🛑STOP🛑 Buying Bad Combos! Best CPU and GPU Combo 2024
Summary
TLDRIn this informative video, Jason from PC Builder discusses the intricacies of choosing the best CPU and GPU combinations for gaming in 2024. He addresses the issue of bottlenecking, offers advice on balancing budgets, and provides specific product recommendations for various price points. The video also touches on the importance of VRAM, driver overhead, and the considerations for future-proofing your PC build, ultimately guiding viewers to make smart investment decisions for optimal gaming performance.
Takeaways
- 📉 CPU and GPU prices are falling in 2024, making it a great year to build a PC.
- 🔒 Understanding the best CPU and GPU combo for gaming and productivity is crucial to avoid performance bottlenecks.
- 💡 Bottlenecking occurs when one component limits overall system performance; typically, the CPU or GPU can be the limiting factor.
- 💰 Balancing the budget between CPU and GPU is essential for maximizing FPS in gaming, with the faster GPU often being the priority.
- 🚀 For gaming, it's recommended to spend on the GPU first, as it directly impacts FPS and is more likely to be the bottleneck.
- 💡 When upgrading, consider the performance increase and cost; sometimes spending more on a CPU offers minimal FPS gains if the GPU is the bottleneck.
- 💽 The amount of VRAM in a GPU is important, especially for higher resolutions and running the latest AAA titles at ultra settings.
- 🛠 AMD GPUs generally require less CPU overhead compared to Nvidia GPUs, which can be a factor in overall system performance.
- 🔮 Future-proofing a PC by buying a faster CPU now may not always be the best strategy, as it could mean sacrificing immediate GPU performance.
- 🛠 For productivity workloads, the balance between CPU and GPU depends on the software used, with some programs being more CPU-intensive than others.
- 🔄 The choice of CPU and GPU should align with the user's budget and specific needs, whether for gaming, streaming, video editing, or other tasks.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video by PC Builder?
-The main focus of the video is to guide viewers on how to choose the best CPU and GPU combo for gaming and productivity in 2024, considering the current market prices and performance capabilities.
What does 'bottlenecking' refer to in the context of PC building?
-Bottlenecking refers to a situation where one component of a system, either the CPU or GPU, is unable to keep up with the other, thus limiting the overall performance of the system.
Why is it important to balance CPU and GPU when building a gaming PC?
-Balancing CPU and GPU is crucial to avoid bottlenecking and to ensure that the system can perform optimally in gaming and other tasks without one component limiting the performance of the other.
What is the recommended minimum amount of VRAM for gaming in 2024 according to the video?
-For gaming in 2024, the video recommends a minimum of 12 GB of VRAM for no compromise gaming at 1080p and 1440p.
What is the significance of driver overhead in the context of CPU and GPU combinations?
-Driver overhead refers to the additional CPU resources required by GPU drivers. AMD GPUs are mentioned to have less driver overhead compared to Nvidia GPUs, which can be significant when using less powerful CPUs.
Why might spending extra on a CPU not be the best choice for gaming performance?
-Spending extra on a CPU might not improve gaming performance significantly if the GPU is the bottleneck. It's often more beneficial to invest in a faster GPU to get a noticeable increase in FPS.
What is the recommended approach when deciding between future-proofing a CPU or maximizing current performance?
-The recommended approach is to focus on maximizing current performance rather than future-proofing, unless you are right on the budget line between older and newer CPU models that offer significant performance upgrades.
What are some factors to consider when choosing a CPU and GPU combo for productivity tasks?
-Factors to consider include the specific software programs used, their system requirements, and whether they are more CPU or GPU intensive, as well as the balance between CPU cores and cooling solutions.
What is the general advice for budget-level PC builds in terms of CPU and GPU selection?
-For budget-level PC builds, the advice is to choose the least expensive CPU that won't bottleneck the GPU performance, and to prioritize getting a GPU with at least 8 GB of VRAM to handle the latest AAA titles at ultra settings.
What are some of the top-tier gaming CPUs mentioned in the video for 2024?
