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What GPU bottlenecks Intel i7-12700K?

Pairing up your components needs some thought to work well

Updated: Jul 3, 2023 1:40 pm
What GPU bottlenecks Intel i7-12700K?

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The i7-12700K is an Alder Lake CPU in the LGA 1700 socket. With the increase in the die size, there is a change in the socket size. So for it, we look at what GPU bottlenecks Intel i7-12700K.

As a mid-range CPU option, you want to match it well with a similar-range GPU. Asa both of them will complement each other and get the best out of them.

The 12700k has 12 cores with 20 threads. And these run at a frequency of 3.6 GHz and can boost up to 5 GHz. All of this runs at a TDP of 125W.

What GPU bottlenecks Intel i7-12700K?

EVGA NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB FTW3 ULTRA GAMING

RTX 3060TI EVGA FTW3 Ultra Gaming
Pros

Fantastic build quality

EVGA iCX3 Cooling

Adjustable ARGB LED

Cons

Design can be a little basic for some

Now when it comes to bottlenecks it’s when the performance level of the components doesn’t match. This means a slower part will stop the other one from performing at its full potential.

So for the i7-12700K, a lower-end GPU will be enough to keep it from performing. So the RTX 3060 Ti or RX 6600 XT will be too weak to match the performance of the i7 processor.

As they are both lower-end, they can’t match what the mid-top range CPU can do. Even though they are greatly capable cards, they are better paired with a lower-end CPU to match, which compliments itself better.

EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 XC3 Ultra Gaming

EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 XC3 Ultra Gaming
Pros

Very good build quality

Attractive design

Displays excellent value

Tasteful RGB

Cons

A very long design

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XFX RX 6800 XT 16GB GDDR6 Graphics Card

XFX RX 6800 XT 16GB GDDR6 Graphics Card
Pros

Hardware ray tracing (72 cores)

Solid frame rate performance in high resolutions

Integrated AMD Fidelity FX

Fairly decent price

AMD Freesync reduces chances of screen tear

Radeon Anti-Lag protocol

Great XFX enclosure and triple-fan cooling system

16GB GDDR6 VRAM

Cons

Not quite as fast as our top picks

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For the best GPU for the 12700K, your best choices are the RTX 3080 or RX 6800 XT. Which also from a previous generation, will match up the performance of the CPU better.

Now the bottleneck works the other way too. And you can find the CPU is too weak for the GPU as well. This is when the CPU can’t keep up with the graphics, the less likely scenario in most situations.

This will be the case when you pick out the top-spec GPUs to put with the 12700K. This will be something like the RTX 4090 or RX 7900 XTX.

The top-end GPUs are better suited for a top-end CPU. As the price and performance will be better performers.

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ASUS TUF Radeon RX 7900 XTX OC

ASUS TUF Radeon RX 7900 XTX OC
Pros

Great cooling solution that improves thermals and fan curves over reference

Improved power management from an experienced brand

High quality build and overclocked for top tier performance

Cons

A slightly more expensive option for its better performance and quality


With a background in engineering and PC gaming, Seb is a staff writer with a focus on GPU, storage, and power supplies. Also one of tech supports in the office he likes helping and solving problems.

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