Best CPUs for RX 7900 XT in 2024 – top picks from Intel and AMD
We can’t deny AMD has a lot of gamers that love their products. And the RX 7900 series may even win over Nvidia fans with its performance-per-watt and lower cost. And if you’re picking up the smaller sibling, you’ll want one of the best CPUs for RX 7900 XT in your system.
Products at a Glance
If you’re thinking about or already have an RX 7900 XT GPU, then matching it with the best CPU in the market should be your priority right now. That’s why we’ve made a list of the best CPUs for RX 7900 XT.
The 7900 XT is a 20 GB, GDDR6 graphics card, built under the Navi 31 version of the RDNA 3 architecture. This GPU, according to AMD, achieves a 50% generational improvement in performance-per-watt, with Team Red using a TSMC 5nm node to give life to this card. In conclusion, this state-of-the-art GPU needs an equally powerful CPU to deliver every bit of power it has to give.
How we picked the best CPU for RX 7900 XT
We do as we say. We’ve considered a vast list of features in the candidates before we select them as a top pick. Among the features we use to pick the best chipset for the RX 7900 XT are: power consumption, clock speed, cache memory, price, socket type, compatibility, and cores.
You certainly won’t want a CPU that’s too old. But, you needn’t necessarily pick an AMD CPU to go with your 7900 XT either. We’ve considered Intel and AMD CPUs, to pick the best options for you.
If you’re interested in more RX 7900 XT articles, then head over to our RX 7900XT review, or our RTX 4070 vs RX 7900 XT comparison guide. Looking for more desktop processor recommendations? Then, check out our best budget CPUs article.
Product Reviews
- Great overall performance
- Incredibly efficient (performance-per-watt)
- Best 7000 series for cooling
- Can run hot
The RX 7900 XT is the second AMD flagship of this gen of graphics cards behind the 7900 XTX. So while specs are reduced by a little, this increases the possibility of more easily selecting a CPU for the card compared to the XTX version. However, some things never change, and to get the best performance out of this GPU a Ryzen 9 (the 7900 X) is the best option.
AMD has truly brought the processing power to new levels on the AM5 platform through the Ryzen 9 7900X. This CPU is the newest technology available on the market, featuring PCIe Gen-5 compatible motherboard sockets. Team Red also doubled the L2 Cache from 512KB from the previous gen to 1MB. This change alone, allows the processor to achieve some incredible performance.
Moreover, the most impressive aspect of this CPU is the clock speed. With 8 cores and 16 threads, the CPU achieves a 5.6GHz boost clock speed. All of this delivers its fans incredible single-threaded and multi-threaded improvements in performance, and means it’s swift enough to serve your new card, and is top of our best CPUs for RX 7900 XT list.
It’s almost as if AMD developed both the Ryzen 7000 series and RX 7000 series to best suit one another!
- Great multi-thread performance
- Up to 5.8 GHz boost clock speed
- Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0
- Pricey
Although the RX 7900 XTX is the highest GPU in he family, the XT is still a high-end GPU, so it needs the best processors to achieve its endeavors. The In Core i9-13900K is that option.
This CPU not only is capable of great gaming performances thanks to its single-thread punch but is also the best one for productivity work. Intel’s capacity to create powerful multi-thread processors gives this chip the lead in that matter.
The i9-13900K can handle a vast variety of tasks thanks to the 8 cores and 16 threads running at a 3.0 GHz base clock, and 5.8 GHz maximum boost clock. It also has a big 36M Cache memory. All of that while it only draws 125W of power. It consumes less than the AMD counterpart.
For a long time, Intel has been losing the CPU battle but ever since they bring to the world the hybrid architecture, every new “Lake” generation has increasingly demonstrated how it’s done. If content creation and multi-thread tasks are what you look to achieve with your rig, this is the best choice.
- The highest cache memory
- Gaming specialized CPU
- Great price tag
- Low clock speed
- Workstation tasks needs won’t be met
AMD is always ahead of the game when it comes to budget builds. This time, to match the power of the RX 7900 XT without breaking the bank, we show you the Ryzen 7 5800X3D.