-Some of the top-tier gaming CPUs mentioned in the video for 2024 are the AMD Ryzen 7800X3D and the Intel i7 14700K or KF.
What is the recommended GPU upgrade path when moving from a budget to a mid-range build?
-When moving from a budget to a mid-range build, the recommended GPU upgrade path is to jump up to an RX 7700 XT, RTX 4060 Ti, or at least a GPU with 16 GB of VRAM.
Outlines
😀 Optimal CPU and GPU Combos for 2024
The script introduces the topic of finding the best CPU and GPU combinations for gaming and productivity in 2024, emphasizing the importance of balancing these components to avoid bottlenecking. It discusses the challenges of selecting the right components and the impact of CPU and GPU prices. The video aims to provide recommendations for various budget levels, highlighting the need to understand bottlenecking and how to maximize performance in gaming, streaming, video editing, and other multi-threaded workloads. It also touches on the considerations for future-proofing a PC build and the trade-offs involved.
😉 Understanding Bottlenecks and Component Upgrades
This paragraph delves into the concept of bottlenecking, explaining how it occurs when one component limits the performance of the entire system. It points out that the CPU is often the bottleneck in scenarios with high frame rates, while the GPU becomes the limiting factor when increasing resolution or when there's insufficient VRAM. The script advises viewers on how to allocate their budget effectively, suggesting that for gaming, the focus should be on the GPU to maximize FPS, while for production workloads, a more balanced approach is needed. It also warns against over-investing in future-proofing at the expense of current performance.
🤔 CPU and GPU Recommendations for Different Budgets
The script provides detailed recommendations for building gaming PCs at various budget levels. It starts with budget options using Intel's i3 12100f or AMD's Ryzen 5 5500, paired with affordable motherboards and RAM, and suggests GPU choices like the used GTX 1070 or newer models like the RX 6600 or RTX 3050. It advises against GPUs with less than 8 GB of VRAM and emphasizes the importance of balancing CPU and GPU performance. The paragraph also discusses the performance tiers of CPUs like the Ryzen 5600 and Intel i5 12400F, and the benefits of upgrading to a better GPU over a CPU when hitting performance walls.
💻 Mid-Range to High-End CPU and GPU Combos
This section focuses on mid-range to high-end CPU and GPU combinations, recommending the Ryzen 7600 or 7600X and Intel i5 14600 KF for gaming and production use. It discusses the performance uplift these CPUs provide when paired with high-end GPUs like the RX 7800 XT or RTX 46TI and the importance of choosing the right GPU to avoid bottlenecking. The script also mentions the value of upgrading to CPUs like the Ryzen 7800 X3D and Intel i7 14700 K for those seeking top-tier gaming performance, while considering the costs of necessary components like cooling solutions and motherboards.
🚀 Top-Tier CPU and GPU Options for Ultimate Performance
The final paragraph discusses the top-tier options for gamers seeking the highest performance, featuring CPUs like the Ryzen 7800 X3D and Intel i7 14700 K, which offer significant gaming performance uplifts, especially in CPU-intensive titles. It outlines the components and costs involved in building such high-performance PCs, including the need for higher wattage power supplies and advanced cooling solutions. The script wraps up with GPU recommendations like the RX 7900 XT, RX 47OTI, and the ultra-high-end RTX 4090, while also referencing additional resources for further information on choosing the best GPU for 2024.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡CPU
💡GPU
💡Bottlenecking
💡FPS
💡VRAM
💡DDR4 and DDR5 RAM
💡Future-proofing
💡Productivity
💡Zen 5 and 15th Gen Intel CPUs
💡RTX 490
Highlights
2024 is a great year to build a PC with falling CPU and GPU prices.
Understanding the best CPU and GPU combo for gaming and productivity is crucial.
Bottlenecking occurs when one component limits overall system performance.
CPU is more likely to bottleneck with high frame rates, while GPU bottlenecks at higher resolutions.
VRAM is essential, with a recommendation for at least 12 GB for 1080p and 1440p gaming in 2024.
AMD GPUs reportedly require less CPU resources than Nvidia GPUs due to driver overhead.
Future-proofing strategies can sacrifice current performance for minimal future gains.
