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What GPU bottlenecks Ryzen 5 3600X?

Want to avoid bottlenecking your Ryzen 5 3600X?

Updated: Jan 27, 2023 2:07 pm
What GPU bottlenecks Ryzen 5 3600X?

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If you have a Ryzen 5 3600X, you probably want to know which GPUs are ideal to pair with this processor. Well, there are a lot of different aspects you should be taking in to consideration – such as screen resolution and games you’ll want to play. The 3600X definitely provides adequate power for these tasks, but you can’t be expecting it to perform at it’s best with a GPU too powerful (or too weak) for it.

Luckily, there is some leeway when it comes to avoiding bottlenecking, it’s not all black and white. We suggest using a bottleneck calculator to understand what you need for your particular needs.

What GPU will bottleneck the Ryzen 5 3600X?

In a lot of CPU-intensive games with basic graphics, for example Civilization VI or CS:GO, the Ryzen 5 3600X will bottleneck the RTX 3060 Ti. If you are a fan of strategy games or competitive esports with high frame rates like these, you’ll benefit from using an upgraded CPU even in the event that your graphics card is a little weaker, particularly when you play only at 1080p. Higher resolutions will have more focus on GPU usage, so the 3060 Ti can flex all it’s power.

ASUS GeForce RTX 3060 TI ROG Strix Gaming OC

ASUS GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Clock Speed

1890MHz Boost Clock (OC)

VRAM

8GB GDDR6

Thermal Design

Axial-tech Triple Fan

AMD Ryzen 5 3600X

Ryzen 3600x packaging 50

Speed

3.8GHz/4.4GHz

Core (threads)

6/12

Socket

AM4

TDP

95W

Utilizing DLSS and FSR (or other technologies for scaling) could increase the likelihood for your computer to be unable to keep pace with you. Brand new AAA games with a lot of detailed graphics can usually be well-balanced using an RTX 3060 Ti running at 1080p. However, this RTX 3060 Ti can slow gamers in the majority of AAA games when played at 1440p Ultra settings or higher, or even at 1080p if employing ray tracing when paired with the Ryzen 5 3600X.

If you plan for these games in 4K or 1440p, you should consider an upgraded graphics card even in the event that your processor is less powerful.

The overall performance of a Ryzen 5 3600X or RTX 3060 Ti won’t slow down significantly when playing AAA games with 1080p high settings, or when playing games that are older in 1440p and 4K. If that is what you’re planning to make use of your PC then it’s the perfect combination.

A 3060 Ti is likely to perform the same or better than RTX 2080 Super as well, and a lot of gamers use the Ryzen 5 3600 and RTX 2080 Super combo. Therefore, I doubt it’s going to bottleneck it in the event of a demanding game that requires more powerful CPU such as CS:GO, Assasins Creed Origins, and so on.

EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Super FTW3 Hybrid Gaming

EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Super FTW3 Hybrid Gaming

Clock Speed

1845 MHz

VRAM

8 GB GDDR6

Memory Bus Width

256 bit

In games that require more GPU and/or optimized to use multiple CPU cores, rather than being heavily dependent on one core, for instance, a Ryzen 5 2600 is not likely to be able to compete with the RTX 3060 Ti.

What GPU bottlenecks Ryzen 5 3600X? FAQs

What is a GPU/CPU bottleneck?

Bottlenecking occurs when your components are a mismatch when it comes to power. With one component trying to keep up with the other, you may have to deal with a less than optimal performance – depending on what you’re doing. If you’re playing a CPU intensive game at a low resolution, you’re probably not fully utilizing the power of the GPU, therefore putting too much strain on the CPU.


As a Junior Staff Writer, Jack is involved in writing and maintaining a bunch of hardware guides & reviews. With an interest in PC gaming, he now focuses on writing about monitors, headsets, and more.

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