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.