Best CPUs to Buy for the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT

Suggested Article: Best AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT Graphics Cards to Buy in 2023

Our Recommendations

1. Intel Core i5 13400F

👑 The best budget CPU for the 7700 XT.

First up is the Core i5 13400F. We’ve taken a look at this CPU before in a full review, and overall we were pretty happy with the price to performance metrics. The 13400F offers a solid set of cores, allowing you to engage in some productivity applications. It is worth keeping in mind that there will be better options for complex multi-core workloads. On the gaming front, the 13400F is an awesome mid-range CPU, capable of handling 1440p without any problems. It does get beat out by other CPUs with stronger clock speeds, but for the most part, it holds itself up pretty well versus the alternatives.

Key Specs

Key Specs	Intel Core i5 13400F
Core Count	10
Thread Count	16
Base Clock Speed	2.5GHz
Boost Clock Speed	4.6GHz
Max Turbo Power	148W
Overclockable	No

Things We Like

Competitively priced: The 13400F is very well priced right now, and is likely to drop even further once 14th-Gen releases. Consumers can pick this up for $200 or less, which is pretty solid for a mid-range CPU.

Great for budget gaming: The 13400F isn’t the most capable CPU, we’ll leave that to the likes of the 13600K. However, if you’re looking to play games at 1080p and 1440p, you won’t have any issues.

Things We Don’t Like

Will struggle with 4K: The 13400F is pretty capable, but we found that it lacks the capability to handle 4K gaming. The 7700 XT has some pretty decent legs at 4K, so we’d recommend looking at alternative CPUs if you plan on pushing your system with 4K.

Better options for multi-core workloads: Intel upgraded all of their 13th-Gen range with more cores, equipped to handle multi-core workloads. Consumers that plan on utilising productivity applications during the day will want to take a look at other CPUs with higher core and thread counts.

Summary

Where to Buy

Buy the Intel Core i5 13400F on:

2. AMD Ryzen 5 7600X

👑 The best 1440p CPU for the 7700 XT.

Next up is the 7600X, AMD’s budget overclockable Ryzen 7000 option. During the initial launch of the AM5 platform, AMD’s CPUs weren’t received incredibly well. But with some maturity and lower prices, they’re actually worth taking a look at versus a number of other market alternatives. The 7600X in particular is one of the strongest options, offering excellent single core metrics. Multi-core workloads do become a problem for this chip based on its measly six cores, but if you’re just planning on gaming, this shouldn’t be much of a problem.

Key Specs

Key Specs	AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
Cores	6
Threads	12
Base Clock Speed	4.7GHz
Boost Clock Speed	5.3GHz
Total Cache	38MB
TDP	105W

Things We Like

Perfect for gaming: The enhanced clock speeds of the Ryzen 7000 range makes them all perfect for gaming. The 7600X is more than capable of 1440p gaming, and when paired up with the right graphics card, can easily handle 4K too.

Competitively priced: The Ryzen 5 7600X comes in around the $200 mark, not too dissimilar from the 13400F. This CPU is definitely worth considering if you’re being price conscious.

Things We Don’t Like

Runs incredibly hot: Due to the boosting behaviour of the new Ryzen 7000 CPUs, thermals will reach their peak before the boost clock goes up, which means you’ll want to pick up a solid cooler.

Motherboards and RAM are still pricey: The new Ryzen 7000 motherboards and DDR5 RAM have dropped in price since their initial release, but not enough for them to be considered cheap. If you are on a budget, your options may be limited.

Summary

Where to Buy

Buy the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X on:

3. Intel Core i5 13600K

👑 The best multifaceted CPU for the 7700 XT.

For our third recommendation, we’ve picked out the Core i5 13600K, a firm favourite in the GeekaWhat office. The 13600K was somewhat of an underdog during the initial 13th-Gen launch, cementing itself as the best value option within the entire range. This CPU offers both strong single and multi-core metrics, making it ideal for gaming or workstation usage. It also comes in at a pretty competitive price point too, which is why it brings such great value to the market. This CPU is a massive winner for those looking to build a mid-range system, but are being a bit tighter with their budget.

Key Specs

Key Specs	Intel Core i5 13600K
Total Cores	14
Total Threads	20
Max Boost Clock Speed	5.1GHz
Cache	44MB
Max Turbo Power	181W
Socket	LGA1700

Things We Like

Excellent multifaceted performance: The Core i5 13600K is more than capable in both games and workstation applications. The solid core and thread count combined with high clock speeds, makes this chip awesome for those that need a productivity and gaming system.

Not too expensive: This CPU comes in around the $270 which I’d say is fairly reasonable considering the performance metrics. It is highly likely to drop in price even further once we saw the release of 14th-Gen processors on the market.