For video editing, balancing CPU and GPU is key as some software maxes out CPU usage.
Budget builds can start with an Intel i3 1200f or AMD Ryzen 5500 for minimal GPU bottlenecking.
Mid-range CPUs like the Ryzen 5600 or Intel i5 12400F offer a good balance for gaming.
High-end CPUs for gaming in 2024 include the Ryzen 7800X3D and Intel i7 14700K.
For the best performance, pair high-end CPUs with GPUs like the RX 7900 XTX or RTX 4090.
The Ryzen 5700X3D and 5800X3D offer significant performance upgrades for existing AM4 users.
Always consider current pricing and regional availability when choosing components.
Maximizing FPS is prioritized over future-proofing for most systems.
For professional workloads, understanding software requirements is essential for the right CPU-GPU balance.
Transcripts
stop buying bad CPU and GPU combos let's
get you the best CPU and GPU combo 2024
welcome back to PC Builder I'm Jason
2024 is another great year to build a PC
as CPU and GPU prices continue to fall
but I see so many people missing out on
the best CPU and GPU combo for gaming
and productivity it's hard enough to
understand the best CPU for gaming and
the best GPU for gaming by themselves
combining them together for the best CPU
and GPU combo it's even harder today
we're going to cover everything that you
need to know and we're going to give
specific product recommendations at
every budget level to get you the best
CPU and GPU combo for gaming 2024
remember if you get value out of this
video give it a like it makes a huge
difference to the channel and of course
subscribe click that Bell icon that way
you get notified when we release cool
content with that let's jump into it
let's talk about bottlenecking which
just means that one of our components
it's limiting our performance and if we
could upgrade that component to make it
faster than our overall system
performance would increase now the
typical bottleneck for a gaming PC build
is the CPU versus the GPU if our CPU is
too slow to keep up with our GPU then
increasing the speed of the CPU that
give us more FPS if our GPU on the other
hand is our bottleneck then getting a
faster GPU instead will increase our
performance now the CPU it's more likely
to bottleneck when we're pushing huge
amounts of frames and our GPU is usually
the bottom neck when we turn up the
resolution from 1080p to 1440p to 4K
including if the GPU does not have
enough vram to run the latest AAA titles
on release at higher ultra settings but
here's the thing that even experienced
PC builders get wrong no matter what our
system will always have a bottleneck
it's our job as PC Builders to
understand how to maximize our PC build
performance whether that's in gaming
it's in streaming video editing or heavy
multi-threaded workloads once we figure
that out we want to spend most of our
budget on the component that's ball
necking our performance for gaming we
want to maximize our FPS that means
getting the fastest GPU that we can
afford while only spending enough on a
CPU that it's not going to bottle like
the graphics card and the less you have
to spend the more important it is to get
the balance right if we had All the
Monies of course we'd just get the best
CPU and GPU period and spend about
$4,000 for the ultimate gaming PC but
most of you out there you have a set
amount that you can spend so choosing
the best CPU and GPU combo are going to
heavily impact your gaming performance
remember that as we go up in CPU core
count we also need to add in more
Cooling and especially for Intel CPUs we
probably need to buy a better
motherboard which also costs more money
along with the price differences between
ddr4 and ddr5 RAM so we'll take all of
this into consideration for example say
we want to build a gaming PC with a
ryzen 5600 CPU and an RX 6650 XT 8 GB
GPU and then we decide to increase our
budget another $100 to play at 1440p
where should we spend it well we could
upgrade the CPU to a ryzen 7600 which
overall is quite a bit faster than the
ryzen 5600 but at this GPU performance
level it's only going to give us
slightly more FPS because our GPU is the
bottom neck not the CPU so we just spent
an extra $100 on the ryzen 7600 not to
mention more on the ddr5 RAM and more
expensive am5 motherboard as well for
about a 5% increase in fps not great
instead if we spent that extra $100 to
jump up to an RX 6700 XT 12 GB GPU and
