I am going to be honest with you. One simply cannot overlook the fact that the RTX 2080 is considered to be one of the top GPUs to have come out and it is true that there are faster offerings now available in the market but that does not mean that the GPU is not good enough and does not manage to get the best performance it can possibly deliver.
I have used the RTX 2080 and the 2080 Ti, and I can already tell you that these GPUs are excellent, to say the least. However, much like any other GPU that is powerful enough, a good CPU is a must-have or you are in for a lot of issues such as performance degradation, bottlenecking, and whatnot.
That is why I have taken it upon myself to review the best CPU for RTX 2080. This will help all those who are still in the market trying to find the right CPU. After all, having access to something good is definitely what I would recommend.
I’m going to include some great processors from both Intel and AMD camp, so you do not have to worry about it if you are on either side.
Reviewing the Best CPU for RTX 2080
| Awards | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Best CPU for RX 5700 XT | Buy on Amazon |
|
| Runner Up | Buy on Amazon |
|
| Best CPU for Productivity | Buy on Amazon |
|
| Best Value CPU for RX 5700 XT | Buy on Amazon |
|
| Best Budget CPU for RX 5700 XT | Buy on Amazon |
Thankfully, the CPU market has saturated to a point that if you are out there to find the best CPU for RTX 2080, things are not going to be confusing at all as we have gotten you covered with the latest and greatest CPUs that you can buy for your upcoming build. Let’s not waste more time and get into the process.
Intel Core i7-12700K
Specifications:
- Cores: 12 Cores, 20 Threads. (8P + 4E)
- P-Core Base/Boost: 3.6/5.0 GHz.
- E-Core Base/Boost: 2.7/3.8 GHz.
- TDP: 125W/190W
- Cache: 25MB.
- Socket: LGA 1700.
The first CPU that I am going to talk about should not come as a surprise to anyone. When Intel came out with the 12th generation of processors, a lot of people including myself were confused and worried that this might repeat the same pattern as past Intel processors and we might not get the same experience from the newer generation. However, all doubts were cleared off when the processors came out and the reviews started pouring.
The great thing about the Intel Core i7-12700K is that it is one of the finest processors available in the market. I have featured this review a number of times before in my roundups, and it honestly manages to deliver excellent performance and experience every single time and that is something that you should be looking into.
Now, one of the things that I do love about this CPU is how it is so aggressively priced. You do not get to see CPUs that are priced like that all the time. So, this time around, this is something that we definitely are getting.
In terms of the performance, I am more than happy to report that the Intel Core i7-12700K can easily go ahead and match the much more expensive and hotter i9 12900K. Which is not something that can be pulled off easily. The best part is that there are not a lot of caveats either, so if you have been worried, this is not the case that you are going to go through. Since I am talking about the performance here, you would be happy to know that both the single and multi-threaded performance on this CPU is excellent, to say the least, which is great for those who are into gaming and some creative work, too. The CPU can more than easily handle everything, to a point that you will not have to worry about anything that might come in the way.
The Intel Core i7-12700K also brings full support for latest and greatest standards such as the PCIe 5.0 and DDR5, as well. What’s even better is that the CPU is very good at overclocking, making it an excellent option and on top of that, the power efficiency of the CPU is also very, very improved as opposed to some of the older models.
Honestly, at this point, I do not have any issues with the Intel Core i7-12700K, but I would like to point out that the CPU does draw more power than the competition, so it is better to only pair it with a system that has a good quality power supply.
Overall, I am more than happy to report that the Intel Core i7-12700K is one beast of a CPU that can more than complement your RTX 3080. If you have been looking for something that is solid, the best thing that you can do is get your hands on this CPU and you will not regret it at all as it more than delivers the performance.
- An excellent price.
- Can easily match i9 12900K in terms of gaming performance.
- The single and multi-threaded performance is excellent.
- Supports PCIe 5.0 as well as DDR5.
- Can easily be overclocked.
- The power efficiency is greatly improved.
- Draws more power than the competition.
Intel Core i5 12600K
Specifications:
- Cores: 10 Cores, 16 Threads. (6P + 4E)
- P-Core Base/Boost: 3.7/4.9 GHz.
- E-Core Base/Boost: 2.8/3.6 GHz.
- TDP: 125W/150W
- Cache: 25MB.
- Socket: LGA 1700.
