Best Graphics Cards for Ryzen 5 3600X in 2022 - Full Review
AMD's latest processors, the Ryzen 2 and 3 series have been delivering fantastic performance throughout all of our benchmarks. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600X is still a great choice for gamers who enjoy the latest AAA titles as well as for production activities such as video editing, 3D rendering, and other demanding workloads that require high single-threaded performance.
Graphics cards are an essential component in a gaming PC. They allow games to play smoothly and can be used for other tasks like video editing.
Right now it's hard find GPUs because they're all sold out or extremely expensive due to the mining craze and silicon shortage but don't worry, this trend will eventually come to an end where more gamers can afford them again. So if you’re looking to buy a new graphics card, be sure that the one you choose has enough VRAM and is within your budget.
What are the best graphics cards for AMD Ryzen 5 3600X?
Building a powerful Ryzen 5 3600X build is no easy task these days. But with the help of these hints, you can find great graphics cards to go alongside your new system. We've picked out some excellent GPUs for every budget and preference--so there will be something perfect just waiting in store sooner than later.
In this article, we have reviewed the best graphics cards GPUs that you can pair with your Ryzen 5 3600X without experiencing any bottlenecks and have a smooth gaming experience. So let's have a look at the list for the best suitable graphics cards GPUs from AMD and Nvidia.
You might be interested in: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X - Benchmarking The New Gaming CPU Champion
NVIDIA RTX 3070
The RTX 3070 is based on Nvidia's Ampere architecture. It is equipped with the 2nd generation RT cores and 3rd generation Tensor cores which enhance the ray tracing and DLSS capabilities of this graphics card. It has 5888 CUDA cores clocked at 1500 MHz. They can be increased up to 1725 MHz. It has 8GB GDDR6 VRAM, which is generous.
The RTX 3070 is a great choice for high refresh rate 1440p and 4K gaming. Almost all AAA games run smoothly on it at a high graphics preset without any FPS drops and bottlenecks.
It is an energy-efficient graphics card thanks to the Ampère architecture. Its TDP is only 220W. It uses a single 12-pin power connector. It uses a PCI-Express 4.0 x16 interface to connect to the motherboard.
The RTX 3070 is a great card overall. It is an ideal choice for most players. It comes at a reasonable price, and paired with the Ryzen 3600 or 3600X processor, it should be more than enough for years to come. I highly recommend giving it a try.
NVIDIA RTX 2060 Super (8 GB)
The RTX 2060 Super offers higher clock speeds, more CUDA cores and faster memory than the RTX 2060. The core clock increases by 105 MHz compared to the RTX 2060 to reach 1470 MHz, it has 8 GB GDDR5 memory (up from 6GB) and 448GB/s memory bandwidth – a massive improvement over the RTX 2060's bandwidth of just 336.1GB/s.
Early testing shows that the NVIDIA RTX 2060 Super could beat the RTX 2070, delivering fantastic performance for a very reasonable price for what it is. The RTX 2060 Super also proved to be just as fast as its more expensive cousin, the GTX 1080! This is why it is recommended to be associated with the Ryzen 5 3600X.
There are many variants of the RTX 2060 Super to choose from. Our research team showed that the ROG STRIX RTX 2060 Super V2 from Asus is a top recommendation for gaming enthusiasts, and for those looking for a more performance-centered model, the ZOTAC RTX 2060 SUPER with its IceStorm 2.0 implementation will be a more suitable fit for a Ryzen 5 3600X build.
AMD Radeon RX 5700XT
The RX 5700 XT offers performance equivalent to the Nvidia RTX 2070, but at a much lower price. If you're on a tight budget and don't mind the lack of ray tracing technology, it's a no-brainer. You'll easily get 60+ FPS in most AAA games at high settings and 120+ FPS in most esports games at 1440p resolution.
The RX 5700 XT is based on the Navi architecture. Its base clock speed is 1605 MHz and can be increased up to 1905 MHz. It has 2560 stream processors (cores).
It has an abundant 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM memory whose speed is 14 Gb/s and bandwidth is 448 Gb/s.
