Which processor do I need for each graphics card: avoid bottlenecks

A few days ago we explained to you why we do not need the same processor to play in 1080p, 1440p, and 2160p resolution if we want to make the best use of a certain graphics card. In that guide we delved into very important issues, we saw how by raising the resolution the workload that the GPU must support increases exponentially, and we understood that this is what frees the CPU.

Thus, when playing in 1080p with an RTX 3080 and a Ryzen 5 1600, we will have a significant bottleneck motivated by said processor. At that resolution, the RTX 3080 runs very loose and needs the processor to work at full throttle to supply it with the data it requires to maximize the FPS (frames per second) rate and unleash its potential.

The Ryzen 5 1600 does not have enough IPC, nor does it work at a speed high enough that this NVIDIA solution can run at the full machine in that resolution. However, the impact of the CPU will be reduced to a minimum if we raise the resolution to 4K, due to the enormous load that the GPU would have to bear, as we explained at the time.

After publishing that guide, I realized that many users have doubts about which processor they need to optimally move different graphics cards, and that is why I have decided to make this new guide, in which we are going to answer this question in a clear way, direct and practical, so that all our readers, even those with less knowledge, can solve their doubts.

What processor do I need: preliminary considerations

Before jumping to the center of this guide, it is important to bring to the table some basic considerations that are fundamental to understanding everything that we are going to say in this guide. The first thing to keep in mind is that bottlenecks always exist, no matter how hard we try to tune a PC, we will always end up facing bottlenecks. It is impossible to achieve the perfect balance, although the important thing, in the end, is that the impact of those bottlenecks is minimal.

So that we understand each other better, and for explanatory purposes, we could differentiate between light, medium and serious bottlenecks :

• Slight bottleneck: this is a type that we will face even in well-balanced teams. It is usually caused by the dependence of certain applications and games on a specific component, and they have a minimal impact. We should not worry about them.
• Medium bottleneck:  these are the ones that should start to worry us, although in most cases they are tolerable. They occur, in this case, when there is a considerable imbalance between the processor and the graphics card, but without crippling performance in such a way that the experience is negative. We will have good performance, we can play without problems, but the graphics card will not be developing its full potential.
• Serious bottleneck: this occurs when the graphics card is so underused that we have a performance well below what it is capable of offering, or when we have good performance but there are jerks, stuttering problems due to poor synchronization of frames per second, a consequence of long render times between frames.

We are going to put three practical examples of each type of bottleneck so that you can better assimilate all this theory. A slight bottleneck would occur, for example, when using a Core i5 10400F processor with an RTX 3080. On the contrary, we would have a medium bottleneck when combining an RTX 3080 with a Ryzen 5 1600 processor, due to its lower IPC and lower operating frequencies. An example of a serious bottleneck would be pairing a Core i3 7100 with an RTX 3080.

Always keep in mind the issue of resolution and its impact on that processor-graphics card binomial, since, as we have told you before, a Core i7 4790 can generate a serious bottleneck when combined with an RTX 3080 if we play in 1080p, but this practically disappears when raising the resolution to 2160p (4K).

Low-end graphics cards: what processor do I need?

We are talking about all those graphics cards that are designed to move games in 1080p and medium or low qualities. In this category fall, for example, the GeForce GTX 960, Radeon R9 280, and equivalent series. If you have doubts about the equivalences of NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards located in different generations, take a look at this guide.

In order to move these graphics cards optimally, we do not need a very powerful processor, a Core i5 2500 or an FX 6350 is enough. However, keep in mind that by using a more powerful processor we will be improving the frame rate per second due to the impact it has on 1080p and lower resolutions.

A quad-core, four-thread CPU that has an IPC at or very close to the Sandy Bridge architecture is enough for us or otherwise compensates for it with high working frequencies. However, it is important to remember that in those titles that require a minimum of eight threads to function optimally, having a Core i7 2600 or an FX 8350 can make a significant difference.

If you have doubts about the equivalences at the CPU level, you can rest assured, in this guide, you will find all the information you need, summarized, and exposed in a very simple way.

Mid-range graphics cards: what processor do I need?

It is such a wide range that we are going to have to establish a division between models of the low-middle range, mid-range in the strict sense, and the medium-high range since otherwise everything would be very confusing and we could end up generating too many doubts.

• Mid-low range: it is made up of models such as the GTX 1060, RX 580, and equivalents (GTX 980 and R9 390, for example).
• Mid-range: it is a very wide level. In it we can include models as varied as the GTX 1660 in all its versions, RTX 2060-2060 Super, RTX 2070, Radeon RX 5600 XT, Radeon RX 5700, and equivalents.
• Upper mid-range: it is also quite wide. Here we could locate models as varied as the RTX 2070 Super, RTX 2080-2080 Super, RTX 3060-RTX 3060 Ti, RX 5700 XT, and Radeon VII.

