Best GPU for AMD Ryzen 9 3950X in 2020

The Ryzen 9 3950X from AMD is one powerful CPU, packing 16 cores and 32 threads. Pairing this incredible piece of kit with a decent GPU is a sure way to create quite the capable gaming PC. We've rounded up the best GPUs to pair with the Ryzen 9 3950X, depending on your budget and monitor resolution.
Best AMD for 4K
There's no reason not to go all out with an AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT if you can afford it. It's one of the best GPUs we have from AMD thus far and is more than capable of solid 1440p gaming, as well as some 4K too. Thanks to the solid architecture and 8GB of GDDR6 RAM, this XFX example is an excellent choice for dedicated gamers.
EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC Ultra Gaming
Best NVIDIA for 4K
The RTX 2080 Ti from NVIDIA is an incredible GPU. It may cost more than complete PC builds, but there's an excellent reason for that. It's capable of genuinely spectacular 4K gaming, especially when partnered with a CPU like the AMD Ryen 9 3950X.
Best AMD for 1440p
XFX's AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is a great mid-tier GPU for gaming at 1440p. With 6GB of GDDR6 RAM, it's able to crank out millions of pixels on-screen with most visuals settings turned up to their limits. It's not quite capable of 4K, but if you're on 1440p or plan to upgrade to such a monitor later, this is a great choice.
Best NVIDIA for 1440p
One of our favorite GPUs right now is the RTX 2060 SUPER from AMD. It's the best value GPU you can get at the moment, thanks to similar performance numbers to a 1070 Ti with ray tracing and 8GB GDDR6 RAM to boot. For 1440p gaming, this is the GPU to get from team green.
Best AMD for work
If you're working from home and don't need a capable GPU, but one that allows you to enjoy using some software and play a few games on the side at 1080p, look no further than the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT. It supports PCIe 4.0, has 8GB of GDDR6 RAM, and this XFX card has two speedy fans to keep everything cool.
Best NVIDIA for work
The GTX 1060 SUPER isn't an RTX card, and as such, you don't get dedicated ray-tracing components, but this GPU offers good value at the budget end with 6GB of GDDR6 RAM and enough power to handle games at 1080p. It'll cope at 1440p if you turn some settings down, but for work and some play, this is a sound option.
Choosing the right GPU
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Should you be rocking a monitor with FreeSync, you'll want to pick up an AMD GPU. The same goes for G-Sync and NVIDIA graphics cards. Then it's a case of what resolution you play at and how much you have available to splash out. If we were to recommend a new GPU right now, it would be the XFX AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT RAW II or EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC Ultra Gaming. They're the most expensive on our list, but are by far the greatest GPUs.
If you're on a tight budget, are working from home, or have a 1080p display, the GTX 1660 SUPER or RX 5500 XT are great options. They will struggle to run some games on max settings and you will need to buy a better GPU — like something from our best graphics card roundup — if you upgrade to a 1440p display, but they're great entry-level gaming cards.
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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.