Question Do I need a $1,000+ CPU to be able to use the RTX 4090 effectively?

[fordongreeman]

Do I need a $1,000+ flagship CPU from AMD or Intel if I am to be able to use an RTX 4090 without any CPU bottlenecking?

 

[Darkbreeze]

No, you do not. Even a 120 dollar Ryzen 5600G will work fine with that graphics card, depending on the game. For games that aren't very CPU intensive especially. If you tend to play games that are highly multithreaded or CPU intensive, then you can simply move up as you see fit from there based on what you can afford.

Optimally, something like the Ryzen 7 7700x or i7-13700k would be a good choice for that graphics card, and those are around 400 bucks. Anything beyond that is just gravy because it's highly doubtful there are any existing games that would be even minimally held back by either of those CPUs.

 

[Why_Me]

$900 will get you this.

https://www.centralcomputer.com/msi...-max-128gb-ddr5-4x-m-2-slots-2-5gbps-lan.html
MSI PRO Z790-A WIFI $279.99

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-Z790-A-WIFI

https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i7-13700k-core-i7-13th-gen/p/N82E16819118414
Intel Core i7-13700K $439.99 + $20 off w/ promo code BFDBY2A99, limited offer

https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-30m-cache-up-to-5-40-ghz/specifications.html

https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr5-sdram/p/N82E16820374369
G.SKILL Ripjaws S5 Series DDR5 6000 32GB (2x16GB) CL30 $199.99

 

[drea.drechsler]

I'd say more like $1000 dollars (or more) in monitor(s) to give it something to do.

Dual high-refresh 4K would put it to most effective use. Maybe even ultra-wide, just because it would be amazing to bring your extreme peripheral vision into the game.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yeah, I'd agree with that. If you're going to splurge on a 4090, just get a capable enough CPU and put the rest into the displays because at anything less than, at minimum, a single 4k Ultra everything, it's a waste of money to even buy a 4090.