Best GPUs to Pair With the AMD Ryzen 5 5600(X)

ASUS RTX 5070 Prime Overview

If you’re pairing a Ryzen 5 5600/5600X with a card for serious 1440p play, the RTX 5070 Prime is a clean fit. I like it for upper-mid builds where I want NVIDIA’s DLSS and stronger ray tracing without jumping to a pricier CPU platform. The 5600(X) keeps up well here, but you will likely run into some CPU-bound scenarios in esports titles. For more GPU-bound titles and at higher resolutions, the 5600(X) shouldn’t cause too significant of a bottleneck for it to be a serious problem

ASUS’s Prime model leans into practical design: a tidy shroud that plays nicely in compact ATX/micro-ATX cases, a 304 mm length that fits most modern mid-towers, and cooling that doesn’t scream for attention. The 12GB of GDDR7 isn’t huge at this price, but it’s adequate for today’s 1440p settings if you’re sensible with texture packs and RT sliders. You will want a quality 750-watt PSU, so factor that into upgrades on older AM4 rigs.

Value-wise, this makes sense for users looking to build a gaming PC for around ~$1,000, when you’re prioritizing GPU spend and leaning on AM4 + DDR4 to save elsewhere.

Ultimately, if you have a bigger budget and you want to pair your 5600(X) with a 1440p-capable GPU that offers good upscaling and raytracing performance, then the ASUS RTX 5070 Prime is a great choice—just mind the PSU requirement and case clearance.

XFX RX 9060 XT Swift OC (16GB) Overview

For a Ryzen 5 5600/5600X rig aimed at 1440p gaming, the 16GB RX 9060 XT lands in a very comfortable spot. It brings stronger raw raster performance than similarly priced NVIDIA options and gives you adequate amounts of VRAM to play with, which is helpful for high-resolution textures and long-term headroom. If ray tracing and proprietary upscalers aren’t your priority, this GPU makes a compelling case on AM4 where you’re squeezing the most out of a budget.

XFX’s Swift OC RX 9060 XT is a solid choice: it comes with a solid triple-fan cooler in a compact 290 mm frame and has a friendly 450-watt PSU capacity recommendation that won’t force a power supply swap in many older builds.

Paired with the 5600/5600X, the experience should feel well-balanced at 1440p in GPU-bound title. If you mainly chase ultra-high framerates at 1080p (for competitive titles), the 5600(X) will cause bottlenecking—but that is going to be true for most of the newer-generation GPUs on this list. Teh good thing about the 5600(X), though, is that it will allow you to upgrade to a 5700X3D/5800X3D to minimize this bottleneck.

Ultimately, if you value raster performance and VRAM at this price, the RX 9060 XT (16GB) is the right pairing—and XFX’s Swift OC is a good option to get.

PNY RTX 5060 Ti OC (16GB) Overview

Looking for NVIDIA’s GPU feature-set in the under $500 price range? The 16GB RTX 5060 Ti hits a nice middle ground. It won’t match AMD’s RX 9060 XT in terms of raw performance, but you do get the same amount of VRAM (16GB) and superior upscaling (DLSS) and raytracing performance.

Of the 5060 Ti 16GB options out there right now, PNY’s OC model is priced the best. It measures in at 245 mm long, making it a good option for SFF builds. It also has a decent cooling array, and, with a recommended 600-watt PSU capacity, it shouldn’t be too difficult to fit into existing AM4 systems. (Although, the 9060 XT only requires a 450-watt PSU, so that might be the better option for you if you’re limited by your PSU).

Pairing the 5060 Ti with your 5600(X) makes the most sense if your plan is to game at 1440p at higher settings (using DLSS when it helps) or play competitive titles on a high refresh rate 1080p display. Again, like with all of the other pairings on this list, at lower resolutions in esports titles you will run into CPU ceilings with the 5600/5600X.

In the end, the RTX 5060 Ti (16GB) is the “features-forward” route for you to consider. And, PNY’s OC edition is an excellent choice right now thanks to its more affordable pricetag.

