There is no denying fact that a graphics card is the most important component of a gaming PC. If you don’t have a graphics card or have an old or weak graphics card then you won’t be able to run the latest games on high resolutions preferably at 1080p or 1440p. However, a processor is also very important for a gaming PC because it directly or indirectly can affect the performance in games.
Selecting the right processor is equally as important as selecting a good graphics card for gaming. There are some factors involved that you have to consider when selecting a CPU to get the maximum performance out of your graphics card or gaming PC. So here I will guide you on how to get the best CPU for your gaming PC that can match up with your current or new graphics card.
Guide for Selecting Best CPU for your Gaming PC
Here are the important factors that you should keep in mind when buying a processor for your gaming PC.
Number of Cores
If you are thinking that more cores mean more performance in games then you are partly wrong. Yes, more cores do increase performance in the latest games but it really depends on the game and how optimized it is for multiple cores. Most of the latest games are optimized for up to four cores only which means a good quad-core processor is enough for getting the maximum performance out of the game. This also means that a Hexa-core (6-core) or an Octa-core (8-core) processor won’t really add any performance increase and in some cases, it may also lead to a drop in performance in the game. So a fast quad-core processor is enough for most of the latest games and you will also be saving some money as higher cores processors do costs a bit more. If you are on a budget then choose a good dual-core processor with hyper-threading support and if you do not have budget issues then go for a quad-core or higher processor to remain future-proof.
Check out:
- Best Budget Gaming CPUs under 100 Dollars
- Top AMD Ryzen Threadripper Processors
- Best Budget Kaby Lake Processors
- Best Intel Core-X series Processors
- Top AMD Ryzen 7 Processors
- Best Budget AMD Ryzen 3 Processors
- Best Mid-range AMD Ryzen 5 Processors
Graphics Card Performance
The performance of a graphics card is also an important factor in choosing the right CPU for your gaming needs. For a high-end graphics card, you must get a high-end quad-core or higher cores processor, for a mid-range graphics card a dual-core or quad-core processor is enough and for an entry-level graphics card, a budget dual-core processor is sufficient.
If you have a high-end graphics card but a less powerful dual-core processor then the processor will bottleneck the graphics card performance and you will not be able to get the maximum performance in games or from the graphics card. Similarly, if you have a budget or entry-level graphics card and a high-end multi-core processor then also it does not make any sense because again you will not get the performance benefits in the game from a fast processor. So, a processor should match up with the graphics card for getting the best gaming performance.
Check out:
Cache Memory
Cache also plays an important role in overall gaming and in processor-intensive games. If the game is more CPU intensive then you will need a good processor with an adequate amount of cache memory. If the processor is short on cache then you will encounter stuttering and low frame rates in CPU-bound games. When getting a budget processor make sure it has at least 2MB of cache, for the mid-range processor it should be 4MB to 6MB, and for a high-end processor, it should be 8MB or higher.
See also:
- Complete Guide on Upgrading Graphics Card for Gaming
- Should you Upgrade CPU or GPU First for your PC for Gaming?
Final Thoughts
Well, here I have clearly explained the most important things that you should keep in mind when buying a processor for your gaming PC. A processor plays a very important role in a gaming PC and it should be chosen carefully if you want the best out of your graphics card and want smoother gameplay at 60 FPS or more. If you still have any doubts about the processor, gaming, or graphics card then please ask me by leaving a comment below.
(*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you choose to purchase through the links I provide (at no extra cost to you). Thank you for supporting the work I put into this site!)
If we use video editing Softwares which is the best processor ?
For video editing go for at least Intel Core i5 8500 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600.
Hello!
Iam running a system with a amd fx 4300 quadcore oc’ed to 4,5ghz.
8gb RAM
SSD
Msi gtx 1060 6Gb.
I am playing fortnite, and ive just upgraded my gpu to 1060 6gb from gtx 970.
And i am now having lower fps, stuttering and slow rendering with my new gpu!?
The only thing i can think of is that my cpu is bottlenecking my gpu? Ive done a reinstalm of windows and optimized every single “fast preformance” setting for my gpu. Stil cant this figured out!
Please help me get a lead on what is wrong!
Hello,
Your CPU is definitely a bottleneck for a card like GTX 1060. Monitor your CPU/GPU usage and temperature using MSI Afterburner.
Ok i will, but is the difference really that big compared to gtx 970?
Not big because GTX 970 is roughly 15% slower than GTX 1060. There might be some other issues too, like the drivers etc. I suggest you to try graphics driver version 388.71 and check again.
Oh ok, yeah will try the driver! Im using the lastest driver from geforce experience atm.
