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

Best GPU for Ryzen 5 5600X

I have used the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X or 5600 in a couple of builds I’ve put together over the past six months, despite the fact that it’s is a three-generation-old processor that was released nearly four years ago.

I’ve used the 5600X in both this $800 build and this $1,000 build.

I also recommend using it (or the non-X variant, depending on what the price gap is between the two) in this $600 build and this $700 build.

But, why recommend such an older processor?

The unique perk of the 5600X/5600 is that they are so cheap that they will give you more room in your budget to allocate to your GPU. For gamers, having more to spend on your GPU will always mean more performance.

But, it’s not just the price of the 5600X or 5600 on its own that is so attractive, but the fact that DDR4 memory is much cheaper than DDR5 memory, and also that it is easy to find an affordable AM4 motherboard.

So, when compared to other CPU sockets (like the newer AM5 socket), it is much cheaper to build on AM4 as a platform.

And, while AM4 should be a dead socket, AMD keeps releasing new CPU skus for it, including newer V-Cache technology chips, and there are actually some solid upgrade paths for the 5600/5600X, including the Ryzen 7 5700X3D and the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, the former of which should be able to run on a mid-range B550 motherboard.

But, which GPU should you pair with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 or 5600X?

In my opinion, you have a range of options, as the 5600/5600X is powerful enough to where it won’t cause a significant bottleneck in all the way up to upper mid-range GPU options like the Radeon RX 7800 XT

In this guide, we’ll go over some of the best graphics card pairings for the 5600 or 5600X right now.

1. AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT

Our pick: Gigabyte Gaming OC

GIGABYTE Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC (1)

CLOCK 2565 MHz Boost
VRAM 16GB GDDR6
LENGTH 302mm
PSU 700W Recommended
PRICE AmazonNewegg

In the $1,000 gaming PC build I put together, I combined the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X with Gigabyte’s RX 7800 XT Gaming OC. I benchmarked that system at both 1080P and 1440P resolution across 17 different games (see the video below).

I was really impressed with the results, as the combination of the 5600X and 7800 XT were able to handle 1440P gaming with good results. You can see the full 17-game benchmark video below, but the combo was able to deliver well over 100 frames per second on average at the ultra preset in Cyberpunk 2077.

I also compared the difference between the 5600X and the newer Ryzen 5 7600 in this benchmark, where both were paired with the 7800 XT, and found that the 5600X only offered ~8% less performance at 1440P resolution and ~11% less performance at 1080P resolution.

That isn’t an unsignificant performance advantage for the newer Ryzen 5 7600, but considering how much more expensive it is to build with the newer CPU (about ~$200 more when the cost of the CPU, DDR5 memory, and a decent motherboard are taken into consideration), it’s easy to see the value proposition that the 5600/5600X come with.

Ultimately, I’d say that the 7800 XT probably sits at the high-end of the spectrum for GPUs that should be paired with a Ryzen 5 5600/5600X, and of the options out there I personally recommend the Gigabyte Gaming OC edition card as it has given me good results.

5600X + 7800 XT Benchmark in 17 Games [1080P & 1440P]

2. AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT

Our pick: Gigabyte Gaming OC

GIGABYTE Radeon RX 7700 XT Gaming OC

CLOCK 2599 MHz Boost
VRAM 12GB GDDR6
LENGTH 302mm
PSU 700W Recommended
PRICE AmazonNewegg

Perhaps maybe the most logical option for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600(X) is the Radeon RX 7700 XT. In fact, some would say the 7700 XT is the ideal upper-end GPU pairing for the 5600(X) as there won’t be as big of a CPU bottleneck as there is with the RX 7800 XT.

Of the RX 7700 XTs out there, again, I like Gigabyte’s Gaming OC edition card. It’s usually priced very well when compared to its competitors, it offers a robust cooling solution (the same one found on the Gaming OC RX 7800 XT), it comes with a solid factory overclock (2599 MHz boost clock), and it isn’t too long (302mm long), which means you’ll have more cases to choose from if you’re planning on using it in a new build.

In the end, while a Ryzen 5 5600(X)/RX 7700 XT combo won’t provide as much performance as if it were paired with a 7800 XT, the 7700 XT is ~$100 cheaper and it may fit into your budget better.

3. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

Our pick: MSI Ventus

MSI RTX 4060 Ti Ventus

CLOCK 2610 MHz Boost
VRAM 16GB GDDR6
LENGTH 308mm
PSU 550W Recommended
PRICE AmazonNewegg

If you’re looking for a high-end NVIDIA GPU option to pair with the Ryzen 5 5600(X), then your best bet would be the RTX 4060 Ti.

