The Best CPUs to Pair with the RTX 4080 SUPER

The team at GameRant has made a tiered guide of the best CPUs in play to pair with the RTX 4080 SUPER in 2024 for a variety of use cases with a focus on performance, value for money, and efficiency.

The Best CPUs to Pair with Nvidia’s RTX 4080 SUPER

Intel Core i7 14700KF 20-Core, 28-Thread CPU

The Best Overall CPU To Pair With The RTX 4080 SUPER

The Power-hungry All-Rounder

Brand

Intel

CPU Model

Core i7 14700KF

CPU Socket

LGA 1700

Cores

20 (8P + 12E Cores)

Threads

28

Architecture

Raptor Lake Refresh

Process

Intel 7 (10 nm)

Base Clock Speed

3.4 GHz

Boost Clock Speed

5.6 GHz

Cache

28MB L2 + 33MB L3

RAM

Upto 192GB DDR5 RAM

PCIe

PCI-E 4.0/5.0 Support

Graphics

N/A

Power Draw

253W Turbo

Pros

• Excellent multi-core performance in a 20-core, 28-thread configuration
• Works with existing LGA 1700-based Intel motherboards
• High single-core performance making it a great contender for most games in 2024
• Works with both DDR4 and DDR5 memory

Cons

• Considerably more power-hungry than the competition
• Requires users to invest in a powerful cooler to get the most out of it

The Intel Core i7 14700KF comes in a 20-core, 28-thread configuration comprising eight performance-centric P cores and 12 efficiency-centric E Cores. This is four more than its predecessor, making it the only 14th-generation CPU that received a core count bump generation on generation. It offers significantly better value for money than its Core i9 counterpart, which caters to enthusiasts while offering better multicore performance than most of its competitors.

The 14700KF is a great choice along with the RTX 4080 SUPER because of its flexibility as an upgrade option. It works with Intel’s 12th and 13th-generation motherboards as well as the 14th-generation refresh motherboard while offering memory compatibility with DDR4 and DDR5 RAM modules alike. With decent single-core performance driving a good gaming experience and a significant multicore performance uplift versus the previous generation, the Intel Core i7 14700KF delivers excellent value for money versus the competition.

However, it is demanding in terms of thermals, requiring high-end cooling out of the box. It also comes with a significantly higher power draw than its competition, requiring an adequate power supply to keep things going. All in all, the Intel Core i7 14700KF is an excellent CPU for its price tag and a great option to pair with Nvidia’s RTX 4080 SUPER.

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

The Best CPU To Pair With The RTX 4080 SUPER For Gaming

The Best Zen For Gaming

$375 $449 Save $74

Brand

AMD

CPU Model

Ryzen 7 7800X3D

CPU Socket

AM5

Cores

8

Threads

16

PCIe 4.0 Support

Yes, Supports up to PCI-E 5.0

Architecture

Zen 4

Process

5nm

Base Clock Speed

4.2GHz

Boost Clock Speed

5.0GHz

Cache

8MB L2 + 96MB L3

TDP

120W

iGPU

Yes, Integrated Radeon 2 Core

Pros

• The best CPU performance for gaming currently
• Extremely power efficient versus the competition
• Thermally less demanding than its competition

Cons

• Somewhat limited productivity use cases in its price range thanks to its octa-core offering
• Much more expensive core-for-core compared to its competition

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a powerful CPU that focuses completely on gaming as its core market. It currently delivers the best performance of any processor in many titles from 2024 and prior years, earning it a spot as one of the best CPUs for gaming in 2024 even as it continues to offer a superior price-to-performance ratio versus its competition.

The octa-core CPU delivers on its promised performance by leveraging the same stacked L3 cache that its predecessor, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, does. This allows it to offer a much larger and faster cache memory on offer than its competition, including AMD’s non-X3D CPUs, resulting in significant performance gains, particularly for gaming.

For users looking for a more productivity-centric CPU, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D comes up quite short thanks to it having only eight cores. In comparison, the competition offers a higher multiple of the same at similar price points. This also makes it one of the most expensive CPUs core for core in a market where most CPUs offer eight or more cores.

For gamers looking for nothing more than the best tool to max out their gaming experience with the RTX 4080 SUPER, AMD’s offering is superior in terms of speed and much more efficient than many of its competitors, making it a no-brainer pick until a better option emerges.