Even comparing its specs, it sits ahead of the RTX 2070 in terms of clock speed, number of cores, etc. Of course, there are also Tensor Cores and RT Cores present in the RTX 2070 to consider.
Its TDP is 225W. A 600W PSU should suffice. It comes with a triple-fan or dual-fan cooling system with the third-party cards. The fan is a bit noisy but effective.
It uses 6-pin and 8-pin power connectors. It is a two-slot card that uses a PCI-Express 4.0 x 16 interface to connect to a motherboard. The PCI Express 4.0 interface doubles the bandwidth compared to PCI Express 3.0. Its display outputs include 1x HDMI and 3x DisplayPort.
The RX 5700 XT is the best graphics card among its peers. It gives you excellent performance in games, its price is affordable and it is hard to resist. It is definitely worthy of your attention.
The RX 5700 XT is the best graphics card among its peers. It gives you excellent performance in games, its price is affordable and it is hard to resist. It is definitely worthy of your attention. To make sure there’s isn’t any bottlenecking, AMD has developed the AMD Radeon Anti-Lag software which ensures that your CPU and GPU are in complete sync, trimming down any input lags.
Since the situation is a little bit crazy these days finding one in stock and at decent prices is somehow of a hurtle. However, to help you out, we’d recommend the ASUS ROG Strix AMD Radeon RX 5700XT for gaming build or the Gigabyte Radeon RX 5700 XT for a more performance-enthusiast build.
NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti
The RTX 3060 Ti is powered by Nvidia's Ampere architecture. Its next-gen RT Cores and Tensor Cores are 2x more efficient than the previous generation.
It has 4864 CUDA cores. Its base clock speed is 1410 MHz and it can be increased up to 1665 MHz. It has a generous 8GB GDDR6 VRAM, which should be enough for most gamers.
The combination of the RTX 3060 Ti with the Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 5 3600X processors makes it a perfect setup for fast-paced gaming at 1080p and 1440p. Even AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077 run at over 60 FPS at 1080p resolution on high graphics settings.
The RTX 3060 Ti has an impressive TDP of just 200W. A 600W power supply should suffice. It uses a single 12-pin power connector. It is a two-slot card that uses a PCI-Express 4.0 x16 interface to connect to the motherboard.
It comes with a decent cooling system. You get a dual-fan design for Founder's Editions and a triple-fan cooling system for third-party cards. It's decent enough to maintain optimum temperatures without generating annoying noise, even when overclocked.
The RTX 3060 Ti is perfectly compatible with Ryzen 5 3600 and 3600X processors. Thanks to its affordable price, many gamers on a budget in 2021 can enjoy an immersive and fast-paced gaming experience. It offers great value for the consumer and I have no problem recommending it.
AMD Radeon RX 6800
The RX 6800 is powered by the RDNA 2.0 architecture. It has 3840 cores running at 1700MHz and can be boosted up to 2105 MHz. It also has a massive 16GB GDDR6 VRAM.
Ray tracing has finally arrived on AMD cards. The RX 6800 has 60 RT cores for ray tracing. Its ray tracing performance is no match for its Nvidia counterparts. I observed that the number of frames per second decreased noticeably when I activated ray tracing.
For ray tracing and DLSS, it's best to go with the RTX 3080 and RTX 3070 graphics cards. AMD is new to ray tracing and it's unfair to expect it to compete with Nvidia in these areas.
The RX 6800 has a TDP of 250W. It is an energy-efficient card thanks to the RDNA 2.0 architecture. It uses two 8-pin power connectors. Its cooling system is very good and effectively maintains optimal temperatures.
If you want high FPS in games and be comfortable with an average ray tracing experience and no DLSS, the RX 6800 is a great choice. Its price offers unbeatable value for money. It's a great choice for gamers on a budget.
The RX 6800 paired with the Ryzen 5 3600 or Ryzen 5 3600X processor lets you play 1440p at high frames per second with Ultra Graphics settings in the latest AAA games (including Cyberpunk 2077 and Watch Dogs: Legion). You can also play in 4K at 60 FPS or even more, with a few small deviations here and there. For its price, I am more than satisfied.
