Best CPU for GTX 1070 in 2023

AMD Ryzen 5 3600

SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer:AMD | Model:Ryzen 5 3600 | Speed: 4.2 GHz | Socket: AM4

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is packed with pretty much everything you may need for mid-tier gaming performance. It’s sporadic to see a processor capturing the market being a perfect mixture of price, frequency, adequate number of cores, features, and a wide range of compatibility. Interestingly, this chip effectively does the same. It ends up being the perfect chip to pair with the GTX 1070 and some high-end motherboards.

You can enjoy the performance of AMD’s 7nm Zen 2 core architecture at the cheapest price point. Obviously, the Zen 2 isn’t as effective as the Zen 3 architecture, but still, it pushes the clock speed and power efficiency way more than the previous core designs. The chip can satisfy the current-era AAA titles with six cores and twelve threads along with a 4.2GHz boost clock speed. Moreover, it’s an unlocked processor, so it can adjust its clock speed and power consumption according to the load.

The closest competitors to this chip in Intel’s family are Core i7-9600KF with six cores without hyper-threading and the i7-9700KF with eight cores with no hyper-threading. However, the Ryzen 5 3600 appeared to be the best value CPU with a lower price and excellent performance-to-price ratio. It also has PCI 4.0 support instead of PCIe 3.0, which is a huge benefit of having this chip. You can pair the B450 motherboards or even the X570 if your pocket allows you to do so.

Intel Core i5-8400

SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer:Intel | Model:Core i5 | Speed:2.8 GHz | Socket: LGA 1151

AMD’s Ryzen processors have always challenged Intel’s desktop chips, and both manufacturers have been trying their best to take the winning titles. In response to AMD’s domination, Intel uses its 8th generation Core i7 and i5  CPUs with six cores that are based on the brand’s mainstream platform. The Intel Core i5-8400 is a great chip for those who want great performance and hundreds of positive user feedback.

The 8th generation Core processors family, also known as Coffee Lake, is based on a 14nm ++ manufacturing process. Overall, you can take the chip up to 4.0GHz boost clock speed, but its single-core speed is recorded as 3.8GHz during testing sessions. The i5-8400 provides the same performance benchmarks as the pricey AMD Ryzen 5 1600. It’s about 9% faster than the Ryzen 5 1500x in multi-threading and 20% faster for single-core usability.

We have discussed some of the benefits the i5-8400 can provide over the AMD competitors, but some flaws are also there. Firstly, it’s a locked processor, so it can’t vary its clock speeds as the AMD’s unlocked chip does and may lack in multitasking. However, it has the Intel UHD Graphics 630 support that gives an upper hand over the AMD family. On top of that, it has only 65W TDP, which makes it extra power-efficient than its unlocked variant with a 95W TDP value.

Intel Core i5-9600KF

SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer:Intel | Model:Core i5 | Speed:3.7 GHz | Socket: LGA 1151

Intel is getting tough competition from the AMD side and has been trying its best to improve its previous technologies to stay in the market. We have noticed an impressive step-wise enhancement in the Intel Core i5-9600KF over its previous-generation model. It performs way better in gaming in terms of speed and power. In contrast, the brand hasn’t changed the core and thread counts and kept these the same as the previous-generation processors.

But you can observe bumped-up boost clock frequencies with the chip. You can get about 100MHz addition into the base clock and about 300MHz more boost clocks. If you’re thinking about how the brand has done so, the answer is quite easy. The chip uses an improved thermal structure with a solder-based thermal interface to utilize CPU’s full capabilities to increase the speeds.

If I tell you about my experience with the chip, it is great in terms of performance but odd when we look at its price. It lands between the AMD Ryzen 5 2600X and 7 2700 without integrated graphics support and bundled cooler. As far as performance matters, the i5-9600 KF is the perfect option to get FHD or 1920 x 1080 resolution without compromising the fps and refresh rate. In contrast, you should avoid it where threaded performance is required, like content creation.

AMD Ryzen 5 2600

SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer:AMD | Model:Ryzen 5 2600 | Speed:3.9 GHz | Socket: Socket AM4

Intel launched the 8th generation Core processors with a 50-100% core increase to tackle the AMD’s stunning comeback. Then AMD used their second-generation Ryzen “Pinnacle Ridge” family against Intel’s competition to make things balanced. We have reviewed many chips from the family and now, it’s time to look at the most affordable, the Ryzen 5 2600. Also, we have got some sort of mixed reviews regarding the processor so let’s see those.

There are three processors in the stack where the Ryzen 5 2600 sits in the middle of the “G” variant with integrated graphics and “X” with higher clock speeds. Overall, it’s the most compelling competitor to Intel’s Core i5 series, replacing the previous-generation AMD’s Ryzen 7 1800X and 7 1600X processors. It was launched in the year 2018 so it’s powered by Zen+ core architecture and based on a 12 nm manufacturing process.

The chip is quite old but still, its clock speed can go up to 4.2GHz, leaving the 3.9GHz rated boost clock behind, with a good-quality CPU cooler. If we uncover the performance statistics, it provides 62 fps beating the Intel Core i5 6600k with 59 fps for Tomb Raider. At the price it’s available, it competes against Intel’s i5-8400, i5-8500, and even i5-8600 in terms of price and performance.