Intel Core i9 14900KS 24-Core, 32-Thread CPU

The Best Intel CPU To Pair With The RTX 4080 SUPER

Cherry-Picked Raptor Lake Refresh

Brand

Intel

CPU Model

Core i9 14900KS

CPU Socket

LGA 1700

Cores

24 Cores (8 P-Cores + 16 E-Cores)

Threads

32 Threads

PCIe 4.0 Support

Yes

Architecture

Raptor Lake Refresh

Process

Intel 7

Transistors

Unstated

Base Clock Speed

3.2 GHz (2.4 GHz E-Cores)

Boost Clock Speed

6.2 GHz (4.5 GHz E-Cores)

Cache

36 MB L3, 32 MB L2 Cache

PCIe

PCI-E 4.0 and 5.0 Support

Graphics

Intel® UHD Graphics 770

TDP

150 Base TDP

Power Draw

253 W

Pros

• Offers the highest single-core performance from an Intel CPU in 2024
• Overclocks better than similarly configured Core i9 14900K chips
• Delivers excellent multi-core performance out of the box
• Works with existing 12th, 13th and newer 14th generation motherboards

Cons

• Runs extremely hot and needs adequate cooling to perform
• Trades at a significant premium versus the competition
• Draws considerably more power than its competing chips to offer a similar level of performance

The Intel Core i9 14900KS, much like its predecessor, delivers high clocks out of the box in conjunction with a 24-core, 32-thread configuration that consists of 8 performance and 16 efficient cores. It exhibits a peak of as much as 6.2 Ghz on a single core while clocking in at sub-6 GHz clock speeds with adequate cooling.

This, coupled with Intel’s APO performance optimizations in certain games and considerable multicore muscle, makes for a very potent combination as it easily handles both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads. It can run on 12th and 13th-generation Intel motherboards as well as refreshed 13th-generation motherboards that run with Intel’s 14th-generation CPUs out of the box.

To push these higher clocks and performance numbers, Intel’s cherry-picked high-end chips consume a large amount of power versus the competition and are thermally equally demanding, making it challenging to run these without a liquid cooler that can handle them at a higher TDP. For users who want the best Intel experience that money can buy with the RTX 4080 SUPER, the Core i9 14900KS is the only play in town, albeit at a much less attractive price tag than the 14900K that trades for nearly $150 less than its more exclusive alternative.

AMD Ryzen™ 9 7950X3D 16-Core, 32-Thread Desktop Processor

The Best CPU To Pair With The RTX 4080 SUPER For Productivity

16 Cores of Zen 4

$602 $699 Save $97

The 16-core, 32-thread desktop AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor is AMD’s answer to a resurgent Intel 13th generation processor lineup as it attempts to wrest back the gaming crown with the same technology that made the last generation 5800X3D such a powerful CPU.

With 128MB of L3 cache on offer, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D leverages its 3D V-Cache muscle in gaming as well as its powerful new Zen 4-based cores in productivity to make for a potent enthusiast-grade CPU in the offing.

Socket

AMD AM5

Brand

AMD

TDP

120W

Cores

16

Threads

32

iGPU

Yes, RDNA 2

L3 Cache

128MB

Base Clock

4.2 GHz

Boost Clock

5.7 GHz

Pros

• Excellent single-core and multi-core performance
• Considerably more power efficient than the competition
• Can emulate the Ryzen 7 7800X3D’s gaming performance easily

Cons

• Pricier than its immediate competition from Intel

The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D is a 16-core, 32-thread desktop processor that AMD calls a “for creators” product. It offers 16 high-performance Zen 4 cores in addition to a stacked 3D V-Cache on one of the two sets of eight cores, enabling it to offer both high performance in productivity benchmarks as well as excellent gaming performance.

However, it retains AMD’s higher efficiency track record, even at the higher end in terms of performance per watt. It can be configured to emulate the Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU’s gaming configuration and tends to exhibit better results in some titles. What does hold it back somewhat is AMD’s higher asking price. Even at the small discount it currently trades at, it remains at least $100 more expensive than Intel’s Core i9 14900K and in line with the cherry-picked Core i9 14900KS.

While it does scale better with higher-end coolers, it still requires less intensive cooling than its Intel counterparts, which could make users who are planning to run their CPUs for continuous workloads consider AMD’s lower power draw in their overall cost assessment even as it offers a versatile and well-rounded alternative to Intel’s chips which come with beefier power and cooling requirements out of the box.

Intel Core i5 14600KF 14-Core, 20-Thread CPU

The Best Budget CPU To Pair With The RTX 4080 SUPER

Value-Added Rocket Lake Refresh Play

$295 $325 Save $30

The Intel Core i5 14600KF 14-Core, 20-Thread CPU is a powerful mid-range CPU that replaces the last generation Intel Core i5 13600KF with higher clocks on both its performance and efficiency cores.

Like all its siblings, it does offer better performance out-of-the-box versus its predecessors but replaces them at the same price points they sold last year. Unlike the Intel Core i5 14600K, this model trades at a small discount thanks to it skipping out on integrated graphics.