With the lower-mid-range graphics cards, we can still play quite well without problems. Starting with a Core i7 4770 or a Ryzen 5 1500X we will not have serious bottlenecks.

We could also enjoy mid-range graphics cards with a Core i7 4770 or a Ryzen 5 1500X  without having to assume a serious bottleneck, the ideal would be to accompany them with a Ryzen 5 2600 or a Core i5 8400.

As for high-end graphics cards, from a Ryzen 5 2600 or a Core i5 8400 we would no longer have any serious bottleneck, although using more powerful processors, such as a Ryzen 5 3600 or a Core i5 10400, would have a beneficial impact on the frame rate per second at resolutions 1440p and lower.

High-end graphics cards: what processor do I need?

As in the previous case, it is necessary to establish a certain differentiation in this range, since there are models that move in disparate power ranges, and therefore do not require the same type of processor to offer their full potential. Let's take a look:

• High-end: this is where the RTX 3070, RTX 2080 Ti, RX 6800, RTX 3080, and RX 6800 XT come in.
• Top of the range: a higher category made up of the RTX 3090 and RX 6900 XT.

In order to optimally move a high-end graphics card, it is recommended to have a Ryzen 5 3600 or a Core i5 10400. The second offers more performance and has a lower price, so it is a more recommended option, as we tell you in our guide dedicated to choosing the seven best processors that we can buy right now.

Top-of-the-line graphics cards are very powerful, and can easily be limited at the processor level when playing at resolutions below 4K. On this subject, I want to tell you something important, and that is that right now, processors with more than six cores are not used, which means that to take advantage of an RTX 3090 or an RX 6900 XT in resolutions 1440p or lower you are not going to need a processor with many cores and threads, but you will have to accompany them with a chip with a high IPC, and high working frequencies.

With a Ryzen 5 3600 or a Core i5 10400 you will not have a really serious bottleneck, but to really take advantage of those powerful graphics cards it is advisable to opt for a Core i5 10600K if we have a "tight" budget, or for a Ryzen 5 5600X, if we can afford to pay extra and want to maximize performance at 1080p and 1440p.

Final notes: do not obsess over the bottleneck, in the end, each game is a world

In recent months I have seen growing concern about the bottleneck in games, a situation that has been aggravated with the announcement of the new generation consoles, PS5 and Xbox Series X, two systems that, as you know, have with Zen 2 8-core 16-thread processors.

Those of you who read us daily already know that the processor of both consoles uses the same design as the Ryzen 4000 series APUs, which means that it has less L3 cache than a Ryzen 7 3700X, and they also work at a lower frequency, which implies that In the end, their performance is clearly inferior, that is, they are not at the height of a Ryzen 7 3700X, despite some wanting to believe otherwise.

To this, we must add that the console itself reserves a core for the system (two threads), a reality that confirms that six-core and twelve-thread processors are going to have a longer life than we had anticipated. If you have a processor with that configuration, like the Ryzen 5 1600, or even a more powerful solution, like the Ryzen 7 1700, you're in luck. These processors will have a second life as developers begin the transition to next-generation consoles, and the launch of games capable of really taking advantage of six-core or more processors occurs.

Although the bottlenecks depend on the processor-graphics card configuration, in the end it also influences the type of game we are running. There are games that take advantage of multithreaded processors well, such as The Division 2 or Shadow of the Tomb Raider, for example, and others that are content with four cores and that prioritize IPC and work speed. A Ryzen 5 1600 works great in the first two but can run out of steam in the second type of games.

With the previous example I want to help you understand why we have said that, in the end, even a perfectly balanced PC in relation to the processor-graphics card can end up suffering certain bottlenecks.

So what should I prioritize when choosing the best processor to play? It is a subject that we already touched on at the time, and it is quite complex because of all the things that we must take into account before making a decision. However, we can establish a series of basic guidelines that will serve as a starting point when choosing:

• Today we should not go down from a four-core and eight-thread configuration.
• The six-core and twelve-thread configurations remain the recommended level for price-performance value.
• The 8-core and 16-thread processors will have a very long lifespan, but will not be fully exploited until the transition to the next generation is complete.
• With low-end graphics cards, an IPC at the level of Sandy Bridge (Intel Core 2000) is sufficient. For the mid-range, the IPC should be at least at the level of Skylake (Intel Core 6000) or Zen + (Ryzen 2000). At the high end, the ideal is a Coffee Lake or Zen 3 processor.
• With regard to working frequencies, from 3.6 GHz we would already move at an acceptable level, and exceeding 4 GHz would be recommended.
• Unlocked multiplier processors have lost quite a bit of interest due to the tightness of the turbo mode on most processors, but in some cases, it can make a significant difference (the Core i5 10600K is a good example).