Best CPUs to Buy for the RTX 5070 Ti

The NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti is here. This is the third graphics card to launch as part of the RTX 5000 lineup, hitting the shelves nearly a month after the release of the RTX 5090. This graphics card has been fabled as one of the best value options amongst the 5000-series due to its potential for overclocking. After plenty of testing, we can confirm the performance is incredibly strong. However, we’ll leave the numbers for our review content. This buyer’s guide delves into the best CPUs to pair with the RTX 5070 Ti. After plenty of benchmarking, we’ve rounded up the best CPUs for the RTX 5070 Ti, covering a range of excellent processors.

This series of buyer’s guides looks at the best CPUs, PC cases, and power supplies to pair with the RTX 5070 Ti graphics card. This particular buyer’s guide delves into the best processors, where we’ve tested a diverse range of options that cater to those looking to build a powerful system or those sticking to a budget. We’ll look at each CPU’s specs, performance, and pricing to provide an overview of each processor.

Our Top Pick: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D

Unsurprisingly the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is our top pick as the best CPU for the RTX 5070 Ti. The reason why comes down to its exceptional gaming performance. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the go-to processor for gaming thanks to its 3D V-Cache which pushes framerates much further compared to non 3D V-Cache CPUs. Needless to say, if you’re looking to push your RTX 5070 Ti with some 4K gaming, the 9800X3D is the CPU we recommend pairing up to reach excellent framerates.

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The Best CPUs for the RTX 5070 Ti

1. AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D

Unsurprisingly, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D appears again in one of our buyer’s guide roundups. Because of its unrivalled performance, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is our go-to recommendation for a gaming PC build. The 3D V-Cache is what makes the 9800X3D so strong. This cache acts as blazing-fast storage for the CPU, allowing the processor to read, write, and execute instructions incredibly quickly. This means it thrives in games where there are many instructions all at once.

Regarding the specs, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D features eight cores and sixteen threads, which is ample for gaming. Its core count does mean it’s not that strong of a competitor within threaded workloads, but we imagine the vast majority of 5070 Ti users will likely be gaming moreover building a workstation PC. The boost clock maxes out at 5.2GHz, which is ideal for gaming, but enthusiasts can also push this further with some overclocking, a first for the 3D V-Cache SKUs.

Performance-wise, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is at the top of its class when it comes to gaming. Its boost clock speed makes it a force to be reckoned with in AAA titles, and the 3D V-Cache only pushes its performance further, aligning it with CPUs like the Ryzen 9 9900X and Intel Core Ultra 9 processors. This means the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a solid pickup for those planning on playing games at 4K with the RTX 5070 Ti.

As we’ve alluded to in this section, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D’s more notable weakness is its capability within multi-core workloads. While eight cores will be sufficient for some light video editing or Photoshop, this CPU struggles in more burdensome applications, where a CPU like the Ryzen 9 9900X would thrive due to its higher core count.

2. AMD Ryzen 5 9600X

Our second pick in this roundup is the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X. The 9600X is an interesting option because, despite being a fairly cheap processor, it offers exceptional value versus its market alternatives. There are two main reasons for this; the first is its incredibly low power budget. The Ryzen 5 9600X is highly efficient, and with significant improvements over its Ryzen 7000 predecessor, it only consumes an impressive 65W. Because of this, its thermals are easily managed with a low-end cooler, saving you some money.

The second reason is its boost speed. The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X has a max speed of 5.4GHz, and thanks to its low power budget, it can sustain this relatively easily. This makes the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X an excellent pickup for gaming, especially if you’re playing at 1440p and 4K. The Ryzen 5 9600X is a great gaming processor, especially if you’re sticking to a budget.

Moving onto the specs, the Ryzen 5 9600X offers six cores and twelve threads with a max cache of 38MB. It is also overclockable, making it a solid option for those willing to tinker with overclocking. This can be easily done by using an application like Ryzen Master, allowing you to maximise the performance of your RTX 5070 Ti system.

In terms of weaknesses, as expected, the Ryzen 5 9600X is not an excellent CPU for much more than gaming. Six cores are ample for a gaming PC, but pushing the Ryzen 5 9600X with something like 3D Modelling or Rendering won’t yield great results. We recommend sticking purely to gaming if you pick up this CPU.

