[SOLVED] Best amd cpu to pair with a gtx 950?

[Potatonado]

I’m doing my first pc build and am wondering what ryzen cpu i should pair with my gtx 950. Please keep in mind that i am on a budget.

 

[Aeacus]

i had a gtx950 and a i5-6400 combo...

It's a good combo, but upgrading CPU isn't the solution to get better performance in games. Upgrading GPU is.

I have i5-6600K and i had GTX 1060 3GB GPU. I was able to play @ 1080p with high settings, with 60+FPS just fine. But after i upgraded to GTX 1660 Ti, i now can play @ 1080p with high/ultra settings and 120+ FPS. Same CPU but better GPU = better performance in most games. However, there are exceptions to that, namely games that are more CPU bound, like Cities:Skylines or Sid Meier's Civilization series.

Here's comparison between two builds, one (baseline) has your GTX 950 and your i5-6400, while other (alternative) has my GTX 1660 Ti with your i5-6400:
(Other components are generic ones.)

Userbenchmark PC Build Comparison

Baseline Bench: Game 25%, Desk 78%, Work 21%
CPU: Intel Core i5-6400
GPU: Nvidia GTX 950
SSD: Samsung 860 Evo 500GB
HDD: WD Blue 1TB (2012)
RAM: HyperX Fury DDR4 2400 C15 2x8GB

Alternative Bench: Game 57%, Desk 78%, Work 45%
CPU: Intel Core i5-6400
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1660-Ti
SSD: Samsung 860 Evo 500GB
HDD: WD Blue 1TB (2012)
RAM: HyperX Fury DDR4 2400 C15 2x8GB

Just replacing the GPU is enough to increase the gaming performance.

But if we'd take the CPU upgrade into consideration (Ryzen 3 3300X) and compare both builds again, there is little gain in gaming performance, since the GPU remains the same, despite CPU being much better:

Userbenchmark PC Build Comparison

Baseline Bench: Game 25%, Desk 78%, Work 21%
CPU: Intel Core i5-6400
GPU: Nvidia GTX 950
SSD: Samsung 860 Evo 500GB
HDD: WD Blue 1TB (2012)
RAM: HyperX Fury DDR4 2400 C15 2x8GB

Alternative Bench: Game 28%, Desk 88%, Work 26%
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
GPU: Nvidia GTX 950
SSD: Samsung 860 Evo 500GB
HDD: WD Blue 1TB (2012)
RAM: HyperX Fury DDR4 2400 C15 2x8GB

 

[Aeacus]

Since GTX 950 is equal to GTX 1050, which in itself is low-end GPU, at most doing high settings @ 720p or low/medium settings @ 1080p, i'd suggest Ryzen 3 3300X for it. Going with better (and more expensive CPU) would only be justified if you plan to upgrade your GPU to GTX 1600 series or even RTX.

 

[boju]

What budget is that and where can you buy from? What parts do you have already? If planning to reuse parts, what are they?

 

[Potatonado]

What budget is that and where can you buy from? What parts do you have already? If planning to reuse parts, what are they?

I can buy from basically anywhere online as long as its not some like sketchy site. The motherboard i have right now is a gigabyte b450m ds3h v2. I want to get something under 120 dollars for my cpu.

 

[boju]

Is motherboard all you have? I assume no, elaborate what else you have.

 

[ARICH5]

i had a gtx950 and a i5-6400 combo...they were both pretty much pinned at 100% in games like prey and sniper elite. 1080p @ 60fps high

 

[Aeacus]

i had a gtx950 and a i5-6400 combo...

It's a good combo, but upgrading CPU isn't the solution to get better performance in games. Upgrading GPU is.

I have i5-6600K and i had GTX 1060 3GB GPU. I was able to play @ 1080p with high settings, with 60+FPS just fine. But after i upgraded to GTX 1660 Ti, i now can play @ 1080p with high/ultra settings and 120+ FPS. Same CPU but better GPU = better performance in most games. However, there are exceptions to that, namely games that are more CPU bound, like Cities:Skylines or Sid Meier's Civilization series.

Here's comparison between two builds, one (baseline) has your GTX 950 and your i5-6400, while other (alternative) has my GTX 1660 Ti with your i5-6400:
(Other components are generic ones.)

