Best CPU for GTX 1650 in 2024 – top CPU to pair with GTX 1650
What's the best CPU for the GTX 1650? Let's find out
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What’s the best CPU for the GTX 1650? You’re in the right place. The GTX 1650 is a decent budget GPU to have in 2024, despite being a few generations old. Most games can be played between medium-high settings in 1080p, some less demanding games can even be played at max settings. Not quite as powerful as the 1660 Super, but this it’s an efficient, cost-effective GPU. And to keep it running at its best, we need a strong CPU behind it, feeding it data.
No matter how powerful or efficient your GPU is, without a CPU, it’s nothing more than a paperweight. We’re here to find an efficient CPU that will keep your PC running well, and cause as little bottleneck as possible. All this whilst keeping your PC somewhat futureproof. We think we have just the CPU (and more), and we’ll keep this updated with fresh picks. Without further delay, here’s the best CPU for GTX 1650.
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02Intel CPU for GTX 1650
If you don’t have time to read the full article, we’d suggest the AMD 5600X or Intel’s 11600K as the best CPU for the GTX 1650. These options align with the sort of budget you’d expect to find a GTX 1650 in, and aren’t so powerful as to cause a concerning bottleneck.
Best CPU for GTX 1650 in 2024
The best CPU for the GTX 1650 has to be the Ryzen 5 5600X. The GTX 1650 is a few generations old, but it’s still a capable graphics card right now for 1080p resolutions. The 5600X is one of the best-value CPUs of recent times, especially now that the 7000 series is here. There are a couple more processors to talk about though, so let’s get to it.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
Speed
3.7GHz/ 4.6GHz
Core (Threads)
6/12
Socket
AM4
TDP
65W
- Excellent value for money
- Efficient and reliable
- Fast 4.6GHz boost clock speed
- AM4 platform still popular
- More cores would be appreciated
The Ryzen 5 5600X is one of if not the best Price-to-performance CPUs available to date. Its substantial 6-Core and 12-Thread configurations mean that it is proficient in some light workstation tasks too as well as gaming. The 4.6GHz CPU max core speed suggests that the 5600X can handle gaming reasonably well, as we all know, max core boost speed is directly tied to gaming performance.
The 5600X is incredibly efficient, and the 5600X’s lower power consumption makes it a great choice for those with a lesser power supply, or for gamers conscious about having a high electricity bill. The TDP stands at 65W, almost 200W less than some of the competition’s Raptor Lake flagships.
With the 5600X, you won’t have to worry about upgrading your hardware so soon. This is because the 5600X sits on a widely supported socket, AM4. Even though they’ve since moved on to AM5, there’s no shortage of AM4 parts for the time being. We don’t think the AM4 socket will die for another 3 years at least.
Intel Core i5 11600K
Intel Core i5 11600K Rocket Lake CPU
Clock speed (boost)
4.9GHz
Cores / Threads
6 / 12
Socket
LGA 1200
- Excellent 4.9GHz boost clock speed
- PCIe Gen 4.0 support
- Best value choice for LGA 1200 socket motherboards
- Unlocked; overclockable
- Relatively expensive
If instead you’re running an Intel system, or prefer Intel hardware – then the i5-11600K is a CPU on par with the 5600X in many ways. It benefits from 6 cores / 12 threads for solid multitasking performance, and is a fantastic pick for gamers that don’t need the extra processing power from the high-end options – we’d only really suggest this if you’re doing CPU-intensive work like editing, rendering, or so on.
It’s on the older LGA 1200 socket, but these older motherboards can be picked up for cheaper these days if you want to save some cash. Though more expensive than the 5600X, this Intel option boasts a 4.9GHz clock speed, more than our Ryzen picks. Overall, a fantastic option to pair with the GTX 1650 which will last you several years to come.
AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
Speed
3.4 GHz / 4.6 GHz
Core (Threads)
8 (16)
Socket
AM4
TDP
65W
- 8 cores / 16 threads great for CPU-intensive tasks
- Super efficient at just 65W TDP
- 4.6GHz clock speed
- Best value 8-core CPU
- Lower base clock speed
- More expensive than 5600X
Here’s an interesting alternative to our top pick – the Ryzen 7 5700X. As you may suspect, it is the slightly older sibling to the 5600X, sharing many similarities. Both running with an efficient 65W TDP (which helps keep temperatures down), they both enjoy a boost clock speed of 4.6GHz. The key difference between the two is the number of cores/threads. While the 5600X is much more gaming-focused, the 5700X unlocks a couple of extra cores to help its multitasking performance in CPU-intensive situations like rendering. This does come at an additional cost though, so you’ll have to decide whether it’s worth it for you.
If you’re solely focused on gaming, then the 5600X is the best value for you. But if you want a little extra on top of busy workloads, then the 5700X is a great option. You’re getting a great CPU either way, but we just had to include this option. Anything higher than this like the 5800X or 5900X seems pretty overkill to us for the relatively humble GTX 1650.
Why is it important to prevent CPU / GPU bottlenecks?
A CPU and GPU have to work well together to run efficiently, if either the CPU or the GPU is too powerful, then a bottleneck happens. This is where one of the components is too slow to allow the other to be utilized effectively.
If you have a CPU that operates at 100% to keep up with a GPU at 75%, you’re losing 25% of that GPU performance because of the lesser CPU (this is in very simple terms) so you want to match a CPU and GPU that will ideally max out together to get the most out of your components.
We believe that the best CPU for the GTX 1650 is the one we’ve already recommended to you. The Ryzen 5 5600X is one of the most efficient CPUs in the budget gaming space right now and it should be considered. We’re reluctant to suggest any CPU lower as the 5600X leaves room for upgrades in the future whilst being fairly budget-orientated.
Best CPU for GTX 1650 FAQs
Do I need a new CPU for the GTX 1650?
The GTX 1650 isn’t the newest graphics card out there, but it’s still one plenty of people go for on a budget. Getting a new CPU is definitely advised if you’re upgrading from much older hardware. We’d recommend getting a CPU which will last you some years to come, and the Ryzen 5000 series is in a good spot right now if you want to save cash.
Is an AMD or Intel CPU best for GTX 1650?
There is no real winner in this regard, as it primarily depends on what your motherboard supports. However, AMD’s processors are definitely a fan-favorite if you want excellent gaming performance, though modern Intel CPUs offer up a high number of cores/threads for heavy workloads.
Final word
You’re in good hands with the Ryzen 5 5600X for the GTX 1650. The only other upgrade we could suggest is upgrading to an Intel i5-12600K, but since that CPU is a little more pricey and more future-facing, we decided to leave it out. However, it is a great option for future-proofing your build. The 5600X will serve the GTX 1650 just fine, or the 11600K if you require an Intel CPU – or the slightly higher-end 5700X if you want just a little extra processing power and a couple more cores.
