NVIDIA's beastly RTX 3080 brought our lofty dreams of gaming at 4K with smooth framerates to reality for the first time when it launched in late 2020, cementing its legacy as one of the best high-end graphics cards that money could buy.
Though NVIDIA has launched a couple of newer generations since then, the RTX 3080 remains a popular GPU for gamers and creators.
Like any card, the RTX 3080 needs a strong CPU to fuel it with processing power. My top pick right now is the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, but the 7800X3D is a more affordable alternative.
There are plenty of other options from which to choose, including picks from Intel that focus more on productivity than gaming.
September 12, 2025: I've fully updated this list to include some of the best (and newest) CPU options from AMD and Intel. — Cale Hunt
Best overall
There's no better gaming CPU in the world right now than the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. While it costs more than other options here (you can usually find it for about $479), its 3D V-Cache propels gaming performance beyond any other chip. It's an 8-core CPU unlocked for overclocking, and it'll be relevant for many years to come.
Runner-up
AMD's "Zen 5" Ryzen 7 9800X3D is my top choice, but the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the next best thing from the "Zen 4" era. It offers AMD's unique 3D V-Cache to improve performance in all games, and its overall power is only just under the newer 9800X3D. Best part? It's still readily available for around $359.
Cheaper Zen 5
AMD's Ryzen 5 9600X doesn't have 3D V-Cache, but it will nevertheless easily keep up with an RTX 3080. It comes with all of AMD's Zen 5 efficiency and performance improvements, it runs on the same AM5 socket in use for several generations, and you usually find it for about $197.
Best Intel
Intel's latest Core Ultra desktop chips didn't do much to improve gaming performance, so I'm still recommending 14th Gen hardware. This Core i5 chip won't bottleneck your RTX 3080, it has 14 cores, and it supports DDR5 RAM and PCIe 5.0. It's usually available for around $200.
Best AM4 AMD
Your RTX 3080 may be connected to an AM4 motherboard; in that case, I recommend checking out the Ryzen 5 5600X. It's a few generations old, but it remains a great option that shouldn't cause any bottlenecks even at higher resolutions. It's the cheapest option in this collection at about $159.
Latest Intel
If you're more into productivity work, Intel's Core Ultra chips are an excellent choice. The Core Ultra 5 245K we reviewed comes with 14 cores and a 5.2GHz clock, and it runs on the LGA 1851 socket (which likely means you'll need a new motherboard). You can usually find this chip for about $256.
I've been cobbling together budget PCs and spending too much on powerful systems for about 20 years, and combined with my experience testing and reviewing PC hardware for Windows Central, I can confidently offer informed PC buying advice.
Choosing the best CPU for NVIDIA's RTX 3080
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Although it's nearly five years old at this point, NVIDIA's RTX 3080 is still a fantastic graphics card for gaming in 1440p and 4K at a smooth 60 FPS, even with settings turned up. It's also awesome for driving high-performance 1440p gameplay, as well as for use with ultrawide monitors.
All of the processors I listed above are some of the best CPUs you can pair with an RTX 3080, but I urge any gamers to check out the Ryzen 7 7800X3D or Ryzen 7 9800X3D. These two chips are the best you can buy for gaming.
The Ryzen 7 9800X3D can be found at Best Buy for about $479, while the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is currently cheapest at Walmart for about $359.
Windows Central Senior Editor Ben Wilson reviewed the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, remarking:
"AMD continues the theme with its second generation of 3D V-Cache to deliver unparalleled gaming performance and middling productivity. Thankfully, most gamers do not care about the benchmark-breaking number crunching as long as they get their framerate boosts, and the Ryzen 7 9800X3D delivers that sweet extra FPS."
Intel vs. AMD: Which to choose?
Looking at our Intel Core Ultra 5 245K review and Core Ultra 9 285K review, it's clear that Intel has focused more on efficiency and productivity performance than gaming for its latest chips.
Worsening the situation were five major issues affecting Arrow Lake-S chips, as discovered by Intel. When I wrote about these issues in December 2024, Intel claimed it had resolved four of the major issues. How much these fixes affected performance remains to be seen, as many users claim there are no changes.
That's not to say something like the Core Ultra 5 245K I recommend won't be able to handle gaming. It's just that AMD's X3D chips remain far ahead of Intel in terms of the best CPUs for gamers.
You might also be a bit hesitant to buy a 13th or 14th Gen Intel desktop CPU after its microcode fiasco, which was causing chips to fail. The issue was identified by Intel, and a fix via BIOS updates to motherboards began rolling out in early August 2024.
You should be alright buying one of these CPUs as long as you have the latest motherboard BIOS installed, but you can avoid the whole thing by going with AMD.