You could probably strech your budget and pair the 5600(X) with an RTX 4070 as well without seeing a significant bottlebeck. However, the RTX 4070 costs well into the $500s and that will likely push the budget constraints quite a bit for someone who is considering a Ryzen 5 CPU.

The 4060 Ti trails both the 7800 XT and 7700 XT in terms of raw performance, but it does come with NVIDIA’s superior DLSS technology, better raytracing performance, and, of course, there will always be games where NVIDIA GPUs play better than AMD GPUs.

Of the 4060 Tis out there, I like the MSI Ventus as it is one of the more affordable 4060 Tis right now, despite coming with one of the better factory overclocks for the GPU.

4. AMD Radeon RX 6800

Our pick: XFX Speedster SWFT319

XFX Speedster SWFT319 RX 6800 (1)

CLOCK 2105 MHz Boost
VRAM 16GB GDDR6
LENGTH 340mm
PSU 750W Recommended
PRICE AmazonNewegg

If you’re looking for performance on par with the RX 7700 XT or RTX 4060 Ti, but you’d like to save some money, the Radeon RX 6800 might be the best option for you.

As of right now, there is really only one graphics card brand that is still selling the RX 6800: XFX.

Their Speedster SWFT319 RX 6800 is equipped with 16GB of VRAM, comes with a 2105 MHz boost clock, and measures in at 340mm long.

In terms of performance, when combined with the 5600(X), it should be able to max out anything on a 1080P display and provide really good results at 1440P resolution as well.

5. AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT

Our pick: XFX Speedster QICK319

XFX Speedster QICK319 RX 6750 XT

CLOCK 2600 MHz Boost
VRAM 12GB GDDR6
LENGTH 323mm
PSU 650W Recommended
PRICE AmazonNewegg

In the $800 gaming PC build I put together, I paired the 5600X with XFX’s Speedster QICK319 RX 6750 XT. This is a ~$300 GPU that may be the best overall value graphics card currently on the market.

I tested the combination of the 5600X and 6750 XT in a handful of games at both 1080P and 1440P resolution. The combination did very well at 1080P, averaging well over 100 frames per second in Cyberpunk 2077 at the ultra non-raytracing preset.

It even handled 1440P gaming moderately well, running less demanding titles like Baldur’s Gate 3 at ~90 frames per second on the ultra preset.

Overall, the 5600(X)/6750 XT is a combination that makes a lot of sense for budget-oriented games who have less than $1,000 to spend on a new build.

You can see my full review of the XFX Speedster QICK319 RX 6750 XT below.

XFX Speedster QICK 319 RX 6750 XT Review [1080P & 1440P]

6. AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT

Our pick: Sapphire Pulse

Sapphire Pulse RX 6650 XT

CLOCK 2635 MHz Boost
VRAM 8GB GDDR6
LENGTH 240mm
PSU 500W Recommended
PRICE Amazon

I recommend pairing the 5600(X) with an RX 6650 XT for anyone who is building a gaming PC with a $600 budget. I think there’s no problem with pairing the 5600(X) with lower-end GPUs, but when you consider budgets in $100 increments for complete gaming PC builds, I think the RX 6650 XT is the minimum GPU I’d pair with the 5600(X) at the moment.

The reason for this is that at lower total budgets for a gaming PC build, it makes more sense to choose a cheaper CPU so that you can maximize your GPU performance. It’s easier (and cheaper) to upgrade out of a CPU bottleneck than it is to upgrade out of a GPU bottleneck.

So, as an example, in this $500 gaming PC build, I recommend a Ryzen 5 5500 (or Intel Core i3-12100F) because it saves you ~$40 which you can then use to ensure you have a decent graphics card. The goal with that build is to upgrade to something like a Ryzen 7 5700X3D in the future.

And, in fact that should be the goal for anyone who chooses a Ryzen 5 5600(X)… to eventually upgraded to either the 5700X3D or 5800X3D.

But, for the RX 6650 XTs that are currently available, I like the Sapphire Pulse RX 6650 XT as it is currently priced better than the other RX 6650 XTs on the market.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600(X) is still one of the best overall CPUs for gaming right now…

It obviously isn’t the best performer, but its low pricetag and affordable memory/motherboard options will allow you get more GPU performance, and you have a smooth and powerful upgrade path in the form of the 5700X3D or 5800X3D.

And, if you’re looking for the right GPU to pair it with, I’ve made some recommendations above.

If you need some help choosing a GPU to go with your Ryzen 5 5600(X), let me know in the comment section below.

Brent Hale TechGuided.com

Hey, I’m Brent. I’ve been building PCs and writing about building PCs for a long time. Through TechGuided.com, I've helped thousands of people learn how to build their own computers. I’m an avid gamer and tech enthusiast, too. On YouTube, I build PCs, review laptops, components, and peripherals, and hold giveaways.

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