Things We Don’t Like

About to be an EOL product: Rumours suggest that 14th-Gen CPUs are just on the horizon, which means that any 13th-Gen products are likely to be end of life products, with the new options taking the limelight.

Overkill for most consumers: Although we love the 13600K, it just isn’t necessary for most consumers. Those looking to play games at 4K, can pick out a cheaper or older CPU option to ensure games run smoothly.

Summary

Where to Buy

Buy the Intel Core i5 13600K on:

4. AMD Radeon Ryzen 7 7700X

👑 The best mid-range Ryzen 7000 CPU for the 7700 XT.

The last CPU in our roundup is the Ryzen 7 7700X, an awesome mid-range CPU that provides a slight upgrade versus its Ryzen 5 sibling. We’ve recommended this CPU a number of times in different buyers guides, and it is a worthwhile option for those building a mid-range system. Consumers are able to leverage the strong set of cores and threads, providing solid multifaceted performance. The 7700X also has decent clock speeds, sitting at 5.4GHz, which means the 7700X has pretty strong single core performance too, making it perfect for gaming.

Key Specs

Key Specs	Intel Core i5 13600K
Total Cores	14
Total Threads	20
Max Boost Clock Speed	5.1GHz
Cache	44MB
Max Turbo Power	181W
Socket	LGA1700

Things We Like

Can easily handle 4K gaming: The strong clock speeds of the 7700X, makes it perfect for gaming. Single core performance is arguably the most important metric for high framerates, so the 7700X definitely has you covered.

Can be overclocked: If you’re looking to gain a little bit more performance from your system, overclocking is a great way to do this. The 7700X can easily be overclocked to provide you with some more frames if your favourite games.

Things We Don’t Like

Not better than the 13600K for workstation applications: The 7700X has a decent core count, and should be able to handle itself when it comes to productivity applications, but there are better CPUs, like the 13600K that can handle this better.

Pricing isn’t great: The Ryzen 7 7700X comes in above the $300 mark, which is quite expensive for a CPU of this stature. I’d say the majority of consumers will want to wait for this processor drop in price during a sale before it becomes worth picking up.

Summary

Where to Buy

Buy the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X on:

How Does the 7700 XT Perform?

In this section, we’ll briefly be delving into the performance of the 7700 XT. We’ll be taking a look at some gaming benchmarks at all of the three main resolutions, to see how this new GPU performs versus the market alternatives.

Starfield @ 1440p

For our first benchmark, we fired up Starfield, Bethesda’s brand new space RPG title. In this game, performance is definitely suppressed, resulting in weaker framerates from the entire suite of cards that we’ve tested. However, while performance could’ve been better the average output of the 7700 XT (which was 74FPS), was pretty decent overall. Consumers can expect pretty big disparities in framerates in this game, so we were just happy to consistently sit above 60FPS.

Warzone 2 @ 1080p

First off in Warzone 2 at 1080p we saw the 7700 XT absolutely top the charts, beating out the likes of the Radeon RX 6800, and the 4060 Ti. Framerates sat just above the 144Hz mark, which is perfect for those that need super-fast response times, coupled with buttery smooth gameplay. There’s not much else to say here, the 7700 XT is clearly capable of 1080p, and this is clearly represented in this benchmark.

@ 1440p

At 1440p, we saw a pretty similar situation, with the 7700 XT even beating out the RTX 4070 in this instance. Average framerates sat just below the 144Hz mark, with the 7700 XT offering around 137FPS which I’d still argue is pretty strong. It is also worth noting that all of the NVIDIA cards were using DLSS in this benchmark and the 7700 XT still managed to beat out these cards.

Apex Legends @ 1080p

In Apex Legends at 1080p the RX 7700 XT offered up a framerate of around 209FPS which is pretty exceptional. Gamers will be able to enjoy a buttery smooth refresh rate with no hindrances. 202FPS is more than you can really ask for, and clearly demonstrates that the 7700 XT is more than capable at this resolution.

Why You Can Trust Us

Whenever we get our hands on a new component or product at the GeekaWhat office, our team of PC hardware experts instantly get to work testing and evaluating it. After putting it through various gaming and productivity benchmarks, the results are used to create an extensive overview. In this overview, we’ll compare the product in question’s quality, value, and features to the rest of the market.

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How We Tested the Best CPUs for the 7700 XT

In order to test and evaluate the CPUs for the 7700 XT, there are a number of factors that we take into account, these are:

• Gaming Performance
• Workstation Performance
• Thermals
• Upgrade Paths
• Platform Longevity
• Value for Money

Conclusion

Frequently Asked Questions