we kept our ryzen 5600 CP we' pick up
about 30% more FPS because we're
spending our money smartly by upgrading
the component that's bottlenecking our
performance we'll also jump out from 8
GB of vram on our GPU to 12 GB on vram
which ensures we can run the latest AAA
titles on release with ultra settings
and not run into any vram issues even at
1440p and remember that as we go up in
resolution from 1080p to 1440p to 4K
that increases the load on the GPU and
decreases load on the CPU so it makes
even more sense to upgrade the GPU now
when considering bottom X there are two
important areas to think about the first
is vram the amount of video RAM on your
your GPU as we've already discussed and
we go over in much more detail in our
best GPU for gaming 2024 video which
will link down in the video description
if you want a deeper dive for no
compromisers 1080P and 1440p gaming we
recommend at least 12 GB of vram in 2024
so while budget GPU Shoppers have to
contend with 8 gigs of vram I recommend
moving up to at least 10 but more likely
12 GB gpus even over slightly faster GPU
with only 8 GB of vram and I'm looking
at you RTX 4060 and 460 TI 8 GB the
second thing to consider is GPU driver
overhead now we've seen repeated testing
that AMD gpus require less CPU resources
than Nvidia gpus which just comes down
to driver overhead well the difference
is they're not huge they are noticeable
with lesser CPUs so we've taken that
into account in our recommendations
here's my quick warning about future
proofing because this is the number one
cause of bad CPU and GPU combos for
gaming now some people still think that
you should future prooof your CPU by bu
buying a faster one than you need right
now so that in 2 to 5 years time when
you do upgrade your GPU you get slightly
more FPS out of it in my opinion while
there are some decisions like this to be
made at the budget level and highend for
most systems this strategy would mean
sacrificing an entire GPU tier worth of
performance so for instance getting an
RX 7600 XT instead of a much faster RX
7800 XT so the future proofing strategy
cost you FPS right now to maybe get
slightly more FPS in 2 to 5 years time
the one exception I can see is if you're
right on the budget line between getting
an older CPU like the ryzen 5600x or
jumping up to the new ryzen 7600 which
is going to be upgradeable with drop in
CPU upgrades in the future in the end
this is your call because after all it's
your money but if you want to maximize
FPS for your money spent then focus on
maximizing current performance but what
about production or creator workloads
that need more CPU power well for these
use cases we want more balance but it
depends heavily on the types of programs
that we're using take video editing in
Adobe Premiere Pro while going up from
four cores is nice Premier still tends
to max out on how many CPU cores and
threads it's going to use it once so
going overkill on your CPU at the
expense of your GPU which is still very
much needed for video editing it might
actually set your performance back
meanwhile other programs they can use
all the CPU resources that you can throw
at them and they don't use the GPU very
much at all that's why it's so important
for professional users to understand
their Suite of software programs and the
recommended system required ments so you
can figure out the right CPU and GPU pet
for your applications let's jump in our
recommendations for best CPU and GPU
combo for gaming 2024 and we'll go
through both AMD ryzen as well as Intel
offerings note that we are expecting Zen
5 based ryzen 9000 CPUs and 15 gen Intel
CPUs to launch sometime in the fall of
2024 though we aren't expecting huge
uplifts from the current generation we
do a monthly update video for both CPU
and GPU pricing so leave those link down
in the video description and of course
all the CPUs and gpus are linked down
there as well so you can check current
pricing and availability in your region
starting off at the budget level you can
build a gaming PC right now for just
about $550 us with all new parts now at
this level we really want the cheapest
CPU platform that just won't bottleneck
our GPU right now Intel's I3 1200f and
the AMD ryzen 5500 are both excellent
options paired with inexpensive
motherboards a $100 b660 for the i31
1200f and an $80 b450 for the ryzen 5500
they both come with very good included
