When it comes to building a PC, the GPU and CPU are your two main building blocks. With an RTX 2070 Super, you know you will be getting a powerful GPU perfect for 1440p 144hz gaming. The 2070 Super has some other uses, but it’s mainly a consumer gaming card so this guide will be focused on providing an equally capable gaming CPU.
Visit here for more information Best CPUs for RTX 2070
If you are looking to play 1080p 240hz, there is no existing consumer CPU that is too powerful. An i9-9900k will struggle to push a constant 240hz on all games, as would the Ryzen 8 3900x. Similarly, if you are choosing a 2070 Super and not a 2080 Ti, we assume you are looking for price-performance or at least taking budget into account. This is why our four choices are all within the $200-$350 price range; if you are considering spending more than that and are focused on gaming, it would be better to invest more in your graphics card and go for a 2080 Super than to spend the additional money on the CPU. And if you do decide to go for a 2080 Super, check out our useful guide on the best CPU pairings for that GPU.
With that in mind, our four recommendations (in descending order) for partners for the 2070 Super are:
• Ryzen 3600
• Intel i7-9700k(f)
• Ryzen 3700x
• Intel i5-9600k(f)
Then, if you are either on a tight budget or really want to push you're overclocking, we have two more alternatives that we recommend to a lesser degree:
• Ryzen 2600
• Ryzen 3600x
• Best CPUs for RTX 2070 Super Builds
• Best CPU for RTX 2070 Super
When it comes to building a PC, the GPU and CPU are your two main building blocks. With an RTX 2070 Super, you know you will be getting a powerful GPU perfect for 1440p 144hz gaming. The 2070 Super has some other uses, but it’s mainly a consumer gaming card so this guide will be focused on providing an equally capable gaming CPU.
If you are looking to play 1080p 240hz, there is no existing consumer CPU that is too powerful. An i9-9900k will struggle to push a constant 240hz on all games, as would the Ryzen 8 3900x. Similarly, if you are choosing a 2070 Super and not a 2080 Ti, we assume you are looking for price-performance or at least taking budget into account.
This is why our four choices are all within the $200-$350 price range; if you are considering spending more than that and are focused on gaming, it would be better to invest more in your graphics card and go for a 2080 Super than to spend the additional money on the CPU. And if you do decide to go for a 2080 Super, check out our useful guide on the best CPU pairings for that GPU.
With that in mind, our four recommendations (in descending order) for partners for the 2070 Super are:
• Ryzen 3600
• Intel i7-9700k(f)
• Ryzen 3700x
• Intel i5-9600k(f)
Then, if you are either on a tight budget or really want to push your overclock, we have two more alternatives that we recommend to a lesser degree:
- Ryzen 5 3600
- Ryzen-5-3600
1. Ryzen 5 3600
A build based around the 2070 Super is a combination of awesome power but still a reasonable budget. The computer will be a gaming powerhouse, playing most titles in 1440p at over 100 FPS with high graphics quality, but if we really were not budget-conscious, we would get a 2080 Ti and have the best available.
So because we know we are on a budget, we want the absolute best bang-for-your-buck CPU that will allow the 2070 Super to work at full steam without holding anything back. And for that, the Ryzen 5 3600 is the perfect complement.
With six cores and 12 threads and a boost up to 4.2Ghz without overclocking, the newest Ryzen 5 processor is the most versatile gaming CPU available. The six cores and high clock speed, along with strong IPC improvements over previous generations, mean this CPU will keep your average FPS high while also avoiding major drops in your 1% and .1% FPS lows.
Hyperthreading also means this CPU should stay relevant for years to come, as no games are using more than six cores today and multi-core/thread optimization is just beginning for most new titles. Finally, even though this is clearly a gaming-focused build, the Ryzen 3600 is also strong in light productivity loads and won’t hold you back if you decide to dip a toe into the video editing or rendering world.
At $200, this CPU is a diamond and gives you access to the AM4 socket and plenty of natural upgrade paths in the future. All in all, if you have a budget, this is the best CPU available to complement your 2070 Super and if you have any additional money, we would recommend buying this CPU and putting the extra cash into a more powerful GPU as the Ryzen 3600 will handle 144hz gaming easily for years to come.
2. Ryzen-5-3600
Team Blue is yet to release its 10th generation processors that should compete more favorable with the newest Ryzen 3000 series CPUs, so for now, the best bang-for-your-buck processor from Intel is the i7-9700k(f).
The 9700k is the 8 core/8 thread offering from Intel that boasts up to an enormous 4.9Ghz clock speed out of the box. This single-thread performance is unmatched by anything AMD has to offer currently and is one of the reasons that Intel is still king for current pure gaming needs.
In addition, Intel CPUs have always had a strong overclocking capability, and this unlocked CPU (as denoted by the ‘k’ suffix) is no different. The (f) suffix denotes the lack of integrated graphics and since your build has a 2070 Super, if you can find the 9700kf and save a few bucks, there is no need to have the integrated graphics of the 9700k.
After all, that, to explain why we have it listed second after the processor above, the reasons we prefer the Ryzen 3600 for a 2070 Super build are:
The 9700k typically runs close to $150 more not including the need for a CPU cooler with the Intel CPU while offering only marginal improvement in FPS (and largely depends on which games you play);
The 8 core/8 thread is more than enough for games today, but we imagine games will begin to implement better multi-threading optimization, which could give boosts to the 12-threaded Ryzen 3600;
The Ryzen 3600 is considerably stronger in non-gaming applications that can use the increased thread count, making it the more versatile CPU.
Intel has said the next generation of CPUs (tentatively titled Comet Lake) will use a new socket. This means there is no real upgrade path from the 9700k without switching motherboards as well.
So essentially, if you are really looking for pure performance today and will only use your new PC to the game, and you have the extra cash and do not want to spend it on upgrading your GPU, the 9700K is the CPU to choose. Its single-core clock speeds and still very impressive 8 cores will offer gaming FPS better than anything on the market (other than the 9900k, and even that offers only a 3% improvement at a significant price premium). But if you are on a budget or are thinking about a long-term build (with potential upgrade paths), the Ryzen 3600 may be a better choice.