Best CPUs for the NVIDIA RTX 50 Series

Looking to upgrade your gaming PC in time for the RTX 50 Series?

We’re back with another round-up of our top hardware recommendations to pair with these incredible graphics cards. This blog post is all about the best CPUs for the NVIDIA RTX 50 Series.

Keep on reading and get your virtual shopping basket ready!

The NVIDIA RTX 50 Series

At the core of the 50 Series is cutting-edge Blackwell architecture, optimised to deliver next-level ray tracing, AI enhancements, and blisteringly fast rendering. All of which work in tandem to facilitate true-to-life visuals and buttery-smooth gameplay. What more could you want in a graphics card?

As the first generation of GPUs to feature GDDR7, the RTX 50 Series boasts notable improvements to efficiency and bandwidths, especially when compared to GRR6X and GDDR6X. With capacities ranging from 32GB (RTX 5090) to 12GB (RTX 5070), unlock peak performance even in the most graphically demanding applications.

TLDR: check out our ultimate hub for even more key details about the NVIDIA RTX 50 Series.

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What CPU Do You Need for the NVIDIA RTX 50 Series?

You might be wondering what processor should you pair with your new shiny RTX 50 Series graphics card? Our answer is an AMD Ryzen 9000, Intel Core Ultra Series or 14^th Gen. Having one of these processors will help to future proof you for any upgrades down the line, especially with AM5 rumoured to be supported until 2027, along with bringing plenty of the latest advancements to your PC.

AMD Ryzen 9000 Series

The AMD Ryzen 9000 Series utilises powerful Zen 5 architecture, which has been designed with gamers in mind. With plenty of cores and threads at your disposal, an AMD Ryzen 9000 Series CPU can handle any single- or multi-threaded workload you throw its way. Perfect for your next AAA gaming adventure or intensive task.

Flagship models sporting cutting-edge 3D V-Cache are perfect for GPUs such as the RTX 5090 or 5080. 3D V-Cache is AMD’s own vertical stacked memory, allowing compatible X3D processors near-instant access to even more cached memory for faster fetch rates and increased capacity. Pair this with an NVIDIA RTX 5090 or 5080 and you’ll give your gaming a serious boost, unlocking blisteringly fast loading times and no more latency or lag plaguing your online adventures.

Intel Core Ultra Series

The Intel Core Ultra Series is another great option for the RTX 50 Series. Built upon Intel Arrow Lake and an advanced 20A (2nm) process, these CPUs feature a blend of P- and E-cores split across two separate architectures. The P-cores harness Lion Cove while the E-cores utilise Skymont arranged in a 3D five chiplet design. All of which work in sync to deliver fast speeds and seamless multitasking, especially with Intel Thread Director ensuring the best core is assigned to the job.

The Intel Core Ultra’s onboard NPU (Neural Processing Unit) is the perfect companion to the 50 Series’ heavy focus on AI, with support for DLSS 4.0 and 5^th-gen Tensor cores. The NPU has been optimised to facilitate maximum efficiency across a range of AI workloads, helping to boost your performance and productivity.

Intel 14^th Gen

Another great CPU for the RTX 50 Series is Intel 14^th Gen. Founded upon Intel’s hybrid architecture, Intel 14^th Gen processors include a combination of P- and E-cores to power your gaming, live streaming, and content creation like never before. While the P- cores have been optimised for AAA gaming, the E-cores take control of multitasking, ensuring you can work and play with ease.

Support for PCIe 5.0 makes an Intel 14^th Gen CPU the perfect choice to pair with your NVIDIA 50 Series GPU. Thanks to PCIe 5.0 connectivity, you can enjoy ultra-fast data transfer rates across all your high-end hardware, ensuring they work in synch to deliver an optimised gaming experience.