CPU coolers and we're using both with a
$35 kit of 2x8 GB ddr4 3200 cl6 Ram
though you can get a $50 kit of 3600
cl16 if you end up with a little extra
money left over the total cost of these
platforms is between $213 and $233 for a
GPU we could go all the way down to a
used GTX 1078 GB for about $100 or on
the New Market on Ron rx6 c600 for $ 199
an RTX 3050 for 220 or an Intel Arc a580
GPU for about $180 not the RTX 3050 is
considerably slower than those other
gpus while the Intel gpus they're still
a bit fussy and driver support is not
yet at the level of AMD and Nvidia for
on relase titles my advice just avoid
any GPU with less than 8 GB of vram both
the I3 1200f and ryzen 50500 they're
very capable gaming CPUs and you can
push them right up to about an RX 7700
XT or RTX 460 TI 16 GB performance but
that's essentially redlining them and
you want to look at a better CPU at that
point here I'd prioritize getting to a
recent GPU with more than 8 GB of vram
if you can to be able to play the latest
AAA titles on release at ultra settings
so the Nvidia RTX 360 12 GB AMD RX 7600
XT 16 GB or an Intel Arc a770 16 GB GPU
the next CPU performance tier up that I
would look to is either the AMD ryzen
5600 for about $135 or the Intel i5
12400 F currently selling for about $141
now these CPUs they have nearly
identical performance and with a GPU
like an RX 6700 XT or RX 7600 XT 16 gab
we'll see about a 10 maybe 15% FPS
increase over the previous tier of CPUs
I'll leave links to our build guides for
both down in the video description and
note that it does appear that a lot of
the early issues with the
i52400 and cheaper b660 motherboards
have been fixed through bios updates so
just make sure to update the bios for
the i52400 currently ddr4 motherboards
like the AAR b6m pro RS or gigabyte b760
M ds3h soell for right around $100 for
the ryzen 50 600 virtually any b550
motherboard with a vrm heat sink is
absolutely fine so something like the
b550m ds3h AC ASRock b550m Phantom
gaming or the b550m Pro 4 with upgraded
audio is great for about $100 we're also
using slightly faster ddr4 3600 seal6
Ram but if you want to save 15 bucks you
can use the same 3200 seal 16 Ram kit
from the previous Combos and both CPUs
come with great included box coolers but
you can also spend about $20 here on any
budget Tower air cooler you want this
gives us an upgrade cost of between $72
and $78 over our previous tier of CPUs
for our GPU combo I'd look at a minimum
of an RX 6600 RTX 350 or Arc a580 new
GPU these CPU pretty well but they do
hit a wall right around the RX 7800 XT
or RTX 470 and at that point you'll
definitely want to jump up to the next
tier of CPU performance note that if you
do need more cores for productivity you
can consider the ryzen 5700x or Intel i5
12600 K possibly the 13400 but they
don't give much more gaming performance
for the extra expense and there's much
better options as we'll go over next
jumping up to our mid-range CPU and GPU
combo we basically have two options here
with current pricing the best best
mostly gaming CPU it's the ryzon 7600 or
7600 X for about $200 to $230 currently
they're selling for about $199 if we
need a hybrid gaming and production CPU
the I5 14600 KF currently sell for the
same price as a 13600 KF at $285 but if
the price drops on the 13600 k then I'd
probably save a little bit of money
there we have build guys for both the
ryzen 7600 and i53 600k which is
basically the same as the i54 600k and
those guides cover things like the
differences between the 7600 and 7600 X
as well as the 13600 K versus the 13600
KF so check them out for more details
these CPUs will give us about 25% more
FPS using an RX 7800 XT or RTX 470 over
the previous tier in the ryzen 5600 and
i52 400f for our GPU combo given how
much we're spending on the CPU platform
now we want a minimum of an RX 7700 XT
or RTX 46ti 16 GB both right around 4
$130 at the time of filming we can take
either of these CPUs all the way up to
the RX 7900 XTX or even RTX 490 but at
that point if we still have money left
over in our budget our only option for
more performance is to upgrade the CPU
because those are the fastest gpus
currently available now at current
pricing it's really hard to recommend
the Intel build as for that price you
can almost get the ryzen 7800 x3d
instead or you just dump that extra
money into your GPU which is probably
