The Ryzen 9 5900X technically isn’t the flagship Zen 3 CPU but it’s a close second. Compared to the Ryzen 9 5950X the difference in gaming performance is there, but only on paper. A couple of frames here and there definitely won’t affect the overall experience in any meaningful way. Now, if you’re interested in graphics cards more than in CPUs, you should visit our graphics cards section. It features all sorts of GPU-related info.
If you’re just into gaming this 12-core CPU is perfect both for current and future AAA titles. Further, while it doesn’t have the sheer horsepower and core count of the 5950X, the 5900X can be an excellent base for an entry workstation PC, focusing on rendering, video, or photo editing. A powerful CPU such as the 5900X demands a capable GPU. So read on and find out the best graphics cards for Ryzen 5 5900X.
Before your start, take a couple of minutes and check our the best motherboards for Ryzen 9 5900X you can buy right now. If you want more choice we have guides for the best B550 motherboards as well as for best X570 motherboards. Finally, the 5900X also requires a decent cooling solution so we recommend looking at the best CPU coolers for Ryzen 9 5900X. Okay, now let’s check out the best graphics cards for Ryzen 9 5900X builds that you can buy right now.
1. ASUS RTX 3080 TUF Gaming OC: Best Nvidia graphics card for 5900X for most users
Okay, considering you’re getting the Ryzen 9 5900X for the purpose of running the latest and greatest games, the logical assumption is that you probably have a high-refresh-rate 1440p monitor or maybe even a 4K display. Well, for these two scenarios the RTX 3080 is the best video card for the Ryzen 9 5900X. And hey, if you’re interested in high refresh rate monitors we have guides for the best 1440p 240Hz monitors as well as for best 4k 144Hz monitors for gaming.
The RTX 3080 can run almost every current title at 4K and 60fps with all options cranked to the max. The card also has a pretty solid ray tracing performance as well as DLSS support. If you’re gaming at 1440p, expect triple-digit performance in almost every game you can think of playing.
2. Sapphire RX 6800 XT Gaming: Best AMD graphics card for 5900X for most users
The RTX 3080 is almost as fast as the RX 6800 XT at 1440p but at 4K it surpasses the AMD card by a small margin. If you need the best 4K performer the 3080 is the way to go. But if you want the fastest 1440p performance with zero compromises, the RX 6800 XT is the best GPU for the 5900X. The AMD card doesn’t have as good RTX performance but on the flipside, the RTX 3080 comes with only 10GB of video memory while the 6800 XT features 16 gigs of memory.
3. EVGA RTX 3090 FTW3 Ultra Gaming: Best GPU for Ryzen 9 5900X overall
If you need the absolute best graphics card for the 5900X for whatever reason, get the RTX 3090. It’s extremely expensive and only about 10 percent faster than RTX 3080 on average (at 4K), but it does come with 24GB ultra-fast memory, which could be useful for users wanting both great gaming and a card they can use for work.
4. EVGA RTX 3070 XC3 Black Gaming: Best GPU for 5900X workstation builds
As we’ve already noted, the Ryzen 9 5900X is a capable processor with tons of raw multithreaded performance. This makes it a perfect pick for a home workstation CPU. It’s way cheaper than the 5950X but not that slower, allowing the 5900X to be the best bang for the buck CPU for work-related purposes, at least when it comes to the current Zen 3 processor lineup.
Now, picking the right GPU for a workstation shouldn’t be that hard. If you use applications that benefit from a beefy GPU we would recommend any of the new RTX 3000 cards. Their CUDA cores are perfect for apps that support GPU rendering. Also, the RTX 3000 cards are much faster than their RX 6000 counterparts on average.
Now, if you don’t care about games, just look at some productivity benchmarks and find out which card works for you. If you’re gaming as well as doing work well, then look at your preferred resolution, the amount of GPU power you need, and your budget. Considering the price-to-performance ratio we would say that the RTX 3070 is the best GPU for 5900X workstation builds.
5. Sapphire RX 6800 Gaming: Best value 1440p gaming GPU for 5900X builds
At 1440p the best bang-for-the-buck gaming graphics card for the 5900X you can get right now is the RX 6800. 16 gigs of memory, noticeably better performance than the RTX 3070 and not that much higher price make the RX 6800 an excellent pair for the Ryzen 9 CPU. If we take into account that the RX 6800 has double the amount of memory of the RTX 3070, the choice is even clearer.
Yes, you don’t have access to DLSS but at 1440p, the RX 6800 can chug out a ton of frames even without using image upscaling. On average, you can expect insanely high frames in esports and multiplayer titles and triple-digit (or very high double-digit) framerates in AAA games if you opt for the RX 6800.
6. ZOTAC Gaming RTX 2060: Best 1080p GPU for Ryzen 9 5900X
If you’ve got the Ryzen 9 5900X and want to build a 1080p-capable gaming PC around it, your best bet is the RTX 2060. On average, 2060 is a very capable GPU for the majority of games. It also supports DLSS for even better performance in games that support it. Finally, only six gigs of video memory can be an issue at 1440p. However, at 1080p, six gigs of vRAM is more than enough for current titles.
Now, the RTX 2060 does support RTX effects. while you have RTX support, actual RTX performance is quite meager. That said, you should reach 60fps even with RTX effects on since we’re talking about 1080p resolution here. And if you don’t mind slightly worse image quality, DLSS can make any modern game run at 60fps with all effects cranked to the max for your enjoyment.
7. ZOTAC Gaming GTX 1660 Super: Best band-aid GPU for 5900X
Last but not least, we have a GPU for people who are ready to wait for the Ampere and Big Navi stock to stabilize. If you’re one of the people who don’t want to pay exorbitant prices for a new GPU or just don’t want to be a part of the current GPU craze, get the GTX 1660 Super and you’ll have a solid card to spend the winter with.
Considering its price, the GTX 1660 Super is the best 5900X GPU if you’re waiting for these insane GPU prices to drop. It’s excellent for 1080p, solid for 1440p@60Hz with some details turned down, and perfect for high refresh rate gaming when it comes to esports titles, no matter the resolution.
The card can be found at its regular MSRP price and, best of all, you can actually buy one without installing multiple browser extensions and hanging out in Discord GPU stock groups. The downside is no DLSS support, which could’ve made this card even faster for 1440p gaming.