Brand

Intel

CPU Model

Core i5 14600KF

CPU Socket

LGA 1700

Cores

14 (6P + 8E Cores)

Threads

20

Architecture

Raptor Lake Refresh

Process

Intel 7 (10 nm)

Base Clock Speed

3.5 GHz

Boost Clock Speed

5.3 GHz

Cache

20MB L2 + 24MB L3 Cache

RAM

Up to 192GB DDR5

PCIe

PCI-E 4.0/5.0

Graphics

N/A

Power Draw

181W (Turbo)

Pros

• Better single-core and multicore performance versus its predecessor thanks to higher clocks
• Works with existing Intel LGA 1700-based motherboards
• Excellent value for both gaming and productivity use cases
• Much better multithreaded performance than its AMD counterparts

Cons

• Less performance-per-watt versus AMD’s offerings

For users looking for a more budget-friendly option to use with the new RTX 4080 SUPER CPU, the 14600KF – much like its predecessor, the 13600KF – offers significantly better value for money than most of its higher-end alternatives. It offers a 14-core, 20-thread configuration that includes Intel’s updated Raptor Lake Refresh cores as well.

The 14600KF offers excellent gaming and productivity-centric performance alike as it leverages its six performance cores to deliver excellent performance in demanding titles while backing it up with the muscle of its eight single-threaded efficient cores for productivity tasks. It also offers compatibility with Intel’s existing 2021 and 2022-based motherboards as well as the refreshed 14th-generation motherboard that sports the 7XX series chipsets in 2024, making for a plethora of choices for users looking to pair one with Intel’s best-value processor.

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The Best Budget CPUs in 2024

Looking to upgrade your CPU on a budget? Here are our picks for the best budget CPUs you can buy right now!

AMD Ryzen 5 7600

The Best Entry-Level CPU To Pair With The RTX 4080 SUPER

Zen 4 For less

$199 $229 Save $30

The Ryzen 5 7600 is the entry-level, yet very capable, gaming CPU from AMD that features 6 cores, 12 threads, and 32MB of L3 cache. It has a base clock speed of 3.8GHz and a boost clock speed of 5.1GHz. The Ryzen 5 7600 is an unlocked processor with a default TDP of 65W. It also has integrated RDNA 2 graphics and is the cheapest offering in the lineup with an iGPU.

Brand

AMD

CPU Model

Ryzen 5 7600

CPU Socket

AM5

Cores

6

Threads

12

Architecture

Zen4

Process

TSMC 5nm FinFET

Base Clock Speed

3.8 GHz

Boost Clock Speed

5.1 GHz

Cache

L1:384Kb, L2:6MB, L3:32MB

Graphics

RDNA 2

TDP

65W

iGPU

Yes, RDNA 2

Pros

• Excellent single-core performance
• Extremely power efficient versus the competition
• Stock cooler out of the box

Cons

• Trades at nearly the same price tag as the faster 7600X CPU from AMD
• Takes a beating versus Intel’s core-heavy Core i5 alternatives in productivity

For users looking to get an entry-level CPU for gaming or productivity, the hexacore AMD Ryzen 5 7600 comes quite well-equipped compared to the competition. It offers a 6-core, 12-thread configuration of fast Zen 4 cores that can handle most games and productivity use cases even as it comes unlocked out of the box, allowing enthusiasts to push it to higher clocks.

While the stock cooler in the box isn’t designed for overclocking, it can still get the job done for most users, saving them a net of anywhere from $20 to $50 on average that they need to normally spend with most other unlocked options from AMD and Intel alike. The Ryzen 5 7600 offers an extremely power-efficient design that allows users to save on both a power supply unit and a third-party cooler as a result.

However, it compares slightly unfavorably versus the faster Ryzen 5 7600X but does offer a stock cooler to make up for the relatively similar price tag that both currently offer. In terms of productivity use cases, Intels 14-core 14500 or deca-core 14400/14400F offer better performance due to their higher core and thread counts offering significantly better multi-threaded performance.

For an all-rounder, however, the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 forges its own path at a sub-$200 price tag and does it reasonably well enough to make it a solid recommendation to pair with the Nvidia RTX 4080 SUPER in 2024.

MORE

The Best RTX 4080 SUPER GPUs in 2024

Nvidia is upping the ante by addressing some of the major complaints about the RTX 4080 with the Super. Here are the best models in 2024.

FAQ

Q: How much RAM does the Nvidia RTX 4080 SUPER have?

The Nvidia RTX 4080 SUPER comes with 16GB of fast GDDR6X RAM with a 256-bit bus width.

Q: What PCI-E generation is the RTX 4080 SUPER?

The RTX 4080 SUPER is a PCI-E 4.0 GPU leveraging all 16 lanes at its disposal. It is backward and forward-compatible with PCI-E 3.0 and PCI-E 5.0 interfaces, given the nature of the standard.