Facebook
Reddit
Email
The Radeon RX 9070 XT can deliver high FPS in both rasterized and ray-tracing games. These are some CPUs you can buy to pair with this GPU.
The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT is a budget GPU designed to deliver competitive gaming performance at both 1080p and 1440p. If you are building a new PC with this GPU, you will also need a great CPU to pair with this Radeon graphics card.
Therefore, this processor must have six cores and a decently high clock speed to prevent bottlenecking, especially in CPU-intensive games. Most competitive/esports titles require a powerful CPU to deliver 120 FPS or higher to match the monitor’s 120Hz refresh rate or higher.
With a decent CPU, the Radeon RX 9060 XT will struggle to hit 120 FPS consistently, which could prevent you from hitting that perfect headshot and ruin your performance in esports titles. That’s why we took the time out to prepare a list of CPUs you should pair with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT.
Note: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the writer’s opinions. Also, the prices mentioned herein are subject to change.
What Are the Best CPUs for AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT?
1) AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is one of the best CPUs for gaming, even in 2025. This is due to the inclusion of a large 96 MB of L3 cache, which allows the processor to deliver an unprecedented performance in gaming. Therefore, it is an easy choice for the Radeon RX 9060 XT. This processor is also not exorbitantly expensive and costs similarly to the Radeon GPU. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is also equipped with eight cores and a 5.2GHz clock speed. Therefore, it will deliver this same high gaming performance in the future.
| Specifications | Values |
|---|---|
| Architecture | Zen 5 |
| Core/Thread count | 8/16 |
| Max clock speed | 5.2 GHz |
| L3 cache | 96 MB |
| RAM support | DDR5-5600 |
| PCIe Gen support | Gen 5 |
| Platform Socket | AM5 |
| Thermal design power (TDP) | 120W Typical | 162W Max |
| Manufacturing nodes | 4nm, 6nm |
2) Intel Core i7 14700K
The Intel Core i7 14700K is a high-end CPU capable of delivering great performance in gaming, productivity, and content creation. It is equipped with a total of 20 cores and can reach 5.6GHz clock speed, which is quite high. Therefore, this Intel CPU can extract all the performance out of the Radeon RX 9060 XT and deliver extremely high performance in gaming. The Intel Core i7 14700K also supports APO, which is short for Application Optimization. You can use APO to fine-tune a game and allow it to run more efficiently to deliver even higher performance.
| Specifications | Values |
|---|---|
| Architecture | Raptor Lake Refresh |
| P-Core/Thread count | 8/16 |
| E-Core/Thread count | 12/12 |
| Total Core/Thread count | 20/28 |
| Max clock speed | 5.6 GHz |
| L3 cache | 33 MB |
| RAM support | DDR4-3200 DDR5-5600 |
| PCIe Gen support | Gen 5 |
| Platform Socket | LGA 1700 |
| Thermal design power (TDP) | 125W Typical | 253W Max |
| Manufacturing nodes | 10nm |
3) AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
If you want a bit more affordable processor, the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is the one you should go for. It is equipped with eight cores and fast DDR5 RAM, which is extremely handy when running CPU-intensive games, such as Battlefield 6. The Ryzen 7 7700X can also reach 5.4 GHz clock speed, which will allow its eight cores to deliver extremely high performance. Therefore, you can pair it with the Radeon RX 9060 XT without creating any bottlenecks in the system.
| Specifications | Values |
|---|---|
| Architecture | Zen 4 |
| Core/Thread count | 8/16 |
| Max clock speed | 5.4 GHz |
| L3 cache | 32 MB |
| RAM support | DDR5-5200 |
| PCIe Gen support | Gen 5 |
| Platform Socket | AM5 |
| Thermal design power (TDP) | 120W Typical | 162W Max |
| Manufacturing nodes | 5nm, 6nm |
4) Intel Core i5 13600KF
If you want a high-core-count CPU but only have a budget of $200, then the Intel Core i5 13600KF is the one for you. It has a total of 14 cores and 20 threads, so it will not only fulfill your wish for a high core count but also future-proof your system. The Core i5 13600KF processor provides all that for under $200, which is what makes it such a great choice. You can pair this CPU with either DDR4 or DDR5 RAM. The latter is the better choice for high-performance PC builds, while the former is better for budget builds.
| Specifications | Values |
|---|---|
| Architecture | Raptor Lake |
| P-Core/Thread count | 6/12 |
| E-Core/Thread count | 8/8 |
| Total Core/Thread count | 14/20 |
| Max clock speed | 5.1 GHz |
| L3 cache | 24 MB |
| RAM support | DDR4-3200 DDR5-5600 |
| PCIe Gen support | Gen 5 |
| Platform Socket | LGA 1700 |
| Thermal design power (TDP) | 125W Typical | 181W Max |
| Manufacturing nodes | 10nm |
5) Intel Core i5 12400F
The Intel Core i5 12400F is one of the most affordable CPUs on the market, so it can be the perfect choice for budget users who want to save as much as possible. It costs only $116, and at this price, there are some compromises. The Core i5 12400F has only six cores and can only reach a 4.4 GHz clock speed. However, it still delivers a fantastic performance in games and doesn’t bottleneck the Radeon RX 9060 XT, despite having fewer cores.
| Specifications | Values |
|---|---|
| Architecture | Alder Lake |
| P-Core/Thread count | 6/12 |
| E-Core/Thread count | –/– |
| Total Core/Thread count | 6/12 |
| Max clock speed | 4.4 GHz |
| L3 cache | 18 MB |
| RAM support | DDR4-3200 DDR5-4800 |
| PCIe Gen support | Gen 5 |
| Platform Socket | LGA 1700 |
| Thermal design power (TDP) | 65W Typical | 117W Max |
| Manufacturing nodes | 10nm |
Final Thoughts
The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Intel Core i7 14700K are the best CPUs for the Radeon RX 9060 XT, but they are also quite expensive. They cost as much as the GPU itself. Therefore, if you want something a bit cheaper, the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and Intel Core i5 13600KF will do the job just fine and cost $100 to $150 less.
However, if you are on a really tight budget, then the Intel Core i5 12400F can be the perfect choice. It costs only $116, which is substantially more affordable than all other CPUs listed above it.
We provide the latest news and “How To’s” for Tech content. Meanwhile, you can check out the following articles related to PC GPUs, CPU and GPU comparisons, mobile phones, and more:
- 5 Best Air Coolers for CPUs in 2025
- ASUS TUF Gaming F16 Release Date, Specifications, Price, and More
- iPhone 16e vs iPhone SE (3rd Gen): Which One To Buy in 2025?
- Powerbeats Pro 2 vs AirPods Pro 2: Which One To Get in 2025
- RTX 5070 Ti vs. RTX 4070 Super: Specs, Price and More Compared
- Windows 11: How To Disable Lock Screen Widgets
