Best CPU for RTX 3070 in 2024 – best from AMD & Intel

What is the best CPU for the RTX 3070?

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If you’re looking for the best CPU for RTX 3070 graphics cards, look no further. The RTX 3070 is an incredibly powerful GPU, and one that would be wasted on 1080p gaming, we’re in the big leagues now. The RTX 3070 is a 1440p gaming machine, and that flips the script on what we consider a good CPU for the RTX 3070 in terms of bottlenecking. This is because increasing the resolution decreases the CPU bottleneck. This is a good way to circumvent bottlenecks if you run into them at lower resolutions. The 3070 can even handle some games in 4k, with limited expectations. But with all this power, we need a good CPU to support the RTX 3070 and keep it fed with data. So what’s the best CPU for 3070?

Below we’ve listed our top three selections if you’re short on time, though you can read further down this page if you want more info before you buy. Although these are now older model products, rest assured that here at WePC we always strive to keep our buying guides up-to-date with the latest products so you know these are the best options for your money. Do also check out our Black Friday CPU deals page as well if you’re in the market for a piping hot deal.

Today’s best CPU deals

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Best CPU for RTX 3070 in 2024: reviews

Here we take a closer look at our selection! Pros, cons, and any details in-between included.

The best all-round CPU for this graphics card

Intel Core i7-12700K

Boost clock speed (single core)

4.9 GHz

Total Cores / Threads

12/20

P-cores

8

E-cores

4

Socket

LGA 1700

Overclockable

Yes

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Pros

• Powerful single core performance for the money
• Overclockable

Cons

• Pricey on release

The best CPU for the RTX 3070 by far has to be the Core i7-12700K. But how can that be? We recommended this CPU for the RTX 3070. Well, as we noted earlier, it all has to do with resolution.

The CPU bottleneck on the 3070 using the 12700K in 1080p is around 14%. wheres, the bottleneck in 1440p is around 4%, even less in 1440P ultrawide, 0%. As you can see, resolution matters. This is because the GPU has to work harder at higher resolutions, closing the gap.

The Core i7-12700K is one of the greatest high/mid-level processors available. Not only does it have a blistering core boost speed, but it also has LITTLE.big technology on its side. Meaning it can hold its own even at higher resolutions, whilst staying efficient.

LITTLE.big is Intel’s adaptation of the ARM technologies concept that a CPU has two core types within it, efficiency cores and performance cores, both being responsible for different things.

The core boost speed clocks in at a blistering 4.9GHz and can be had out of each of the 12700K’s CPU performance cores. A speed that is extremely capable of pushing high frame rates in games.

the 12700K may be a little more pricy than some of the lower-end CPUs, but almost none compare to the performance at this level. Especially in higher resolutions.

The best premium CPU for RTX 3070 GPUs

AMD Ryzen 9 5950X

Speed

3.4GHz/ 4.9GHz

Core (Threads)

16/32

Socket

AM4

TDP

105W

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Pros

• Powerful single core & multi core performance
• Overclockable
• Uses AM4 socket

Cons

• Still fairly pricey even today

If you’re in the market for a more high-end processor, the AMD AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is a great match for the RTX 3070. This might not offer the same cost-effectiveness as our top pick, but it’s still cheaper than buying one of the later Ryzen 6000 series, 7000 series, or 13th gen options, which are a bit overkill for a previous gen graphics card like the RTX 3070.

Although single core performance doesn’t quite match that of the most high-end variant in Intel’s lineup of the same generation, it’s still very powerful and the multi-core performance is terrific.

Best budget CPU for RTX 3070

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

Speed

3.7GHz/ 4.6GHz

Core (Threads)

6/12

Socket

AM4

TDP

65W

How We Review

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Pros

• Respectable sing-core boost clock
• Affordable
• Uses AM4 socket

Cons

• Will bottleneck slightly compared to more powerful picks

The alternate CPU for the 3070 has to be the 5600X. This isn’t really the best choice, but the 5600X can be had for a much lower price than any other AMD Ryzen 5000 series CPU and will perform well both in 1080p and 1440p. All whilst causing very little CPU bottleneck. Your system will be a little unbalanced with such a high-end GPU and a lower-end CPU. But that’s something you’ll be able to deal with later on.

This CPU is great, but you can always go one or two up to the 5800X if you’re already on AM4.

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Is the RTX 3070 a good GPU?

The RTX 3070 is a high-end GPU released by Nvidia. It is based on the latest Ampere architecture and it is designed to deliver excellent performance for gaming, video editing, and other demanding tasks.

Compared to the previous generation of GPUs, the RTX 3070 offers significantly higher performance and power efficiency, it also supports real-time ray tracing and AI-accelerated features. It is capable of running most of the latest games at 4K resolution with high frame rates and settings.

It is also considered a more affordable option than the RTX 3080, but slightly more expensive than the RTX 3060, making it a good option for those who want high-end performance but at a more reasonable price point.

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Final word

We hope that this best CPU for RTX 3070 guide has proven informative. No matter the CPU you choose, you’ll be in good hands. The Ryzen 5 5600X is not our first choice, but it will serve you well at lower resolutions if you’re stuck on a 1080p monitor for example. The 12700K is the ideal choice here, managing to keep the sweet spot of 5% bottleneck in both standard and ultrawide variations of 1440p. The 12700K can often be found on sale too, thanks to the 13th gen release in 2022.