The next processor that we are looking at is again from Intel and this time around, you are looking at what most would call the best gaming processor in the market and for the simplest reason that Intel has managed to come a long, long way from where it started and has been delivering some excellent CPUs, too. The entire Core i5 lineup in general is considered to be the best for anyone who is looking to get their hands on a mainstream gaming PC that more than delivers great performance.
With that said, the Intel Core i5 12600K is the processor on the bench and it definitely is one of my favorite CPUs. If you do not want to get something that is expensive and high-end, then investing in this CPU is more than enough and you will be surprised by the price you are paying for this CPU. I do not remember the last time I have seen such an excellently priced CPU, to be honest.
Price aside, the Intel Core i5 12600K more than lives up to the legacy and delivers ground-breaking performance in almost every case, to a point that you really do not have any problems using this CPU, either. If you have been searching for something that is good, this is the processor that you should be going for and you will be all happy with it. I tested a lot of games and other tasks and the processor never really failed me. Proving itself on more than one occasion.
However, the one thing that surprised me the most was the fact that in terms of the overall performance, the Intel Core i5 12600K takes the i9 11900K and wipes the floor with it. This is not something that we get to see every day but Intel clearly has done a phenomenal job and you are not really going to regret it, either. If you have been after something that is good and solid overall, then getting this processor is definitely the right thing to do.
With that said, another thing that I do have to appreciate about the Intel Core i5 12600K is the fact that this CPU and the platform are both more future proof as opposed to some of the other offerings. So, in case you have any plans of moving to a higher end and faster motherboard without spending more money, you can easily do that.
I do not have any issues with this processor, to be honest, as it delivers more than satisfactory performance. However, I would mention that if you have been looking to overclock this beast, the overall power draw is going to increase.
Overall, the Intel Core i5 12600K serves as perhaps one of the best gaming CPUs that you can buy. If you have been looking for something that delivers top of the line performance and that too, without flinching even for a second, then this is the CPU that you should be going for as it will not be disappointing in any case. I would wholeheartedly recommend this amazing offering.
- Unbeatable value for money.
- Great overclocking potential.
- Massive performance increase over the previous generation.
- Future-proof platform.
- Power draw increases significantly when overclocked.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
Specifications:
- Cores: 12 cores 24 threads.
- Clock Speed: 3.7 GHz base and 4.8 GHz boost clock.
- TDP: 105W
- Cache: 64MB.
- Socket: AM4.
The next processor that we are going to take a look at is something special from AMD. It is safe to say that after going through a tumultuous time, AMD managed to rise up and quickly became one of the best companies out there, releasing some of the finest CPUs. Sure, the earlier generation of Ryzen CPUs did go through some ups and downs but over the past couple of years, AMD has become a force to be reckoned with and if you have been looking for some truly exceptional products, then this is the way to go.
The processor in question is the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and for those wondering, this actually is one of best CPUs that AMD released in a long, long time and while many would debate that this CPU does not hold as well as some of the other offerings, the great thing is that you are still looking at something that is going to deliver excellent value for money and the price to performance ratio, too.
First things first, with 12 cores and 24 threads, this CPU is a monster that delivers class-leading performance in both games as well as other productivity and creative tasks. So, if you have some rendering to do, you will be more than happy to know that the performance in all of these tasks is excellent and does not show any signs of slowing down, either.
What’s more is that you are getting some really nice power efficiency with the CPU, so if you have been worried that you might not get the experience that you are looking forward to, that is not going to happen here. Whether you are running single-core tasks or multi-core tasks, the CPU is going to be more than enough in those cases.
AMD has also done an excellent job at ensuring that the CPU remains power efficient, which this one truly is and you do not even need a new motherboard or an entirely new platform.
As far as the downsides are concerned, I honestly do not really have a lot of issues with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X. I believe that it is one of the best CPUs that you can buy right now. However, I would mention that you are going to need a good cooler to adequately cool this one down and if you are looking for more overclocking headroom, this might not be the best one.
Overall, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is more than satisfactory as it delivers great performance across the board and is not going to cost you a lot of money, either. For anyone who wants to get something that is good and powerful, this is the right CPU to go for.
- The performance remains amazing.
- Great single and multi-core scores.
- The power consumption is not a lot.
- You can still use your existing AM4 motherboard.
- Requires a decent cooler.
- Hot a lot of overclocking headroom.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
Specifications:
- Cores: 6 cores 12 threads.
- Clock Speed: 3.7 GHz base and 4.6 GHz boost clock.
