NVIDIA's beastly RTX 3080 brought our lofty dreams of gaming at 4K with smooth framerates to reality for the first time when it launched in late 2020, and ever since then, it's remained one of the best high-end graphics cards that money can buy. Though it's been outperformed by newer NVIDIA and AMD GPUs, it's still a top option, with gradual price drops over time ensuring it's still competitive.
Like any card, the RTX 3080 needs a strong CPU to fuel it with processing power. My top pick right now is the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D at about $449; it's widely considered the best CPU for any gaming PC, but it'll shine especially bright when paired with an RTX 3080. There are plenty of other options from which to choose, including picks from Intel.
January 13, 2024: I've refreshed prices and added new information about AMD and Intel CPUs to help you make the right decision. — Cale Hunt
Best overall
AMD's "Zen 5" Ryzen 7 9800X3D launched in 2024, but unavailability and scalped prices have it far above what you should realistically pay. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the next best thing from the "Zen 4" era, offering 3D V-Cache to improve performance in all games. It's still readily available for around $449, and it's the best CPU to pair with an RTX 3080.
Best for AM4 holdouts
If you're upgrading to an RTX 3080 with a PC that has an AM4 motherboard, consider picking up the excellent Ryzen 7 5700X3D. It, too, has AMD's 3D V-Cache, making it a perfect choice for gaming. I'd love to recommend the 5800X3D, but it's sold out everywhere and the 5700X3D offers similar performance at only about $216.
Best elite AMD
The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X with 3D V-Cache? Yes, it's just as awesome as it sounds. With this monster of an AM5 processor, you get the best CPU gaming performance in the world along with very strong productivity horsepower. Note that AMD has announced the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, expected to launch in Q1 2025. Until then, you can still get the 7950X3D for about $750.
Best non-X3D AMD
With prices coming in at around $470, the Ryzen 9 9900X is a great way to land a powerful AM5 chip for less money than X3D alternatives. It doesn't have AMD's 3D V-Cache for a boost to gaming performance, but it's nevertheless a stellar option for games and productivity with 12 cores and a 64MB L3 cache.
Best value Intel
Intel looks to have cleaned up the microcode issues causing 13th and 14th Gen desktop chips to fail, making the Core i5-13600K a tempting choice if you're buying on a tight budget. It's usually available for about $219, and you'll be hard-pressed to notice a performance difference between the pricier Core i5-14600K.
Latest Intel
Intel's new Core Ultra 9 285K desktop CPU brings an NPU for AI PCs with a 125W TDP, and it otherwise delivers efficient productivity performance and solid gaming abilities. It's the right choice if you want the latest from Intel, but it does require a new motherboard using the LGA 1851 socket. It's usually available for about $600.
I've been cobbling together budget PCs and spending too much on powerful systems for about 20 years, and combined with my experience testing and reviewing PC hardware for Windows Central, I can confidently offer informed PC buying advice.
Choosing the best CPU for NVIDIA's RTX 3080
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Even though it's about four years old at this point, NVIDIA's RTX 3080 is still a fantastic graphics card for gaming in 4K at a smooth 60 FPS, even with settings turned up. It's also awesome for driving high-performance 1440p gameplay, as well as for use with ultrawide monitors.
All of the processors I listed above are some of the best CPUs you can pair with an RTX 3080, but I urge any gamers to check out the Ryzen 7 7800X3D or Ryzen 7 9800X3D. These two chips are the best you can buy for gaming, though the newer 9800X3D is out of stock for the foreseeable future with scalpers taking over. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is currently cheapest at Best Buy for about $449, though its continued popularity causes prices to fluctuate.
Windows Central Senior Editor Ben Wilson reviewed the Ryzen 7 7800X3D in 2023, remarking:
"Early impressions of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D show it middling in productivity benchmarks, but extra cache and clever power management bolster incredible gaming performance. True to its word, AMD has specifically targeted gamers with this affordable powerhouse."
If you'd like to better balance productivity performance in your PC, something like the Ryzen 9 9900X remains a top option. It's only a bit more than the Ryzen 9 7900X, yet it brings improvements in nearly all categories.
Intel vs. AMD: Which to choose?
Looking at our Intel Core Ultra 5 245K review and Core Ultra 9 285K review, it's clear that Intel has focused more on efficiency and productivity performance than gaming for its latest chips. Worsening the situation were five major issues affecting Arrow Lake-S chips, as discovered by Intel. When I wrote about these issues in December 2024, Intel claimed it had resolved four of the major issues. How much these fixes affected performance remains to be seen, as many users claim there are no changes.
That's not to say something like the Core Ultra 9 285K I recommend won't be able to handle gaming. It's just that AMD's X3D chips remain far ahead of Intel in terms of the best CPUs for gamers.
You might also be a bit hesitant to buy a 13th or 14th Gen Intel desktop CPU after its microcode fiasco that was causing chips to fail. The issue was identified by Intel, and a fix via BIOS updates to motherboards began rolling out in early August 2024. You should be alright buying one of these CPUs as long as you have the latest motherboard BIOS installed, but you can avoid the whole thing by going with AMD.
AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D launched on November 7, but limited availability so far keeps it out of this roundup. I'll update once stock settles down and scalpers run out of steam.
