Best GPU for AMD Ryzen 3 3100 in 2020

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X (Image credit: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central)

AMD's Ryzen 3 3100 isn't a high-end CPU, yet comes equipped with four cores and eight threads. That's plenty of performance for gaming, so long as you pick a viable GPU. Whether you want to game at 1440p or 4K, we've rounded up some excellent GPUs for you to choose from.

XFX AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT RAW II

XFX AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT RAW II

Best AMD for 4K

The AMD Ryzen 3 3100 isn't the most capable processor around, but it's certainly no slouch. Pairing it up with an RX 5700 XT is a sure way of creating one awesome gaming PC. The GPU itself isn't quite as good as an NVIDIA RTX 2080 or 2080 Ti, but it'll handle 4K gaming with but a few settings conservatively set.

EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC Ultra Gaming

EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC Ultra Gaming

Best NVIDIA for 4K

NVIDIA came out with the RTX 2080 Ti to allow PC gamers to enjoy titles on the platform as developers intended. With this GPU installed, you can pretty much play any game at high settings on a 4K monitor and be blown away. It's pricey, but well worth it if you can afford one.

XFX AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT RAW II PRO

XFX AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT RAW II PRO

Best AMD for 1440p

The RX 5600 XT is similar to the 5700XT, but is better suited for 1440p gaming. With 6GB of GDDR6 RAM, you've got ample performance here for high-resolution gaming, and the Ryzen 3 3100 will be more than capable of keeping up.

ASUS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER

ASUS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER

Best NVIDIA for 1440p

The RTX 2060 SUPER from NVIDIA is a "super" GPU. It's the best value proposition from NVIDIA's current GPU line-up, and is about as good as a GTX 1070 Ti from last generation, but with ray tracing support and a more affordable price tag. There's even 8GB of GDDR6 RAM for good measure.

XFX THICC II Pro AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT

XFX THICC II Pro AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT

Best AMD for 1080p

1080p gaming may not look as good as 1440p or 4K, but this is where plenty of gamers enjoy their games at super-high frame rates. With smooth gaming in mind, the RX 5500 XT from AMD would be a good match for the Ryzen 3 3100 with support for PCIe 4.0 and 8GB GDDR6 RAM.

MSI GAMING X NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER

MSI GAMING X NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER

Best NVIDIA for 1080p

There are plenty of GPUs to choose that are more affordable than the GTX 1660 SUPER, but they won't run games at 1080p anywhere near as well. This is a solid 1080p GPU at an affordable price tag.

Choosing the right GPU

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Picking the right GPU should largely come down to your available budget and what resolution you plan on gaming at. You shouldn't really buy a 2080 Ti for a 1080p monitor unless you plan on updating the display later or have one that supports a 240Hz refresh rate. There's also the fact to consider sync technologies. AMD FreeSync monitors work better with AMD GPUs, while the same goes for NVIDIA G-Sync and its GPUs. And you don't necessarily need the absolute best graphics card.

If you plan to play games at 1440p or 4K at a later date, you will need to get something like the XFX AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT RAW II or EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC Ultra Gaming. These two GPUs will let you game at either resolution, though the 2080 Ti is vastly more expensive and powerful.

It's possible to save money without sacrificing performance too much with our mid-tier suggestions. Going with either the XFX AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT RAW II PRO or ASUS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER will allow you to enjoy your favorite titles at 1440p. They're affordable and they won't cause any issues when paired up with an AMD Ryzen 3 3100.

Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.