What CPU do I need for the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti?

At 1440p, the Ryzen 9 3950X is the slowest processor that keeps the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti fully fed. At 1080p the card can run faster, so you need more: the Core i5-13400 or better.

Is the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti good for 1440p?

Yes. It averages around 118 FPS at 1440p on high settings in our model, enough for a high-refresh monitor in most games.

Is 24GB of VRAM enough on the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti?

Yes. 24GB covers high textures at 4K in current games and leaves headroom for the next few years.

Is the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti faster than the Radeon RX 7900 XT?

They are effectively tied, within 3% at 1440p in our model. Price, memory (24GB against 20GB) and features should decide it.

GeForce RTX 3090 Ti CPU pairing and bottleneck

Model frame rate limits of 149, 118 and 74 FPS at 1080p, 1440p and 4K, assuming the processor never gets in the way.

The GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is a high-end graphics card in our database and a high-refresh 1440p card that can handle 4K at tuned settings or with upscaling.

Its 24GB of memory leaves room for high textures at any resolution for years.

Its closest AMD rival is the Radeon RX 7900 XT, which lands within a few percent of it at 1440p.

Estimated FPS in Popular Games

Game (settings)	1080p	1440p	4K
Cyberpunk 2077 (High, no ray tracing)	~120	~95	~60
Fortnite (High, DirectX 12)	~195	~155	~95
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (High)	~170	~135	~85
Counter-Strike 2 (High)	~360	~285	~180

Modelled estimates with a processor fast enough not to hold the card back, rounded to the nearest 5 FPS. Counter-Strike 2 is usually limited by the processor well before these figures. See the methodology for how they are produced.

The slowest CPU that will not hold it back

Resolution	Minimum processor	Estimated FPS
1080p	Core i5-13400	142
1440p	Ryzen 9 3950X	113
4K	Ryzen 5 1600	73

Notice how the requirement drops as resolution rises. At 4K this card is working so much harder per frame that a far slower processor keeps up without trouble. The search starts at four cores and eight threads: below that a game stutters whatever the average frame rate says.

The processors it lands closest to

The 24 processors whose frame rate limit sits nearest this card's, fastest first. The tag after each number says which part hits its limit first. For any other combination, use the calculator.

Processor	1080p	1440p	4K
Core i3-13100	129 cpu	118 gpu	74 gpu
Core i3-13100F	129 cpu	118 gpu	74 gpu
Ryzen 7 5700X	129 cpu	118 gpu	74 gpu
Core i7-11700K	126 cpu	118 gpu	74 gpu
Ryzen 5 5600	126 cpu	118 gpu	74 gpu
Ryzen 5 5600G	126 cpu	118 gpu	74 gpu
Ryzen 5 5600X	126 cpu	118 gpu	74 gpu
Ryzen 5 5600X3D	126 cpu	118 gpu	74 gpu
Core i3-12100	123 cpu	118 even	74 gpu
Core i3-12100F	123 cpu	118 even	74 gpu
Core i5-11600K	121 cpu	118 even	74 gpu
Core i9-10900K	121 cpu	118 even	74 gpu
Ryzen 7 5700G	121 cpu	118 even	74 gpu
Core i7-10700K	116 cpu	116 even	74 gpu
Core i9-9900K	114 cpu	114 even	74 gpu
Ryzen 9 3950X	113 cpu	113 even	74 gpu
Core i7-9700K	111 cpu	111 cpu	74 gpu
Ryzen 9 3900X	110 cpu	110 cpu	74 gpu
Core i5-11400	109 cpu	109 cpu	74 gpu
Core i5-11400F	109 cpu	109 cpu	74 gpu
Core i7-10700F	109 cpu	109 cpu	74 gpu
Ryzen 5 5500	108 cpu	108 cpu	74 gpu
Core i5-10600K	107 cpu	107 cpu	74 gpu
Ryzen 7 3800X	107 cpu	107 cpu	74 gpu

Specifications

Manufacturer	NVIDIA
Series	NVIDIA RTX 30 Series
Video memory	24 GB
3DMark Time Spy (graphics)	23,837
PCI Express	4.0 ×16
Released	2022

GeForce RTX 3090 Ti