Graphics card · what to pair with it
What to pair with the RTX 4090
24GB · NVIDIA · 450W · $2,089. On its own this card draws about 150 fps at 1440p in big games. Whether you see them is decided by the processor beside it.
Read at 1440p, AAA gaming, against 65 processors in the catalogue.
The cheapest processor that does not hold it back
Ryzen 5 9600X
$175Together they draw about 150 fps at 1440p — which is what the RTX 4090 manages on its own, so nothing dearer than this buys a frame at this resolution.
The full verdict on this pairProcessors in step with it
49 of 65 are a fair match, and these are the fastest of them. The three columns are the same pairing read at each resolution: a processor that holds this one back at 1080p is often invisible at 4k, which is the whole reason the answer depends on the screen.
| processor | price | 1080p | 1440p | 4k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 5 9600X | $175 | 165 | 150 | 95 |
| Ryzen 5 9600 | $180 | 160 | 150 | 95 |
| Ryzen 5 7600 | $190 | 150 | 150 | 95 |
| Core Ultra 5 245KF | $194 | 160 | 150 | 95 |
| Ryzen 5 7600X | $200 | 155 | 150 | 95 |
| Ryzen 7 5700X3D | $220 | 150 | 150 | 95 |
| Ryzen 7 5800X3D | $220 | 155 | 150 | 95 |
| Core Ultra 5 245K | $224 | 160 | 150 | 95 |
| Core Ultra 5 250K Plus | $225 | 163 | 150 | 95 |
| Core i5-14600K | $270 | 160 | 150 | 95 |
Frames are an estimate and move with the game and the settings. Prices are the catalogue’s, each with the date it was read on its own part.
Do not put it with these
8 of 65 are flagged at 1440p. In each of these one side cannot keep up with the other, so part of what you paid for sits idle.
- Athlon 3000G83% of the card unused
- Ryzen 3 3200G67% of the card unused
- Ryzen 5 450043% of the card unused
- Ryzen 5 8500G40% of the card unused
- Core i3-12100F37% of the card unused
A whole machine around it
Board, memory, drive, supply, cooling and case, picked to a budget and checked for fit.
Every processor we have
The same page for each of them, and what each one is worth pairing with.