the route that I would go and the ryzen
7600 it's going to allow you to drop in
a future CPU upgrade well the 14 gen
Intel it's essentially end of life for
that socket I want to give a quick
honorable mention to the ryzen 5700 x3d
and 5800 x3d now at the time of filming
the 5700 x3d has just launched for 249
and the 5800 x3d remains around $300 to
$320 if you're currently on am4 with any
non x3d CPU like Ryon 1000 2,000 3,000
even 5,000 non x3d CPU either the ryzen
5700 x3d or 5800 x3d will deliver
similar performance to the ryzen 7600
often even beating it in really CPU
intensive titles so if I had one of
those older ryzen CPUs even if I had to
upgrade my Ram kit to the 3600 seal 16
one for $50 so 300 total that's
potentially a very compelling upgrade
now let's look at the current top tier
of gaming CPUs in 2024 there are of
course many options here but for gaming
the main CPU for AMD is the ryzen 7800
x3d for around $390 the it often goes on
sale for less and for Intel it's likely
the i7 14700 K or KF for about the same
price even with ddr5 ram the i71 14700 K
Trails the ryzen 7800 X3 slightly in
gaming with ultra highend gpus like the
RTX 490 and it uses a ton more power and
cooling but the i71 14700 K is
significantly stronger if you do a ton
of professional multi-threaded
production applications in addition to
gaming though for any normal person the
ryzen 7800 x3d is going to be more CPU
than they need anyway note the 13700 K
and KF so for almost the same price as
the 14700 K and KF and they do have
fewer cores so I just skip them unless
the price gets cut drastically compared
to our previous tier of CPUs the ryzen
7800 x3d and I74 700k can sometimes
bring an uplift of up to 20% in some
very CPU intensive titles using an ultra
fast GPU though at 1440p and 4K in many
games we're entirely GPU bound and we
don't see that much of an FPS increase
for the ryzen 7800 X 3D build we're
going to use a mid-range to hire an air
cooler like the thermalite assassin 120
for $40 the same $140 b650 motherboard
like the ack b650 M Pro RS Wi-Fi and the
$100 kit of 2x6 GB ddr5 6000 cl30 for
the I74 700k good ddr5 z690 and z790
motherboards run right around $180 us to
start and we use the same ddr5 6 30 kit
for $100 we also want a higher
performance air cooler like the Deep
cool AK 620 or consider a liquid cooler
as well you also likely need a much
bigger power supply for the i7 but that
will also depend on your GPU and it's
harder to calculate costs as there's a
big jump in prices from 1,000 watt units
to 1200 watt and higher units so I've
left out that extra cost that brings our
upgrade cost for the 7800 x3d to $26
over the previous CPU tier and for the
I74 700k the upgrade cost is at least
$271 more than the previous tier for our
GPU combos for a minimum I'd recommend
the rayon 7900 XT currently selling for
around $729 or the RX 470 TI 12 GB
selling for about the same price now
ideally we'd want the fastest GPU
possible so RX 7900 XTX for AMD
currently selling around $920 and the
currently $2,000 RTX 490 but I also
really like the RTX 470 TI super 16 GB
and 480 super here as well paired with
these higher performance CPUs we've
linked all of the CPUs and gpus
mentioned in this video down in that
video description so check out those
links for current pricing and
availability in your region and of
course if you got value out of the video
give it a like it makes a huge different
to the channel and of course subscribe
click that Bell icon that way you get
notified when we release cool content
speaking of cool content if you want a
deeper dive into picking the best GPU
for gaming 2024 check out this video
where we go through the differences
between AMD Nvidia and Intel gpus
including features like FSR versus dlss
versus xss and questions like doesn't
matter if you buy the cheapest GPU model
or more premium one and everything else
you need to know to get the best GPU for
gaming in 2024 and we'll catch you on
the next one
関連動画をさらに表示
We Secretly Challenged 3 communities to Build the Best $1000 Gaming PC!
This is what $1500 gets you in 2024! - PC Build Challenge
🖥️ Expert Advice: Buying a new computer | How to buy a computer | PC Shopping Guide 💡
#6 ГОРЕ СБОРЩИКИ. ДВА АРСЕНИЯ И ИХ СБОРКИ НА RYZEN 5!
Building a SOLID $1200 Gaming PC!
Meta Quest 3 Unboxing + Accessories - The Ultimate VR Bundle!
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)