This is a gaming-specific CPU, and it will ensure the best performance of the graphics card when it comes to gaming. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D has 8 cores and 16 threads and runs at a base clock speed of 3.4GHz and a boost clock speed of 4.5Ghz. Newer CPUs have higher core counts and frequency speeds, but they don’t have what the 5800X3D has: 96MB of 3D V-cache.
The increase in the L3 cache makes this CPU run unlike any other, and these original cache levels allow this CPU to be the perfect gaming processor. However, great performance is not maintained across all tasks.
If you’re planning to get some productivity tasks done on your rig, this CPU won’t help you too much. The downside of a high cache is that it becomes unstable at high clock speed, and that is not very good for managing workstation tasks.
- High clock speeds
- Amazing cache memory
- Very high-performance
- Bad power management
- Runs hot
We’ve talked about the top-of-the-line Intel CPU, so why wouldn’t we recommend the best Ryzen CPU as of now? The Ryzen 9 7950X counts with 16-cores and 32 threads, 64 MB of cache, and a base/boost clock speed of 4.5GHz/5.7GHz.
The Ryzen 9 7950X is the fastest processor that AMD has created to date, though it is also the most expensive. This processor is the apex of AMD’s expertise in creating state-of-the-art technology.
Power consumption seems to be the Achilles heel of this CPU generation, and this processor has a TDP of 170W – which is quite high for what we’ve been used to seeing. Power is even more incredible when we consider the 230W TDP when the CPU is at its high clock speeds. This basically means that you’ll need a pretty beefy CPU cooler to keep this thin nice and cold, and a solid PSU for this and your 7900 XT to get power from.
It will pair very nicely with your new XT of course, just be aware that heat and power are prime considerations.
- Competitive price
- Good overclocking potential
- Runs warm
Continuing down our list of the best CPUs for RX 7900 XT, we arrive at this offering from AMD. The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X processor is a powerful 8-core CPU that delivers excellent performance for gaming, multitasking, and content creation.
This CPU is designed for the AM5 socket motherboard and uses the latest Zen 4 architecture. It comes with a base clock speed of 4.5 GHz and can be boosted to 5.4 GHz, making it one of the fastest CPUs out right now. It also comes with 32 MB of L3 cache for smooth performance.
This AMD Ryzen processor is unlocked for overclocking, so you can boost its performance even further. It also supports PCIe Gen 5 technology, which allows you to take advantage of the latest high-speed storage drives and graphics cards.
All in all, the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X desktop processor is a great choice for gamers, creators, and anyone who wants a powerful and versatile processor to pair with their RX 7900 XT.
Features and considerations
It’s important to find the best CPU in order to match the RX 7900 XT’s power and speed. To succeed in this endeavor the first thing to consider should be the CPUs ability to achieve high clock speeds. This will avoid bottlenecks and stuttering.
Secondly, you should consider getting a CPU with a high Cache memory. The cache is a very fast internal memory that is built into the processor and is used to store data. A larger cache can improve the processor’s efficiency since it allows it to access data more quickly.
Another aspect to consider is Power consumption. This is the amount of power that a CPU consumes can affect the overall energy efficiency of your computer, as well as its cooling requirements. If you are concerned about power consumption, you may want to consider a CPU with a low TDP (thermal design power), indicating how much power it consumes.
Our Verdict
The RX 7900 XT is ready to deliver some of the best performance you’ve ever seen. And to achieve that you must be able to match it with an equally strong CPU; each one of the processors selected in this list is more than capable of providing great performance, and in fact, there’s no way you get bottlenecked with any of these chips. All of these PC components are great for content creators and gamers alike.
If you want the best of the best, you’ll need to consider expending some money to get the Ryzen 9 7950X or the Intel i9-13900K. These processors will ensure the best performance but they come packed with a high price. On the other hand, the main reason why we pick the Ryzen 9 7900X as ruler of our best CPUs for RX 7900 XT list is the performance-per-price ratio.
We consider this a smarter decision to get the best performance for your buck on a tighter budget, especially as you’re opting for a more affordable new-gen option with your graphics card.