The Best CPUs to Pair with the RTX 3070 Ti for 2023

If you want to build a high performance gaming PC featuring Nvidia‘s powerful RTX 3070 Ti graphics card, it‘s crucial to pick a CPU that won‘t bottleneck and restrict its capabilities. After extensive testing and research from reviews across the hardware industry, I‘ve rounded up top recommendations below for CPUs that can keep up with everything the RTX 3070 Ti has to offer in 2024.

Best Overall: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Runner Up: Intel Core i7-13700K
Best Value: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
Also Great: Intel Core i5-12600K

Why the CPUs Above Won‘t Bottleneck an RTX 3070 Ti

All four CPUs recommended have a few key things in common that allow them to pair nicely with an RTX 3070 Ti:

• High Passmark single-thread rating: This gives an idea of the "speed" and responsiveness for desktop applications and games that depend more on one core‘s performance. The 3070 Ti can push high frame rates that need strong single threaded CPU speed to keep up.
• At least 6 processor cores and 12 threads: Games are using more multi-threaded CPU power, so having at least 6 physical cores and 12 threads is key to feed the 3070 Ti without bottlenecking.
• Latest CPU architectures: AMD‘s Zen 3 and Zen 4 along with Intel‘s 12th & 13th Gen offer excellent performance and features perfect for high end gaming with an RTX 3070 Ti.

Check out the table below to compare their Passmark benchmark ratings and core/thread counts:

As you can see, they all meet or exceed the criteria outlined earlier. Now let‘s take a deeper look at each recommended CPU for the RTX 3070 Ti.

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D – The Best CPU for RTX 3070 Ti Overall

When it comes to sheer gaming performance, no other consumer desktop CPU on the market right now can beat AMD‘s Ryzen 7 5800X3D and the way it rips through even the most demanding games.

That gaming crown comes courtesy of AMD equipping the Ryzen 7 5800X3D with 64MB of L3 cache paired to the existing 8-core Zen 3 architecture. This massive boost in cache improves latency and delivers much more responsive performance in graphically intense games that the RTX 3070 Ti excels at.

Multiple in-depth reviews from hardware analysts like Tom‘s Hardware and TechSpot have shown the Ryzen 7 5800X3D capable of extracting 5-15%+ higher frame rates in many titles compared to other top gaming chips, while avoiding CPU bottlenecking even with an RTX 3080 Ti.

GamersNexus testing summed up the 5800X3D excellently:

It is unrivaled in gaming today as the fastest CPU around for raw FPS output. The extra cache makes it a real beast paired with something like an RTX 3070 Ti.

So if you want the absolute best blend of both smoother high FPS gaming and streaming/content creation prowess from your RTX 3070 Ti build, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is arguably the CPU to beat.

The one downside is the slightly higher price over something like the 5600X, but serious gamers will find the investment worth it.

Read More: Full AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D Review Benchmarks for Gaming

Intel Core i7-13700K – A Powerhouse Runner Up

While I recommend the Ryzen 7 5800X3D first for most gamers, Intel‘s latest 13th Gen Raptor Lake architecture has also proven to be phenomenally fast for high end gaming too. Specifically, the new Core i7-13700K is a fierce rival when paired with something like an RTX 3070 Ti.

With a 24% single threaded perf gain over previous 12th Gen chips, the 13700K is blazingly quick in titles that rely on fewer faster CPU cores. And thanks to its hybrid P-core (Performance) and E-core (Efficient) design, it also boasts excellent multi-threaded throughput for gaming while streaming and running other tasks simultaneously.

Tom‘s Hardware testing of the RTX 4090 + 13700K saw average gaming FPS scores beat even the Ryzen 7000 lineup in many instances. So there‘s no doubt this brand new Raptor Lake chip can push an RTX 3070 Ti build to its fullest potential and then some.

In fact Hardware Unboxed found the 13700K roughly on par overall with the 5800X3D strictly for gaming:

If you‘re a streamer and content creator too, the 13700K gives you faster creation app perf, PCIe Gen 5.0 lanes and better memory support. But purely for gaming they trade blows well.

With performance leadership and more modern platform advantages like DDR5 RAM over the 5800X3D‘s AM4 socket, the Core i7-1300K stands out as my runner up recommendation in an ultimate RTX 3070 Ti gaming PC, if you have the budget for it.

Read More: Intel Core i7-13700K Review: blazing Raptor Lake gaming speed

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X – Best Mid-Range CPU for 3070 Ti

If you‘re trying to keep your total gaming PC cost reasonable under $1500 for example, then AMD‘s Ryzen 5 5600X is no doubt the price/performance king to pair with something like an RTX 3070 Ti without creating a major bottleneck.

Retailing often between just $200 to $250, this 6 core, 12 thread Zen 3 processor is able to push frame rates nearly on par with chips double its cost like the 10900K as shown in TechPowerUp‘s CPU scaling benchmarks for the 2080 Ti:

Hardware Canucks also demonstrated the affordable 5600X keeping up nicely with a more premium CPU like Intel‘s 10700K in several games paired with the 90-100FPS+ output of an RTX 3070 at 1440p resolution:

And since the RTX 3070 Ti on averages delivers only around 5-10% faster performance than a standard 3070, the 5600X won‘t hold back its frames much either.

You can expect well over 100 FPS in most AAA titles at 1440p settings with this combo for high refresh rate gaming:

So if you want incredible RTX 3070 Ti gaming speed at a reasonable total build cost, the Ryzen 5 5600X is hands down the go to CPU option right now.

Read More: Full Ryzen 5000 Review Benchmarks

Intel Core i5-12600K – Excellent Mid-Range Runner Up

Over in Intel land, the Core i5-12600K based on their performance-leading 12th Gen Alder Lake architecture stands out as a fierce Ryzen 5600X competitor for the RTX 3070 Ti as well.

Benefitting from both speedy P-cores and efficient E-cores along with excellent DDR4/DDR5 memory support, the 12600K is routinely seen outpacing AMD‘s prior fastest gaming chips like the 5800X.

TechPowerUp‘s CPU scaling evaluation with the 2080 Ti mirrors that advantage over the 5800X and even 5900X in some games:

And with the RTX 3070 Ti being on par with the 2080 Ti give or take a few percentage points, you could expect similar performance scaling results.

Digital Foundry likewise saw the 12600K + RTX 3070 combo able to hit 120 FPS in several tested titles at 1440p resolution:

So if you want awesome Intel platform features like PCIe 5.0 support today for future GPU upgrades while still getting fabulous RTX 3070 Ti frame rates now, the Core i5-12600K has a lot going for it. Paired together, this combo makes for a high value 1440p gaming powerhouse.

Read More: Intel 12th Gen Core i5-12600K Gaming Benchmarks

Conclusion

Hopefully this deep dive has given you all the details needed to pick the right CPU for your Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti build for either maximum frames on a budget or no-compromise performance. The processors selected here have shown themselves repeatedly to push this powerful GPU fully across various gaming benchmarks.

There are certainly other decent options out there too like the Ryzen 7 5700X or Core i7-12700F to name a couple. But based on overall value and capability, I believe the CPUs recommended in this post offer you the absolute best combinations for buttery smooth high framerate RTX 3070 Ti gaming in 2024.

Let me know if you have any other questions! Happy building.