XFX RX 9060 XT OC (8GB) Overview

If your budget sits closer to the $300 mark, the 8GB RX 9060 XT pairs very well with the Ryzen 5 5600/5600X for 1080p maxed-out play and selective 1440p use. The 9060 XT will offer more raster performance per dollar when compared to the NVIDIA and Intel alternatives (see below), but the tradeoff is the lower VRAM (when compared to Intel’s offering) and less polished upscaling/ray tracing (when compared to NVIDIA’s alternative).

We like XFX’s OC RX 9060 XT (8GB) variant… It’s only 270 mm long, offers a good enough cooling array, and—like all other 9060 XTs—only requires a 450-watt PSU capacity. That will make it a very easy option to drop into an existing AM4 system without needing to upgrade the PSU as well.

The combination of the 5600(X) and RX 9060 XT (8GB) will be solid for modern 1080P gaming. However, even at 1080P resolution, some modern AAA titles are starting to use more than 8GB of VRAM, so the 9060 XT may not age as well as something like Intel’s Arc B580.

Ultimately, the RX 9060 XT (8GB) is the value-driven AMD option to pair with a 5600/5600X and, right now, we like XFX’s OC edition card thanks to its pricetag and design.

GIGABYTE RTX 5060 OC Overview

NVIDIA’s RTX 5060 will also deliver a solid 1080p experience. And, where AMD’s RX 9060 XT will offer more raw performance, the RTX 5060 will offer better upscaling, which could help it age better.

We like GIGABYTE’s OC model. It only measures in at 199 mm long, so it’s tailor-made for small-form-factor cases. And with a minimum 550W PSU requirement, the RTX 5060 shouldn’t require a PSU upgrade for most users with an existing AM4 build.

However, like the RX 9060 XT (8GB), the RTX 5060 is limited by its 8GB of VRAM. DLSS should help mitigate the downsides of only having 8GB of VRAM, but if you do want more VRAM, then you may want to consider Intel’s B580.

Ultimately, if you want a compact, efficient NVIDIA card that pairs well with the 5600/5600X for modern 1080p gaming and selective 1440p use, the GIGABYTE RTX 5060 OC is an option worth considering—just set expectations around the lower amount of VRAM.

Sparkle Arc B580 Titan OC Overview

Open to Intel’s 2nd generation GPUs for your AM4 system? With a Ryzen 5 5600/5600X, the B580 is a capable 1080p-first option that should age well thanks to its 12GB of VRAM.

There really aren’t a lot of Intel Arc B580 graphics card options out there, but thankfully Sparkle’s Titan OC will get the job done. It offers a substantial triple-fan cooler and, at 315mm long, it should still fit in most modern PC cases.

It does require a 600-watt power supply, so it may not be as good of an option for users who have exiting 5600(X) systems that will require a PSU upgrade to accommodate it.

With the 5600/5600X, the Arc B580 will be great for 1080P gaming and should perform well at 1440P resolution as well. The B580 does trail AMD’s RX 9060 XT family in raw raster performance and it won’t match the RTX 5060’s upscaling/ray tracing performance, but the added VRAM could make it the best option in the long run as games start to utilize more and more VRAM.

Ultimately, the Arc B580 is the beefier VRAM option for a 5600/5600X uses. And, of the options Sparkle’s Titan OC is the variant to consider—as long as your case and PSU are ready and you don’t mind the blue-themed design.

Sparkle Intel Arc B570 Guardian OC Overview

For a value-focused 1080p system with the Ryzen 5 5600/5600X, the Arc B570 is an easy card to recommend. You get modern features, a practical 10GB of GDDR6 (more than many entry cards), and a form factor that fits almost anywhere.

Sparkle’s Guardian OC is only 242 mm long, which makes SFF and compact mid-towers a non-issue. Power guidance sits at 600 watts; most midrange AM4 builds can accommodate that, but it’s worth a quick check before ordering. Cooling stays unobtrusive, which keeps noise down in tighter cases.

With the 5600/5600X, the Arc B570 will perform well enough at 1080P resolution. And, while the B580, RTX 5060, and RX 9060 XT (8GB) will offer a little more performance than the B570, the B570 does come in with a ~$50 lower pricetag.

So, if you’re looking for the best affordable next-gen GPU option to pair with the 5600(X), the B570 is probably the right choice for you.