Graphics card · what to pair with it

What to pair with the RX 6950 XT

16GB · AMD · 335W · $550. On its own this card draws about 95 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 5500

$80

Together they draw about 95 fps at 1440p — which is what the RX 6950 XT manages on its own, so nothing dearer than this buys a frame at this resolution.

The full verdict on this pair

Processors in step with it

59 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.

processorprice1080p1440p4k
Ryzen 5 5500$80959556
Ryzen 5 3600$90959556
Core i3-12100F$99959556
Ryzen 5 5600G$1151009556
Core i3-13100F$1201059556
Ryzen 5 5600$1201209556
Core i3-14100F$1301109556
Ryzen 7 3700X$1401059556
Core i5-12400F$1491209556
Ryzen 5 5600X$1501209556

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

3 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.

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.

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