[SOLVED] Best CPU for the RTX 4090?

Solution
The best CPU for that card would be the AMD R7-7800X3D. The Intel i9-13900K would also be good for it but I cannot recommend a CPU that draws that much power and is that difficult to keep cool.

The R7-7800X3D is far more power-efficient, cooler and has overall better gaming performance than the i9-13900K.

Yes the 7800x3d and 13700/13900 are top of the line cpu's for gaming. But the resolution and refresh rate are limited by the users monitor. Most people have a 144Hz monitor and the 4090 would be overkill at this resolution.

At 4K you don't need the highest end cpu to run the 4090 to it's maximum potential. A 12th Gen or 5700x would be more than enogh cpu power to get the most out of the 4090 at 4k.

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The best CPU for that card would be the AMD R7-7800X3D. The Intel i9-13900K would also be good for it but I cannot recommend a CPU that draws that much power and is that difficult to keep cool.

The R7-7800X3D is far more power-efficient, cooler and has overall better gaming performance than the i9-13900K.
 
The best CPU for that card would be the AMD R7-7800X3D. The Intel i9-13900K would also be good for it but I cannot recommend a CPU that draws that much power and is that difficult to keep cool.

The R7-7800X3D is far more power-efficient, cooler and has overall better gaming performance than the i9-13900K.

Yes the 7800x3d and 13700/13900 are top of the line cpu's for gaming. But the resolution and refresh rate are limited by the users monitor. Most people have a 144Hz monitor and the 4090 would be overkill at this resolution.

At 4K you don't need the highest end cpu to run the 4090 to it's maximum potential. A 12th Gen or 5700x would be more than enogh cpu power to get the most out of the 4090 at 4k.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCa-QGxgfos



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1rJU-EwVlE
 
Solution
Yes the 7800x3d and 13700/13900 are top of the line cpu's for gaming. But the resolution and refresh rate are limited by the users monitor. Most people have a 144Hz monitor and the 4090 would be overkill at this resolution.

At 4K you don't need the highest end cpu to run the 4090 to it's maximum potential. A 12th Gen or 5700x would be more than enogh cpu power to get the most out of the 4090 at 4k.

Yeah I went 7950x3D for my mix of gaming and video work... saw more than one review where the 7800x3D lagged behind in stuff like encoding and what not. Probably not the end of the world but still... 16 cores > 8.

As for video... my OLED runs at 4K 120hz... but I run it at 60hz because I just don't see a difference between the two... so no point in pushing the 4090 for something that isn't necessary. I guess I'm just getting old... the eyes aren't what they used to be.
 
Yes the 7800x3d and 13700/13900 are top of the line cpu's for gaming. But the resolution and refresh rate are limited by the users monitor. Most people have a 144Hz monitor and the 4090 would be overkill at this resolution.

At 4K you don't need the highest end cpu to run the 4090 to it's maximum potential. A 12th Gen or 5700x would be more than enogh cpu power to get the most out of the 4090 at 4k.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCa-QGxgfos



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1rJU-EwVlE
Yes, I know that but since the OP spent an astonishing amount of money on an RTX 4090, I have to assume that it's not for CS:GO and that they have a carp-tonne of cash to throw around. Therefore, I just recommended the best gaming CPU out there for the best gaming GPU out there. The OP did say "The best CPU for the RTX 4090" and, objectively, that is the R7-7800X3D because it will give top-level performance regardless of what display they have.

You were right to ask but it doesn't sound like this person is a budget gamer and just wants "The best of the best" because they'd otherwise not have something as superlatively unnecessary as an RTX 4090.
 
And I simply tried to state that at 4K gaming you don't need the "best of the best" to achieve the gpu's maximum potential FPS. I was trying to address the OP's question and not assuming what he may want.

Many people believe they must have the best cpu in order to play pc games. As alluded to, if playing competively at 1080p then yes the 13900k or 7800x3d would be the prime choice. This would also take into account the user has a montior of at least 240Hz or greater.

At 4k gaming, and to a lesser extent 1440p, any cpu of the last couple of generations will perform the same as the "best of the best" when at 144Hz.

4k 120Hz would then suggest a more recent cpu but even the 4090 cannot achieve 120 FPS with some AAA titles.
 
4k 120Hz would then suggest a more recent cpu but even the 4090 cannot achieve 120 FPS with some AAA titles.

You're right about that. I did test it the other day with Last of Us and Hogwarts at 120hz and at Ultra 4K I was hitting 90-100 fps. Yet another reason 60hz makes more sense to me.... not only can I not see a difference between 60 and 120 my GPU can't do 120 anyway. 🤣 🤣

I agree with all of what you've said though... at 4K the GPU is much more important than the CPU.
 
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For 4090 everything above 7700x is good. (for 4k)

I have compared with an other player who has a similar system and 7950x ...
There is no big difference. <1%

3.7% for me not worth investing more