & GPU Combos

3. AMD Ryzen 5 9600 & AMD Radeon RX 9070

For around $750, you can pick up this fantastic pairing, which should provide you with some confidence, as not only does it hold up well for 1080p, but also 1440p. The AMD Ryzen 5 9600 has a base clock speed of 3.8GHz, and an impressive boosted clock speed of 5.2GHz with overclocking, which is just starting to push the boundary of what the typical modern-day PC has, edging you towards having a higher-end PC for less.

The RX 9070 is the GPU choice for this combo, not to be confused with the RX 9070 XT. For an MSRP price of roughly $550, the RX 9070 is a strong mid-range card, capable of playing at all 3 of the common resolutions relatively comfortably. Whilst often overshadowed by the standout of the RDNA 4 lineup, the RX 9070 XT, the RX 9070 still offers considerable value if it can be found for MSRP. As is seemingly always the case with AMD GPUs, purchasing them for a reasonable price can be tricky, but should you be successful the RX 9070 is arguably the strongest true 1440p GPU on this list.

The RX 9070 boasts a great set of specs and critically provides gamers with that all-important 16GB VRAM, making light work of the latest triple-A titles at 1440p. Capable of performing at 4K too, had its bigger brother, the RX 9070 XT not been released for just $50 more, we imagine this GPU would have been much more popular.

These powerful components performed well together at 1440p with high graphics settings. Our testing found that Marvel Rivals reeled in an average of 120 FPS, which is 30 FPS more than the previously presented combo, and it provided a significant performance uplift. Hogwarts Legacy, a very graphically demanding title, achieved 133 frames per second on average, all thanks to its 16GB of VRAM. Finally, we recorded that Cyberpunk 2077 was able to hold just under 140 FPS.

Best 4K CPU & GPU Combos

4. AMD Ryzen 5 9600X & NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti

Now we are entering the higher-performing and higher MSRP category, where these components can effortlessly achieve 4K gaming. This combo comes to a total of around $1000 at MSRP pricing. With an astonishing base clock speed of 3.9GHz, this CPU is the successor to the previous combo’s CPU, and it is a very even match for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti.

This is an immensely capable GPU; it can do ray tracing, is DLSS 4 compatible, and can make use of the new multiframe generation. These are important features because they either help make games more realistic with real-time shadows and lighting visuals, or they dramatically improve the performance with built-in machine-learning pre-rendering the next batch of frames before they’ve even appeared on screen!

Cyberpunk 2077 had 148 frames at 1440p high graphics, Marvel Rivals at 1440p brought in about 133 frames per second; however, at 4K high it averaged 82.6 frames per second, which is a 38% frame decrease as it is more intensive on the GPU with higher graphics settings. Enable frame generation, however, and this improves dramatically. NVIDIA continues to prove why they are industry leaders with their AI tech here. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 reached around 165 FPS at 1440p, and Hogwarts Legacy at 4K high pulled in 89 FPS. All around a strong performance.

Before you set your heart on this GPU, make sure to evaluate whether the next combination is better for you. Despite being impressive and having some pretty technical features, there may be some factors that need to be considered more.

5. AMD Ryzen 5 9600X & AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

This combo comes in just shy of $900 at MSRP and offers great performance when compared to some of the more expensive pairings! Again, this combo is an even match, which is great for those who value performance and don’t wish to spend as much on components. This CPU is the same as the CPU from the previous pairing, so the focus will be more on the GPU for this one.

The RX 9070 XT has become the standout performer in the mid to lower high-end section of the market. Regularly punching above its weight and outperforming cards that are considerably more expensive at MSRP, the RX 9070 XT is a GPU worthy of all its plaudits. Proving that VRAM isn’t always the be-all and end-all, the RX 9070 XT with its GDDR6 memory regularly outperforms the GDDR7-based RTX 5070 Ti at rasterised settings.

Factor in upscaling tech, and AMD have come on leaps and bounds in recent months and now offer a far more competitive solution. Whilst NVIDIA and the introduction of their multi-frame generation remain the go-to solution for upscaling and raytracing tech, the RX 9070 XT is still a more than capable GPU in this area.

Now for the statistics, which is where you can see just how marginal the difference is. Cyberpunk 2077 recorded 147 FPS, which is an astonishing 1 frame difference per second when compared to its RTX 5070 Ti rival! With Marvel Rivals at 1440p high graphics, the RX 9070 XT achieved 139 frames, which is 6 frames more than the previous combo Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a game that we found this graphics card lagged on a little, with an average of 154 FPS which is, of course, 11 frames less than its counterpart.

Finally, we did some 4K testing to push these cards a little harder. We tested Apex Legends at 4K, putting the RTX 5070 Ti in the lead with a respectable 16 frame difference. Next, we put them head-to-head with Marvel Rivals, with RX 9070 XT getting about 5 more frames per second, both still getting over 80 FPS overall.

6. AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D & NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080

These are now the more expensive end of the recommendations that we have. If you want the best performance that the market can offer, then look no further. Our first combo had an MSRP total of $1400-$1500.

Our CPU choice for this combo is the seemingly ever-present Ryzen 7 9800X3D, and for good reason. Simply put, this is the world’s fastest gaming CPU. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has become a staple in our high-end builds, much like the rest of the gaming community. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the go-to choice for any high-end gaming PC, and other than the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, nothing else even gets close. With healthy clock speeds, strong core and thread counts, on top of being the first generation of overclockable X3D chips, the 9800X3D is the best choice and one of, if not the strongest, product releases of the last few years.

What better GPU to pair with the world’s fastest gaming CPU than what is, in our opinion, the fastest “mainstream graphics card” on the market currently. With plenty of memory and an adequate amount of VRAM of 16GB, more than enough to game comfortably in 4K, the RTX 5080 is another great GPU from NVIDIA. With a specs list longer than my arm, compatibility with all of the fancy bells and whistles NVIDIA offers, at an MSRP cheaper than the preceding RTX 4080, the RTX 5080 is a stellar option.

This GPU offers 105 frames a second in comparison to the previous NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti pairing, which did about 97 frames per second at 4K graphics. We recorded 96 FPS at 4K high in Cyberpunk 2077 and over 100 frames per second in Hogwarts Legacy, giving you a very smooth gameplay experience in a graphically intense game! Overall, this GPU offers extremely smooth graphics and is certainly worth considering for your setup.

7. AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D & NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090

Again, for this recommendation, we are going with the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, and this is because it is the fastest gaming-focused chip on the market right now. If you want a performant but well-rounded CPU, we’d recommend looking at either the Intel Core Ultra 9 or the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and 9950X3D. The two Ryzen 9 X3D chips in particular provide similar gaming performance but with extra cores accounting for tasks like media creation and rendering.

This GPU is incomparable, for every test we conducted, this RTX 5090 topped the charts, and this is all thanks to it having 32GB GDDR7 VRAM on a huge 512-bit memory bus with an insane number of CUDA, RT and Tensor cores. Partner this up with DLSS 4, bringing that multiframe generation and enhanced Ray Reconstruction, and the RTX 5090 is truly in a league of its own. AMD haven’t been able to get close, let alone top the RTX 5090, which is why this is our highest performing recommendation.

This new king of 4K offers glorious performance, being the current most powerful consumer GPU on the market. A true gaming monster, so to speak. When we tested some games at 4K, we saw results that blew all the competition out of the water. Cyberpunk 2077 performed at an average of 149 FPS, Hogwarts Legacy at 148 FPS and Marvel Rivals had an average of 145 FPS. Truly amazing, and we recorded these results without using any of the extra features this card offers..

Video