Will come back once i tried it out! Thanks!
i think my CPU is bottle necking my GPU with my current specs i am planning to upgrade parts tho do you think i have chosen the right parts and what performance boost will i get with the new parts compared to my current specs?
OS: Windows 10 pro
MBD: Asrock H61M-DG3/USB3 – (Soon to be replaced w / Asrock B450M steel legend AM4)
CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 – (Soon to be replaced w / AMD Ryzen 5 3600)
GPU: Nvidia geforce GTX 1660 Super OC (6Gb)
RAM: Corsair DDR3 2x4GB – (Soon to be replaced w / HyperX Fury 3200mhz DDR4 16 GB)
MAIN HDD: WD Blue 500GB (soon to be replaced w / 1tb Samsung 860 EVO SSD)
SECOND HDD: WD Blue 320GB (soon to be replaced w / 500gb Samsung 860 EVO SSD)
PSU: Corsair VS550w
USING LATEST NVIDIA DRIVERS AND LATEST WINDOWS 10 UPDATE
I think it is better to get a good budget B550 motherboard like MSI B550M PRO-VDH WiFi rather than investing in a B450 board. For second drive, I think a hard drive should be enough and I recommend Seagate Barracuda 2TB/1TB. Also, I would highly suggest getting a good budget aftermarket CPU cooler and I recommend ID-COOLING SE-224-XT Basic CPU Cooler https://graphicscardhub.com/budget-cpu-cooler/. All other components are OK.
ok but if i was to buy all the parts i mentioned before would i face any issues? with the motherboard or CPU or anything like that?
No, you will not face any issues with all the parts you have mentioned.
like will my games run high ultra 75fps which is what im looking for currently i can do it but with lag in newer games cause of my CPU and ram possibly i dont think my GPU is an issue considering its fairly new or at least i hope not
Yes, your GPU is quite good and it will go very well with Ryzen 5 3600.
alright thank you very much for your help very helpfull information stay safe 🙂
Currently my CPU is maxing out while playing Modern Warfare. I would like to stream but unable to due to lag. Im also concerned that my CPU is bottlenecking my GPU even though Im pulling around 110 FPS in game.
Specs are as follows:
Intel Core i5-9600K 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor
MSI GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8 GB GAMING X Video Card
Asus PRIME Z390-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Should I look into upgrading my CPU?? Im very new to this PC Build world so any help is appreciated. Thanks
What is your CPU usage during the game?
Usually right at 100%
Check whether it is game only consuming the CPU or anything else. If it is the game only then you have to get a better CPU with more cores and good multitasking capability. I suggest Ryzen 7 3700X.
It is usually game only or at least 90%+.. Thanks for help
I just completeted new desktop pc solely for gaming, having AC: Valhalla and Cyberpunk 2077 in mind but got regrets lately for one feature of it, CPU.
I only lately started to read about 8+ core optimized games but when began the project I thought games weren’t optimized for many cores so I chose Intel’s i5-9600K with 6 cores, 6 threads for it’s OC potential….
I already had RTX 2080TI on my 6 old, exquisite service record having i7-5960X (OC’d +1,5GHz for 5-6 years until starting to get demented, hats off please?). So I put CPU & GPU on independent water cooling circulation (2 pumps & 2 tanks).
CPU is proper specimen actually, I started to OC and it climbed up to 5,3 GHz and then ran out of steam, or my other equipment did.
So it’s now at 5,2 GHz, GPU OC’d by 150 MHz core and 1 000 MHz memory and use 3440 x 1440 100Hz monitor.
CPU & motherboard supports only 2x DIMM and use Trident Z Royal 16 GB ddr4 at 4600MHz and 2x M2 Samsung 970 EVO 1TB each hard drives on ASUS ROG Maximus XI Gene motherboard.
However… My regret(s) are 1. it’s Intel of course, and 2. will 6 cores last much longer before the CPU becomes a burden, even at 5,2 GHz, and 3. what type games are CPU cores demanding since I really like Ubisoft flagship games like Far Cry’s and Assassin’s Creed’s or Shadow of War and so on…
Hey,
Great article! What do you think of a Core I7 6700k (not over clocked yet) paired with a GTX 1080?
Could I upgrade to a 3060ti without having to upgrade the CPU?
Well, frankly Core i7 6700 will be a bottleneck for GTX 1080 in CPU intensive games but they can go along well. For RTX 3060 Ti, Core i7 6700 is way to underpowered.
Hey, thx for the article, I would like to ask what processor should I buy for my rtx 3070?
I suggest AMD Ryzen 7 5800X.