Best CPU For 3090 2024 (Top Rated Processor To Pair With RTX 3090)

When thinking about building a gaming rig, or even a system that you would use for high detailed modelling, if the money is right, you should subsequently go for a powerful system, which will comprise of the best CPU’s, GPUs and other components. For now, we’re talking about the RTX 3090 and the eligible processors to be paired alongside it and we’ve recommended the top rated ones that will give you the premium feel.

Just want a quick answer? The best CPU for RTX 3090 in a year are AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12-core, 24-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor and Intel Core i9-10900K Desktop Processor 10 Cores up to 5.3 GHz Unlocked LGA1200. The processors are built with durability and efficiency in mind, they are able to perform complex and heavy workloads with enough fluidity and flexibility.  

Best CPU For RTX 3090: Quick Comparison

Top Rated Processors To Pair With 3090 2024: Ranked & Reviewed

1. AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12-Core, 24-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor

Winner

When you have the world’s most advanced processor architecture for gamers and content creators, the possibilities are endless.

Whether you are playing the latest games, designing the next skyscraper, or crunching data, you need a powerful processor that can handle it all.

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X desktop processor sets the bar for gamers and artists alike.

AMD Ryzen 5000 Series processors power the next generation of demanding games, providing a one of a kind immersive experience and dominating any multithreaded task, like 3D and video rendering, and software compiling.

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X series processors feature the fastest graphics performance available in a desktop processor. It can also be paired with a graphics card to supercharge your gaming performance.

Pros

• Gaming performance now at parity with, or better than, Intel Core i9
• It has a record-setting content-creation results in its price bracket
• It is compatible with Socket AM4
• It has a low TDP compared to Intel’s options

Cons

• It is not cost efficient

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2. Intel Core i9-10900K Desktop Processor 10 Cores up to 5.3 GHz Unlocked LGA1200

Runner Up

The Core i9-10900 2.8 GHz Ten-Core LGA 1200 Processor from Intel has a base clock speed of 2.8 GHz and comes with features such as Intel Optane Memory support, Intel vPro, Intel Boot Guard, Intel VT-d virtualization technology for directed I/O, and Intel Hyper-Threading technology. 

With Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 and its in-built thermal velocity boost, the maximum turbo frequency this processor can achieve is 5.2 GHz.

Additionally, this processor features 10 cores with 20 threads in an LGA 1200 socket, has 20MB of cache memory, and 16 PCIe lanes. 

Having 10 cores allows the processor to run multiple programs simultaneously without slowing down the system, while the 20 threads allow a basic ordered sequence of instructions to be passed through or processed by a single CPU core.

This processor also supports 128GB of dual-channel 2933 MHz DDR4 RAM and utilizes 10th-generation technology.

Graphically, the Core i9-10900 uses the integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 chipset, which has a base frequency of 350 MHz and a dynamic frequency of 1.2 GHz. A thermal solution is further included.

This Intel processor is built to offer its users a premium experience doing work hours. It can be pushed to the extreme and used for long hours of work without overheating, and it is able to withstand any type of high computational demanding design, while still performing smoothly and flawlessly.

Intel’s easy streaming wizard simplifies the process of configuring your processor’s capabilities, bandwidth and peripherals—helping to get you streaming in minutes, instead of hours.

With this Intel processor, you can push the limits with the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility’s advanced performance-tuning software that enables experienced enthusiasts to overclock, monitor, and stress a system.

Pros

• It is good for overclocking
• Fast gaming performance
• It is strong in both single- and multi-threaded applications
• Chipset with upgraded networking

Cons

• It is not cost efficient

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3. AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X 24-Core, 48-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor

Best AMD CPU For RTX 3090

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper series of CPUs are high performance CPUs that are built for serious designers and artists who want a processor with a high number of threads and cores. 

You can ultimately take advantage of 24 cores and 48 threads for an unprecedented multi-tasking power to edit videos, animate characters and fine tune your design without sacrificing your vision.

With the AMD Ryzen Threadripper, you can experience incredible performance with 140MB of on-chip memory, powerful enough to simultaneously stream your game content to your audience, without lagging or skipping frames.

It is designed to be strong enough to handle your creative vision in three dimensions and also fast enough to compile your code while you are playing.

It has an unrivaled architectural design exclusive to AMD, brought to the table by their new AMD TRX40 desktop platform, 3rd generation AMD Ryzen threadripper processors which deliver bleeding-edge efficiency and expandability including next–gen PCLe 4.0 connectivity.

The AMD Ryzen threadripper is not your ordinary CPU, as the processor offers a great deal of quality to its consumers. The CPU comes packed with many smart features that will help make your workflow extremely easy.

For one thing, it has a good number of cores and threads, with a good TDP value and it is unsurprisingly unlocked for overclocking. 

This is a great processor for gaming and high level productivity and for every dollar you spend, you surely will get back through its performance, fast flowing multi-tasking and durable build.

Pros

• It has a good number of cores and threads
• It great for gaming
• It performs extremely when used for video editing and 3D workflows
• It is built with durability in mind
• It can be used for high level programming

Cons

• It is tagged at a high price

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4. Intel Core i9-12900K Desktop Processor 16 (8P+8E) Cores up to 5.2 GHz Unlocked LGA1700 600 Series Chipset 125W

Best Gaming CPU For RTX 3090

The Intel Core i9-12900K comes with the highest clock speeds, featuring a groundbreaking new architecture.

This means that you’ll be able to push your gameplay to new heights while secondary apps run seamlessly in the background. 

It also features up to 5.2 GHz max clock speed, which enables it to launch programs with absolute ease and perform complex programs seamlessly. It comes with 16 Cores, which are grouped into 8 Performance-cores and 8 Efficient-cores. 