Userbenchmark PC Build Comparison

Baseline Bench: Game 25%, Desk 78%, Work 21%
CPU: Intel Core i5-6400
GPU: Nvidia GTX 950
SSD: Samsung 860 Evo 500GB
HDD: WD Blue 1TB (2012)
RAM: HyperX Fury DDR4 2400 C15 2x8GB

Alternative Bench: Game 57%, Desk 78%, Work 45%
CPU: Intel Core i5-6400
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1660-Ti
SSD: Samsung 860 Evo 500GB
HDD: WD Blue 1TB (2012)
RAM: HyperX Fury DDR4 2400 C15 2x8GB

Just replacing the GPU is enough to increase the gaming performance.

But if we'd take the CPU upgrade into consideration (Ryzen 3 3300X) and compare both builds again, there is little gain in gaming performance, since the GPU remains the same, despite CPU being much better:

Userbenchmark PC Build Comparison

Baseline Bench: Game 25%, Desk 78%, Work 21%
CPU: Intel Core i5-6400
GPU: Nvidia GTX 950
SSD: Samsung 860 Evo 500GB
HDD: WD Blue 1TB (2012)
RAM: HyperX Fury DDR4 2400 C15 2x8GB

Alternative Bench: Game 28%, Desk 88%, Work 26%
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
GPU: Nvidia GTX 950
SSD: Samsung 860 Evo 500GB
HDD: WD Blue 1TB (2012)
RAM: HyperX Fury DDR4 2400 C15 2x8GB

 

[Zerk2012]

I can buy from basically anywhere online as long as its not some like sketchy site. The motherboard i have right now is a gigabyte b450m ds3h v2. I want to get something under 120 dollars for my cpu.

Your not going to get anything under 120 bucks unless you can find a used one.
3600 or 3600x would be fine.

 

[Potatonado]

Is motherboard all you have? I assume no, elaborate what else you have.

Sorry, Right now i have an evga 750w power supply, my previously mentioned motherboard, and a phanteks eclipse p400a.

 

[Aeacus]

Right now i have an evga 750w power supply, my previously mentioned motherboard, and a phanteks eclipse p400a.

Here, a complete PC. Added CPU, RAM, SSD + the parts you already have (hence why their price is $0):

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3300X 3.8 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($230.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M DS3H V2 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (Purchased For $0.00)
Memory: ADATA XPG Z1 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 CL16 Memory ($52.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX500 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($81.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 950 2 GB WINDFORCE 2X Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400A ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: EVGA BQ 750 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $364.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-09-27 23:59 EDT-0400

 

[boju]

I can buy from basically anywhere online as long as its not some like sketchy site. The motherboard i have right now is a gigabyte b450m ds3h v2. I want to get something under 120 dollars for my cpu.

What ram and speed do you have? I'm guessing you have ddr4 ram already you could reuse from old system. Speed might be a factor though getting the most out of Ryzen.

Motherboard doesn't support QFlash Plus so dealing with cpu support on your own might be sketchy. Ryzen 2600/2700 (2nd gen) sure, it'll be supported but anything newer will need a bios update. Does it say on the motherboard box indicating if it's 3rd gen ready? If nothing, without a compatible cpu to update, you either visit a pc store to help you flash it or settle for 2nd gen.

 

[mdd1963]

A 3600X would seem sensible unless you never intend to upgrade GPUs again, in which case the 3300X will indeed offer 95% of that performance...

 

[DSzymborski]

What's the EVGA power supply? EVGA has like two dozen 750W PSUs, ranging from excellent (G2, G3, P2) to average (GQ) to mediocre (BQ) to godawful (N1).

 

[DSzymborski]

And @Hellfire13 is selling his used 3500.

https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/wts-amd-ryzen-5-3500-6-core-processor-price-reduced.3707482/#post-22468125

 

[boju]

And @Hellfire13 is selling his used 3500.

https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/wts-amd-ryzen-5-3500-6-core-processor-price-reduced.3707482/#post-22468125

How did you get Hellfire haha Nighthawk is selling 3500

 

[DSzymborski]

How did you get Hellfire haha Nighthawk is selling 3500

Oops, sorry. It's late. Sorry @Hellfire13

 

[Hellfire13]

Oops, sorry. It's late. Sorry @Hellfire13

no worries