Intel Core i7-8700k

SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer:Intel | Model:Core i7 | Speed:3.7 GHz | Socket: LGA 1151

Intel is a well-known processor manufacturer and a multi-national corporation covering a major share of the tech market. The brand has a long list of awesome names for us and the Intel Core i7-8700k is one of them. As you can see from the name, it’s a “k” variant, it has an unlocked multiplier, and can overclock and underclock to operate at the required clock speed. Since my experience was good with the item, I can conclude that you will enjoy having it in your system.

The brand has done a bunch of improvements in its previous 7th generation processors and produced their Coffee Lake family. All the chips in the stack are based on a 14nm manufacturing process which provides roughly 26% more performance and is 52% extra power efficient than the previous 14 nm lithography. All were pretty satisfied with its capabilities for gaming and content creation.

On top of that, the gadgets testing team was quite happy with its outputs. In the Cinebench R15 test, the i7 8700k was able to beat the AMD Ryzen 7 1700X in all types of single-core tests but observed the same speeds in all-core tests. However, many customers were unhappy with its price increase. According to me, the bump in price is valid since you can utilize double cores than the previous-generation processors. Overall, it’s a great product for the given graphics card.

AMD Ryzen 5 1600 AF

SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer:AMD | Model:Ryzen 5 1600 | Speed:1600 GHz | Socket: Socket AM4

The possibility of getting errors in the tech product becomes almost zero when you have something from AMD. It’s because it keeps improving its previous technologies and testing its advanced technologies to win the users’ hearts. We can see successful trends in the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 AF which is an improved version of the Ryzen 5 1600 and 2600. It not only performs well but is also available at an affordable price point.

Interestingly, it’s so affordable that the original Ryzen 5 1600 has more price than it. It has the same build as the Ryzen 5 2600 but slightly lesser clock speeds. You can fully overlock this processor according to your needs since it has an unlocked base multiplier. In addition, it is powered by the Zen+ core architecture and is based on a 12 nm manufacturing process. There are numerous similarities between the Ryzen 5 1600 AF and 5 2600, like the same six cores, twelve threads, and same three-level cache memory.

Do you know what is the most impressive thing about this processor? Its performance hierarchy. In the multi-core test on the Cinebench R20, it was only 1% behind the 2600 but 12% faster than the original 1600. Other than that, the 1660AF and 2600 have stipulated the same performance in the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at 1440p resolution. It doesn’t have PCIe 4.0 support but comes with a bundled cooler to save you from spending your money on some third-party cooler.

Intel Core i7-9700K

SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer:Intel | Model:Core i7 | Speed:4.9 GHz | Socket: LGA 1151

We have added a wide variety of processors for all types of users despite their budget and usage needs. In addition to the list, the Intel Core i7-9700k is for those who want the fastest CPU with exceptional performance. Its speed is quite impressive which makes it a perfect match for high-end gamers. Moreover, it’s an unlocked processor so it can automatically adjust its clock speed to tackle any type of load. You must try it if you can spend some extra bucks for the performance.

The Intel Core i9-9900k is a great chip but slightly expensive. In contrast, the core i7-9700k is a smarter choice since it provides similar performance as its bigger brother, i9-9900k, but at a significantly lower price. It can tackle heavier applications without lagging a bit with its powerful eight cores despite the absence of the hyper-threading feature. Overall, it’s one of the best ninth-generation Coffee Lake chips based on a 14nm manufacturing process.

If I further dig deep into this masterpiece, it comes with a long number of enhancements than the previous generation. It has more cores, higher frequencies, improved multi-core speeds, and solder-based thermal interface material packed in one place. I’m sure, these features are enough to offset the absence of hyper-threading. Honestly, its price seems like an issue when its closest competitor, the Ryzen 7 2700X, has a bundled cooler plus available at a lesser price.

AMD Ryzen 7 2700

SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer:AMD | Model:AMD Ryzen 7 | Speed:4.3 GHz | Socket: AM4

At the end of the post, the AMD Ryzen 7 2700 hits the ground harder due to Team Red’s intense hard work. In the first generation of this model, many buyers complained that the chip was unable to remain stable during higher load conditions. The brand has picked it up intelligently and improved the chip from head to toe. Now, you can enjoy an impressive performance level without spending too many bucks.

The brand has updated its 14nm Zen architecture to the 12nm Zen+ core design and this chip features the same microarchitecture. Moreover, there is good news for intense overclockers. This processor comes with an unlocked multiplier to automatically adjust the clock speed along with a powerful combination of eight cores and sixteen threads. No doubt, it’s the best CPU for GTX 1070 and a perfect choice for gaming, live streaming, and high-quality video editing.

If we look at the results from the practical testing sessions, it delivers 11-15% more transistor performance, lesser DRAM latencies, and efficient cache memory. It beat the Core i7-8700k which might be less impressive than beating the Core i7-7820X from the Intel Core X stack. There is no support for on-die integrated graphics but the addition of the GTX 1070 can help it overcome this absence. You won’t have to buy a dedicated CPU cooler since there is one AMD’s Wraith Prism cooler included in the box.

Conclusion

The graphics card is a crucial component in any high-capability system and must be paired with an appropriate processor. We cannot pair a graphics card with any of the chips if they don’t have compatible specifications. In addition, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is a powerful graphics processor from the 10-series with 8GB GDDR5 type memory. If you have an excellent CPU for this card, your system will be able to run smoothly and efficiently at high speeds.

Intel and AMD are two of the most popular processor brands in today’s market. This article will help you understand what to look for when purchasing a new chip, as well as provide some reviews on both Intel and AMD products alongside their pros and cons. If you haven’t chosen a chip yet, I advise you to read the buying guide section and then the reviews of the given eight products.