3. AMD Ryzen 7 9700X

Our final recommendation in this buyer’s guide roundup is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X. If you’re looking for a little more oomph than the Ryzen 5 9600X, then we recommend the Ryzen 7 9700X. This processor offers eight cores and sixteen threads, providing better mileage in challenging multi-core workloads and better responsiveness and performance if you multitask while gaming.

Much like the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, the 9700X offers a reasonably low power budget, resulting in solid thermals across the board. Furthermore, because of this power budget, the Ryzen 7 9700X can sustain its 5.5GHz clock speed, making it an ideal pickup for 1440p and 4K gaming when paired with the RTX 5070 Ti.

While the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X was priced relatively high, with a $400 MSRP, subsequent price drops have made the Ryzen 7 9700X much more affordable since its launch. Available at the time of writing for $312, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is pretty price competitive and worth considering if you’re looking for a solid mid-range CPU.

I think the Ryzen 7 9700X’s biggest weakness is its value proposition. You can pick up the Ryzen 5 9600X for less money, and for a bit more, the 9800X3D becomes available, which trounces the Ryzen 7 9700X in terms of performance. While this is a powerful CPU, its market positioning isn’t exceptional compared to alternatives on the market.

Performance

In this section, we’ll examine the performance of the CPUs we recommend in this buyer’s guide. Our in-house benchmarker, Harry Coleman, rigorously tests our data to ensure accuracy and fairness. The CPUs shown in the benchmarks below have been tested in a range of games and workstation-style applications to see how they perform across single- and multi-threaded workloads.

Battlefield 2042 4K High

Our first gaming benchmark was Battlefield 2042, in which we dialled the resolution to 4K. Unsurprisingly, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D came out on top with a 105FPS average, followed by the Ryzen 7 9700X with 95FPS and the 9600X at 84FPS. Overall, the results are pretty close here, but it’s evident that the 9800X3D is a better pickup for those with high refresh rate displays.

Marvel’s Spiderman Remastered 4K High

In Spiderman Remastered at 4K high, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 7 9800X3D were much closer in framerates than other benchmarks. The 9800X3D leads the fore with 109FPS, only two frames above the 107FPS of the Ryzen 7 9700X. The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, unfortunately, sits towards the bottom of the graph with a 93FPS average.

Spiderman Remastered is a fairly intense game, which is likely with the 9800X3D and 9700X are so close in this benchmark, but it’s great to see that the 9700X can still hold a candle to the performance of this 3D V-Cache CPU.

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Moving onto synthetic benchmarks, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D again comes out on top with a score of 23432 in this threaded run. The multi-core benchmark utilises all of the available cores, which for the Ryzen 7s are eight cores and sixteen threads, so it’s not a shock that they beat out the Ryzen 5 9600X. Compared to the rest of the market, all of the CPUs in this roundup aren’t multi-core titans, but both Ryzen 7 options offer much better performance than the Ryzen 5 9600X, which is primarily built for single-core processes.

Cinebench R23 (Single Thread)

In our single-thread benchmark, the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X soars towards the top of the graph with an impressive score of 2180, compared to the 2144 from the Ryzen 7 9700X and 2104 that the Ryzen 7 9800X3D was able to output. While the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a strong competitor in games, its raw single-core performance isn’t as solid as some of the other low-end Ryzen 9000 processors.

3D Mark Timespy Extreme

In our final benchmark we fired up 3D Mark’s Timespy Extreme which is akin to rendering a game at 4K. The Ryzen 7 9700X comes out on top compared to the other CPUs in this buyer’s guide with a CPU score of 7531. While this is slightly weaker than the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the overall score bumps up the 9700X, allowing it to take the lead. The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X offered up a CPU score of 5607, which places it in between the 7800X3D and 12600K.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Many Cores Do I Need For Gaming?

On average, most games will only use 2-4 CPU cores at the maximum, but we recommend picking up a CPU with a few extra for additional applications like Discord or web browsers.

Why Are There No Intel CPUs in this Buyer’s Guide?

While Intel CPUs are solid, their current stack of options doesn’t offer great value compared to AMD, which is why our buyer’s guides are more skewed towards Team Red.

Do I Need to Buy DDR5 RAM for these CPUs?

Yes. AMD Ryzen 9000 CPUs are on a DDR5-only platform, so you will need DDR5 RAM.