The Ryzen 3600XT is the highest performance Ryzen 5 CPU to date. It excels in gaming and general-purpose builds where it’s high clock speed and 6 multithreaded cores provide high and consistent framerates. To get the most out of it you need to pair it with a graphics card tailored to the task, so in this article, we’ll recommend the best GPUs you can buy for a range of scenarios for AMD’s new Ryzen 5 3600XT processor.
Best GPUs for Ryzen 5 3600XT – Our Recommendations
Esports 1080p: Asus GTX 1660 Super TUF Gaming OC
Success in eSports relies on maintaining high framerates to ensure you get the drop on your opponents. The Ryzen 3600XT is certainly up to the task but you need a high-performance GPU to keep pace. The GTX 1660 Super is a fantastic combination of 1080p performance and cost. It is easily capable of maintaining at least 144hz at 1080p in titles such as Fortnite, Rocket League, DOTA 2 and of course CS:GO. It includes Nvidias NVENC encoder so you can stream your successes with minimal system overhead.
The Asus TUF Gaming OC version of this card has direct touch copper heat pipes to draw heat away from the GPU core as effectively as possible. Video outputs include HDMI, Displayport and DVI to ensure the widest compatibility with monitors – though we’d certainly recommend HDMI or preferably Displayport for the highest bandwidth connection to support the high frame rates this card can deliver. All GTX 1660 Supers boast GDDR6 memory but the Gaming OC has a 1815Mhz Boost clock helping squeeze out a few more percentage points of performance. The compact design means it’ll fit into a wide variety of cases and the backplate and ‘TUF’ branded fan shroud ensure it looks as good as it runs.
AAA gaming 1080p: EVGA RTX 2060 KO Ultra Gaming
AAA gaming at 1080p needs a little more grunt that the 1660 super has to offer. To experience the latest games such as Red Dead Redemption 2 and Death Stranding in all their glory we’d recommend an Nvidia RTX 2060. This Turing architecture-based CPU makes full use of RTX cores for hardware ray tracing and uses tensor cores to enable ‘DLSS 2.0’. This super-sampling process uses Nvidias AI to upscale rendered images with remarkable fidelity. This means faster frame rates and better-looking gameplay, truly a revolutionary approach to in-game image generation. In games that don’t use this process, the RTX 2060 is still a very strong performer ensuring that you’re able to exceed 60Fps and enjoy fluid beautiful gameplay as the developers intended. There’s also the inbuilt hardware NVENC encoder to facilitate streaming. At the time of writing, there’s even an offer that includes a copy of Death Stranding with this all RTX GPUs so you can dive right in and see the potential it has to offer.
The EVGA RTX 2060 KO Ultra Gaming remains our pick of the RTX 2060’s. It carries EVGAs long-standing reputation for excellent build quality and customer service at an attractive price. Twin fans and fan stop keep the noise down whether you’re gaming or at the desktop. EVGA’s silver fan shroud looks excellent and the metal backplate dissipates heat and looks the part as well. This is GPU that will serve you well in even the most demanding games at 1080p and you’ll want to pair it with a 144hz monitor to see it shine.
General 1440p Gaming: Ryzen 5700XT Sapphire Nitro+
For 1440p gaming, there’s no denying that the AMD RX 5700XT is a very attractive proposition. It offers performance levels equivalent to an Nvidia RTX 2070 super in most games but it’s around $100 cheaper. This GPU performs admirably at 1440p and you’ll want a high-performance 144hz monitor with Freesync to use it to its fullest. Initially, some user-reported issues with driver stability in some games but a major update in April has largely resolved those concerns leaving this card as an excellent choice for those who want maximum performance for their money.
The Sapphire Nitro+ version of this card is one of the top performers amongst 5700XTs. It draws on Sapphires years of experience as the OEM board partner of AMD to provide one of the best-engineered versions of this card. Using 3 fans for cooling and an exposed section of the extended heatsink to allow heat to flow directly through the card this GPU runs cool and quiet. There’s a BIOS switch allowing you to quickly select between performance and silent modes, whilst AMD’s Adrenaline software gives you full control over your GPUs settings so you can tweak to your heart’s content – and there can be considerable performance boosts on offer with a mild overclock. The Nitro+ is Sapphires premium offering of this GPU and so you can rest assured you’re getting the very best.
AAA gaming at 1440p: EVGA RTX 2070 Super Black
If you’re looking to experience the very latest graphics technology when gaming at 1440p the RTX 2070 Super is the GPU for you. This card utilises Nvidia’s Ray tracing and tensor cores to boost performance and add graphical effects to the most demanding games. You can expect to see 90+ FPS in demanding titles like Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Metro Exodus, whilst Battlefield V runs at well over 120fps. Lowest frame rates are well controlled giving a consistent and immersive experience. Now that Nvidia has opened up G-Sync to drive Freesync monitors (for the most part) this versatile GPU will allow you to experience high FPS gaming at 1440p.
EVGA’s ‘Black’ Edition is the no-frills version of the RTX 2070 Super with a simple black fan shroud and no backplate. It maximises value by giving you the best possible enjoyment of your games, but you will need a capable monitor to make the most of it. At $530 you get the best possible balance of power, features and price in this GPU.
4K gaming: EVGA RTX 2080 Super KO Gaming
The Ryzen 3600XT is an excellent choice for a 4K gaming rig done right – the high demands on the GPU mean frame rates won’t ever reach heady heights and the 3600XT is more than equipped to deliver a fantastic performance. However, rendering the latest demanding games in 4K is no small task so we’re recommending the RTX 2080 Super for the best possible balance of outright performance whilst keeping one eye on the budget. Many of Nvidias advanced GPU technologies come into play in assisting the 2080 super to perform: At the forefront of these is DLSS 2.0 which allows the GPU to render at a lower resolution but apply AI crafted upscaling to the images giving the best of both worlds: Higher frame rates AND better fidelity visuals. You need a GPU with the high tensor core count of the RTX 2080 Super to take the best advantage of these technologies. Whilst it carries an undoubtedly a premium price this is a top tier GPU with 8Gb VRAM operating at high bandwidth. Turing PGU die boasts 3,072 CUDA cores, 48 Ray tracing cores, and 384 Tensor cores. There’s no more powerful gaming GPU other than the RTX 2080 Ti which is around $400 more expensive. Even titles such as Metro Exodus and Shadow of the Tomb raider allow 4k playability with max setting and RTX enabled –and DLSS 2.0 only serves to improve performance.
EVGA has once again hit the sweet spot with the RTX 2080 Super KO Gaming available at $730. This edition of the card has a large dual-fan cooler, triple DisplayPort sockets and an HDMI output but lacks a backplate. If you want a little more flair the XC Ultra version of the card is available at $760 and includes RGB lighting and a thick 3 slot cooler, translucent fan shroud and a USB-C output on the rear which may prove useful for VR headsets. Both benefit from EVGA’s strong customer support network and enhanced warranty service with 3 years as standard extendable to 5 years for ultimate peace of mind.
Conclusion: A CPU for all occasions
In this article we’ve demonstrated that paired with the right GPU the Ryzen 3600XT can shine across a wide range of gaming scenarios. With this high performance CPU and one of the GPU’s recommended here you can be assured of a fluid and rewarding gaming experience for 2020.