It’s safe to say that Intel made sure not to lack in any form of performance when they designed this processor, and that’s why they also equipped it with 24 Threads, which boosts performance by grouping the cores into 16 performance-cores, and 8 Efficient-cores.

The Intel processor is unlocked for overclocking, making it a processor that allows its users to be able to derive every bit of power from their processor.

Strictly speaking, it mostly benefits game enthusiasts and heavy graphic designers. The processor has separate overclocking controls for both types of cores, which offers its users nuanced personalization. 

Intel has a new high performance hybrid architecture which integrates two core families into a single CPU, keeping everything in your gaming universe running smoothly and flawlessly. Intel thread director prioritizes and manages their user’s workloads, sending their tasks to the best core that will be fully able to manage it the best. 

It selects the core that will process your work more efficiently and assigns the job to it. And Intel’s P-cores are designed for optimum performance across single and lightly-threaded workloads, while it enhances activities like gaming and productivity. 

The E-cores are optimized for mostly multi-threaded performance, which minimizes interruptions from secondary tasks, allowing it to single out large tasks that will best suit it and then process it with minimal interruptions. All this architectural design allows the CPU to decide which tasks best suit its different cores.

Pros

• It has a high number of cores and threads
• It cores relates well with any given task
• It has a premium gaming ability
• It can be used for heavy graphic workloads
• It has a high clock speed
• It features the thunderbolt 4 type of connection
• It features Intel’s killer Wi-Fi 6 which delivers fast transfer speeds and connections to peripherals
• It has support for PCIe Gen 5 and DDR5 for high-performance components like memory and graphics
• It is unlocked for overclocking
• It is a future-proof processor

Cons

• It is not cost efficient

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5. Intel Core i7-10700K Desktop Processor 8 Cores up to 5.1 GHz Unlocked LGA1200 (Intel 400 Series Chipset) 125W

Best Intel CPU For RTX 3090

The Intel Core i7-10700K offers a total of 8 cores and 16 threads, which makes it able to run your computational activities quite well.

With the Intel core i7-10700K, you can run up to a clock speed of 5.1 GHz when paired with the Intel turbo boost max technology.

The CPU is unlocked with new overclocking controls that offer additional performance tuning flexibility. It multi-tasks flawlessly and effortlessly with Intel’s hyper threading technology.

It uses two support channels which is the DDR4-2933 memory support, one of the latest memory support types that is recently in the market.

Packed into this title are things like richer armor destruction, with more debris flying in more pieces and more places. Your favorite Avengers’ signature heroic moves now create more detailed rubble and debris that stays on screen longer, so you can really see the full effect. 

Even the water looks better on a high-end Intel powered processor. With the optimal balance of cores, threads and frequency, any interaction with water becomes a richer, more responsive experience.

With the Intel extreme tuning, utility users can push the limits of their processor, and experienced enthusiastic consumers are allowed to overclock, monitor, and stress the system. 

If you check its performance when playing games like PUBG or Three Kingdoms, you will be astonished how good it performs relative to processors that cost more.

The overall performance that the Intel core i7-10700K offers during gaming and creation is what makes it a processor capable of playing high-end games swiftly and displaying frames smoothly and flawlessly.

Pros

• It has a good TDP range
• It is unlocked for overclocking
• It has features that help it perform extremely well
• It has a good base clock speed
• It features a good memory support technology
• It is good for gaming
• It is good for content creators

Cons

• It doesn’t have a bundled cooler

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6. Intel Core i5-12600K Desktop Processor 10 (6P+4E) Cores up to 4.9 GHz Unlocked LGA1700 600 Series Chipset 125W

Best Budget CPU For RTX 3090

The Intel Core i5-12600K process comes with the highest clock speed and a groundbreaking new architecture, and with it you can be able to push your system’s gameplay to a whole new height, while secondary apps run seamlessly in the background.

It has a max clock speed of up to 4.9 GHz. It further features 10 cores that divide into 6 Performance-cores and 4 Efficient-cores, which when given tasks is able to decipher the correct core that should manage the task at hand.

It also comes with 16 Threads which is grouped into 12 on Performance-cores, and 4 on Efficient-cores.

The processor is unlocked for overclocking. The overclocking extremely benefits enthusiasts because they are given the full power to reach the limits of the system.

The CPU offers separate overclocking controls for both types of cores which gives its users nuanced personalization.

The new processor architecture is also compatible with the latest platform innovations, giving you performance improvements throughout your PC.

The Intel’s new performance hybrid architecture integrates two core families into a single CPU, keeping everything in your gaming universe running smoothly.

The processor supports PCIe Gen 5 and DDR5 for high-performance components like memory and graphics. Thunderbolt 4 and Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6/6E helps deliver fast transfer speeds and connections to output devices

Pros

• It is cost efficient
• It has a good connection support
• It has a high clock speed
• It is unlocked for overclocking
• It has an excellent performance for gaming
• It is future-proofed with PCIe 5.0 and DDR5
• It has a good power efficiency

Cons

• It sometimes has issues with game compatibility

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RTX 3090 CPU Requirements FAQ

Final Words About The Best CPU For 3090 Build

Having reviewed a lot of top rated CPUs that can be paired with the RTX 3090, we have listed the absolute best ones. 

A lot of factors influenced our decision on what processors should be listed, like the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X is a premium processor that is widely known for its variety of compatibility and its optimum operational power, but for the RTX 3090 you don’t necessarily have to spend that much. So for the Nvidia RTX 3090, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X ranks first.

The best CPU for RTX 3090 in 2024 are AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12-core, 24-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor and Intel Core i9-10900K Desktop Processor 10 Cores up to 5.3 GHz Unlocked LGA1200.