- TDP: 65W
- L3 Cache: 32 MB.
- Socket: AM4.
For anyone who is looking forward to something that is good and delivers great overall performance, we are now shedding light on something from AMD. The great thing about the company is that over the past couple of years, it has realized the potential to release some amazing processors. For those wondering, just like we have the Intel Core i5 series, we have something similar from AMD, too in the name of Ryzen 5 series; value-oriented processors that deliver exceptional performance and are not going to break the bank, either.
With that said, the processor that I have on my hands is the legendary AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, just like the Core i5 12600K brings excellent value to the table, this one does so as well and we are not going to lie, the performance here is on par with some of the finest processors in the market, so if you have been looking into some great performance, this is the one that you should be going for.
With that said, I am happy to report that gone are the days when AMD Ryzen CPUs were struggling from bad performance as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X manages to excel in gaming performance and that too, with ease. Not just that, both single and multi-threaded applications work brilliantly and we did not run into any issues, either with the overall experience of the CPU.
Another great thing is that if you are worried about a lot of heat being generated, then there is nothing to stress over as the CPU manages to remain cool even under stress and cooling is not that difficult either since it is a lot easier to cool than one might think. Moving further, AMD has done an excellent job with the overall power efficiency of this CPU, so if you have been worried that you might not get the right experience, that is not something that will be happening.
You are also getting support for PCIe Gen 4, along with other stuff such as bundled cooler, and support for both 400 and 500 series motherboards, so as far as that is concerned, you are safe in that department, as well.
As far as the downsides are concerned, I honestly do not have much to complain about. The Ryzen 5 5600X serves as one of the best CPUs that you can get in the market. However, manually overclocking this CPU is not as easy as one might think.
Overall, I would say that the Ryzen 5 5600X presents itself as a great value CPU that is better than what most would think. If you have been looking for something that offers good performance and a great value for money, this is the way to go.
- Unbelievable value for money.
- Great speeds in all tasks.
- Easy to cool.
- Modern connectivity and hardware support.
- Manual overclocking is not as easy.
Intel Core i5-12400F
Specifications:
- Cores: 6 Cores, 12 Threads.
- P-Core Base/Boost: 2.5/4.4 GHz.
- TDP: 65W/117W
- Cache: 7.5 MB.
- Socket: LGA 1700.
The last CPU that we are looking at is rather special, to be honest. Intel has made some major waves with the 12th generation of CPUs and I can already tell you that for those who have been looking at great value for money and performance, at the same time. Getting Intel processors is the right thing to do as it is not going to let you down, to be honest. Therefore, if you genuinely want something good, getting an Intel right now is the right thing.
The processor in question is the revered Intel Core i5-12400F, a budget-oriented offering that aims to deliver an excellent value for money while being able to power through all the games and tasks that you would throw at it and honestly, the CPU is not disappointing at all.
Now, the best thing is that this CPU might have the best price to performance ratio that I have seen in a long, long time. Thankfully, the gaming performance is just as good and there are some massive gains in single-threaded applications for those who want to go that route. You are also getting great energy efficiency, so if you do want to be conscious, it should not be an issue.
The CPU is also bringing low temperatures, along with full support for DDR4, DDR5, and PCIe 5.0. Not to forget, the 10-nanometer process only increases the efficiency even further.
As far as the downsides go, I cannot really find a lot of faults in this amazing processor aside from the fact that the multiplier-based overclocking is not going to work as this is not a K series CPU.
Overall, the Intel Core i5-12400F is one of the best processors that anyone can buy in the market. It is cheap, affordable, runs cool, and delivers great performance at the same time. This is surely not something that will disappoint you.
- The value for money is unbeatable.
- Great performance in games and other applications.
- Very, very easy to cool.
- Supports all the modern standards.
- Easily available.
- Multiplier-based overclocking is locked.
Conclusion
I do understand that finding something good for the RTX 2080 can be a confusing ordeal and that is never a good experience for anyone but if you have been looking for something that genuinely is good in terms of the overall performance, this list of the best CPU for RTX 2080 is going to help you get the most out of your experience.
That is why in this roundup, I have added the best CPUs that you can find for RTX 2080; the CPUs in the list are from every single price range, so you do not really have to worry about ending up with a CPU that simply is not good enough as we have only added the best ones that there are.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have been gaming for almost 24 years with extensive knowledge of all platforms and the gaming industry, in general. With interests in literature, art, gaming, and PC hardware.