Related read: 4K Monitors 120Hz vs 144Hz Review
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 Ti
The GTX 1660 Ti is the successor to the GTX 1060 graphics card. It offers performance equivalent or close to the GTX 1070 Graphics card.
It is based on the Turing architecture which is used by the RTX 20-series graphics cards. The lack of RT and Tensor cores limits it to Ray tracing and DLSS capabilities.
The GTX 1660 Ti has a base clock speed of 1500 MHz and a boost clock speed of 1770 MHz. It has 1536 CUDA cores and a generous 6GB GDDR6 VRAM with 288GB/s bandwidth. This graphics card is very well overclocked.
It gives you a decent gaming experience at 1080p. By using a balanced graphics preset, you can easily achieve 100+ FPS in a few Esports games. You'll also get 60+ FPS in most AAA games at ultra settings at 1080p. That's not bad, especially considering its low price.
It has a TDP of 120W for which a 450W PSU should be sufficient. It uses a dual-fan cooling system that performs surprisingly well even when overclocked. Temperatures do not reach harmful limits and fans run quietly.
It uses a single 8-pin power connector. It is a two-slot card that uses a PCI-Express 3.0 x 16 interface to connect to a motherboard. Its display outputs include 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort, 1x DVI.
The GTX 1660 Ti is a great choice for casual and intermediate gamers who aren't very fond of high FPS but prefer a gaming experience without FPS drops or lag at high graphics settings.
Conclusions
All of these graphics cards are great for gaming at different price points. The RTX 3060 Ti is perfect for gamers on a budget, the RX 6800 offers unbeatable value for money, and the GTX 1660 Ti is good for casual and intermediate gamers.
So, if you're looking for a great gaming experience without breaking the bank, any of these cards would be a great choice. However, if you want the best gaming experience possible, you should opt for the RTX 3080 or RTX 3070.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the GTX 1660 Ti and the RTX 3070?
The GTX 1660 Ti is based on the Turing architecture which is used by the RTX 20-series graphics cards. It has a base clock speed of 1500 MHz and a boost clock speed of 1770 MHz. It has 1536 CUDA cores and a generous 6GB GDDR6 VRAM with 288GB/s bandwidth. This graphics card is very well overclocked.
The RTX 3070 has a base clock speed of 1500 MHz and a boost clock speed of 1725 MHz. It has 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM with 256-bit bus width. It uses the Turing architecture.
The GTX 1660 Ti is better for casual and intermediate gamers who aren't very fond of high FPS but prefer a gaming experience without FPS drops or lag at high graphics settings. The RTX 3070 is better for gamers who want the best possible gaming experience with no compromises.
What's the difference between the GTX 1660 Ti and the RTX 2060?
The GTX 1660 Ti is based on the Turing architecture which is used by the RTX 20-series graphics cards. It has a base clock speed of 1500 MHz and a boost clock speed of 1770 MHz. It has 1536 CUDA cores and a generous 6GB GDDR6 VRAM with 288GB/s bandwidth. This graphics card is very well overclocked as mentioned in the previous question as well.
The RTX 2060 has a base clock speed of 1365 MHz and a boost clock speed of 1680 MHz. It has 6 GB GDDR6 VRAM with 192-bit bus width. It uses the Turing architecture but doesn't have RT or Tensor cores, so it can't do Ray tracing or DLSS.
The GTX 1660 Ti is better for gaming due to its higher clock speeds and more VRAM. The RTX 2060 is better if you want to do some serious graphics work like video editing or 3D rendering.
Is the Ryzen 5 3600X worth it in 2022?
If you are planning to get into professional gaming or are involved in video editing, the Ryzen 5 3600X can be a CPU you can consider especially now since it's newer brother the Ryzen 5 5600X is hard to get. You can get a really good deals on the Ryzen 5 3600X nowdays.
Does the Ryzen 5 3600X require a GPU?
The Ryzen 5 3600X is an exceptional processor but it does not come with an integrated graphics solution so to use this processor with your build you will need a dedicated graphics card solution.
