by What is the best CPU for the new AMD GPUs?
Updated December 5, 2022 3:02 p.m
AMD has been on the rise in recent years, releasing CPUs that offer the best multi-core performance and GPUs that offer the best bang for the buck. And it seems we’ve reached that point again, with the 7000 series in the rearview mirror we’re fast approaching the launch of the 7900XT. But what is the best CPU for the RX 7900XT?
Now read: Where to buy the RX 7900XT
The 7900XT is the second best of the two GPUs launching this December, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad! The 7900XT brings a wealth of improvements to the table over the 6000 series GPUs.
Best CPU for RX 7900XT: top picks
01
Best Ryzen CPU for the RX 7900XT
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
02
Runner-up Ryzen CPU for the RX 7900XT
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
03
Wildcard for gaming with the RX 7900XT
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
RX 7900XT improvements
Before we dive into the best CPU for the RX 7900XT, let’s first think about why the GPU itself is so good and what improvements it offers.
The 7900XT should work approximately 1.4 to 1.6 times better than the 6950XT. With 10752FP32 cores and built on it 5 nm RDNA3 architecture. The 7900 XT is clocked at a Base clock of 1.5 GHz and 2.4 GHz boost. All this during the offer 20GB GDDR6 memory, to save costs. This Navi 31 XT GPU will boost AMD GPU performance. This is especially true for software help from the likes of FSR and SAM.
What is SAM? and how does it affect what CPU I get for the RX 7900XT?
SAM is an AMD technology called “Smart Access Memory”. It was first introduced with AMD’s 6000 series GPUs, allowing AMD CPUs and GPUs to work together more efficiently.
This efficiency has been increased by giving the AMD CPU access to the entire GPU VRAM at once, as opposed to a limited section. This allows the AMD CPU to access GPU memory from anywhere, meaning access speeds are faster. This equates to slightly faster GPU performance.
Although SAM will be introduced in 2020, it’s not a new technology, SAM is just AMD’s implementation of Resizable BAR.
Currently SAM only works with Ryzen 3000 CPUs and higher, with RDNA2 GPUs and higher.
What is the best CPU for the RX 7900XT?
Here we will break down the best CPUs to pair with the AMD RX 7900XT.
Ryzen 9 7900X
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
advantages
-
Incredible performance -
High power bank watts -
Interesting IHS -
Cooler than other 7000-series CPUs on average
Disadvantages
-
A bit expensive -
Hard to keep cool
The 7900X is part of the brand new Zen 4 architecture, AMD has really taken performance to another level on the new AM5 platform. The 7900X is the future of technology, supporting PCIe Gen 5 on compatible motherboards.
The 8-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7900X is capable of delivering massive multi-core performance as well as single-core performance. This is thanks to its massive 5.6GHz boost clock speed and massive performance improvements this time.
The cache has also been doubled this time, now at 1MB per core as opposed to 512KB. This means more instruction buffering and the CPU is less likely to get caught in an instruction jam. Resulting slowdowns
The 7900X’s TDP is 170W at base core speed and 230W at boost speed. Unfortunately, this also results in the CPU running much hotter than anyone would like, unfortunately the IHS has trouble deriving such a high TDP. A good cooler is required for the 7900X
The 7900X is a gaming behemoth, and not only does the 7900X offer enough cores and threads to handle the multithreaded workloads of content creation and streaming, but it’s also the perfect high-end AMD CPU for the RX 7900XT.
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
advantages
-
Very high performance -
Massively high clock rates -
The best AMD CPU on the market
Disadvantages
-
Expensive -
runs hot -
Outperformed by cheaper Intel CPUs
The Ryzen 9 7950X is the fastest CPU AMD has released to date, but it’s also the most expensive, and for good reason. This CPU is the culmination of AMD’s ability to develop cutting-edge technology.
The sheer number of cores this CPU possesses is almost enough to prove its performance. Accompanying the 16 cores we have 32 threads. all clocked at a staggering base speed of 4.5GHz and an almost incomprehensible boost speed of 5.7GHz.
The cache has also been doubled, giving the 7950X 1MB of L2 cache as opposed to just 512KB. Cache helps massively with core performance, the more the merrier.
The TDP of the 7950X is also quite high. The base TDP is around 170W, while the boost TDP is around 230W. Again, you’ll need a fairly beefy CPU cooler to keep this CPU cool.
The 7950X is the best AMD currently has to offer. It’s pretty impressive on paper and it definitely lives up to the hype in benchmarks too. We would have this as the best CPU for the RX 7900XT if it weren’t for the price. The 7900X beats the 7950X because of its higher cost efficiency.
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
advantages
-
Inexpensive -
Incredible performance -
3D V Cache
Disadvantages
-
No cooler -
No native overclocking support
The 5800X3D has technically claimed the title of “Best Gaming CPU” from last generation Intel and its Core i9 12900K. However, there are a few reasons why the 5800X3D isn’t at the top of our list of best CPUs for the RX 7900XT.
The 5800X3D is an excellent choice for gaming, equipped with 8 multi-threaded CPU cores and a whopping 96MB of 3D V-Cache. In some games he gains quite an advantage.
3D V-Cache is where the 5800X3D currently differs from literally every CPU in the world (until the 7000 X3D CPUs are released). The 3D cache is not stacked sideways like a normal 2D cache, but vertically – hence the name 3D cache.
This cache stacking approach dramatically increases the number of chiplets you can pack into a given footprint, resulting in larger cache capacities without sacrificing access speeds.
The 5800X3D has lower core speeds of 3.4GHz base and 4.5GHz max, these speeds are even lower than its brother the 5800X, the reason is that the 3D V-Cache is unstable at higher core speeds. Because of this, the 5800X3D isn’t very well suited to single-core or workstation tasks. If ever there was a full-fledged gaming CPU, it would be the 5800X3D.
This new caching technology gives the CPU great benefits on some gaming workloads, but not all. The lower core speeds and lack of overclocking support mean that the 5800X3D regularly outperforms weaker CPUs in scenarios where cache is not used. Unfortunately, that is often the case.
You can read the full Ryzen 7 5800X3D product review here. If you want to know more.
Do I need an AMD CPU to take advantage of the RX 7900XT?
No, but as we have already explained, it has its advantages. SAM and Smart Access Video are CPU dependent and while we don’t have full details on Smart Access Video, we can assume an AMD CPU will be required.
For this reason, we primarily recommend CPUs from AMD. However, an Intel CPU will work just fine. You may not have access to some of the features AMD has built into its hardware to support an all-AMD ecosystem.
Last word
All of the PCUs on this list will serve you well in combination with the RX 7900XT. That’s why we recommended them. Whether you go for the big 7000 series or stick with a 5000 series chip, both options have their merits. However, one thing we do know for sure is that the RX 7900XT will be a big GPU.
