CPU & GPU Pairing

HypeBeastRyan · May 30, 2020

I'm slowly learning how to put together a build, but still got some itching questions. I've been pretty solidified with getting a Ryzen 5 3600 for the last couple weeks, but now just seeing the review of the Ryzen 3 3300X, I'm now leaning towards the latter. Now I have to find out if the 3300X will be compatible with a MSI Tomahawk B450 without a BIOS flash, or should I just wait for the new B550 motherboards?

Now it comes to the choice of GPU. If I get the 3300X, would it be overkill to pair it with a 2070 Super or 2060 Super? For me, the $100 upgrade from 2060 Super to 2070 Super isn't the problem, it's more of if it's possible to throw a $500 GPU on a $120 CPU.

I apologize if I am all over the place. I'm taking in a lot of info about PC building currently and it's kind of overwhelming having to decide what I want in my build. Some games I plan to run include Destiny 2, GTA V, Modern Warfare, and Assassin's Creed. Some help and guidance in the right direction would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!

ki8aras · May 30, 2020

yeah a quad core with a mid-high end gpu is going to be a bad bottleneck now and especially when the new consoles come out so if youve got the budget go for the 3600

goldenf · May 30, 2020

Regarding the motherboard, the B450 Tomahawk is (as far as I know) NOT compatible out of the box with 3000-series CPUs. However, the updated version - the B450 Tomahawk MAX - is compatible out of the box, as confirmed by a buddy of mine who just put a 3700X into one. The MAX also has a bunch of improvements like better-quality VRMs and it shouldn't cost much more. So I'd definitely recommend the Tomahawk MAX instead.

In terms of whether the 3300X will bottleneck a 2070 Super, Gamers Nexus has you covered (video below). In many cases it doesn't even bottleneck a 2080Ti, but realisitcally it should be fine up to a 2070 Super (unless you want ultra-high FPS in games like CS:GO). Since your budget seems fairly roomy it's probably better to go for the 3600 and a 2070 Super, if you can.

Lord Vile · May 30, 2020

1 hour ago, HypeBeastRyan said:

I'm slowly learning how to put together a build, but still got some itching questions. I've been pretty solidified with getting a Ryzen 5 3600 for the last couple weeks, but now just seeing the review of the Ryzen 3 3300X, I'm now leaning towards the latter. Now I have to find out if the 3300X will be compatible with a MSI Tomahawk B450 without a BIOS flash, or should I just wait for the new B550 motherboards?

Now it comes to the choice of GPU. If I get the 3300X, would it be overkill to pair it with a 2070 Super or 2060 Super? For me, the $100 upgrade from 2060 Super to 2070 Super isn't the problem, it's more of if it's possible to throw a $500 GPU on a $120 CPU.

I apologize if I am all over the place. I'm taking in a lot of info about PC building currently and it's kind of overwhelming having to decide what I want in my build. Some games I plan to run include Destiny 2, GTA V, Modern Warfare, and Assassin's Creed. Some help and guidance in the right direction would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!

The B450 Tomahawk Max is but personally would look for the 550 boards and how they're priced as they will support 4000 chips without jumping through several hoops which you might not want to do if you're just starting out.

What resolution are you looking at? For me I'd look at the R5 3600 with a 5700XT which should be around the same as a 2070S. Few percent slower but I think is still cheaper.

Lord Vile · May 30, 2020

47 minutes ago, goldenf said:

Regarding the motherboard, the B450 Tomahawk is (as far as I know) NOT compatible out of the box with 3000-series CPUs. However, the updated version - the B450 Tomahawk MAX - is compatible out of the box, as confirmed by a buddy of mine who just put a 3700X into one. The MAX also has a bunch of improvements like better-quality VRMs and it shouldn't cost much more. So I'd definitely recommend the Tomahawk MAX instead.

In terms of whether the 3300X will bottleneck a 2070 Super, Gamers Nexus has you covered (video below). In many cases it doesn't even bottleneck a 2080Ti, but realisitcally it should be fine up to a 2070 Super (unless you want ultra-high FPS in games like CS:GO). Since your budget seems fairly roomy it's probably better to go for the 3600 and a 2070 Super, if you can.

It is still a QC though and some games don't play well with them.