The Best GPUs for Core i5 14600K in 2024

The Raptor Lake Refresh lineup has succeeded in replacing 13th-generation CPUs without any price increase. Even though the performance difference isn’t huge, the 14th-generation processors are the way to go for any new gaming build or build that focuses on crunching big numbers. From clock speed to core count increase, almost every 14th gen CPU brings some kind of uplift in specification and the Core i5 14600K is no exception.

With a core clock increase of up to 200MHz in the turbo mode, the i5 14600K is able to achieve higher numbers. With its powerful 14-cores/20-threads configuration, no task seems difficult and gaming is perhaps even easier for this chip. However, choosing a good graphics card can be a challenging task when there are dozens of GPUs available on the market.

In order to eliminate any chances of bottlenecking or factors that restrict performance, it’s important to analyze and compare each and every GPU to know what’s good and what’s not. From a plethora of options available from different GPU vendors, Game Rant’s hardware team has compiled a list of the best graphics cards to use with the Core i5 14600K.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a GPU for Core i5 14600K

Budget: How much a user can spend on the GPU is the primary point for purchasing a GPU. It’s recommended not to go too low in the GPU tier list or the gaming performance could suffer drastically. It’s best to allocate at least $250 for the GPU, but higher is ideal.

VRAM: Always aim at getting at least 8GB of VRAM to make sure nothing stops the GPU from performing well in modern titles. Hogwarts Legacy and The Last of US are some of the few examples that show frequent dips in frame rates when the GPU doesn’t have enough VRAM. Users who are planning to play at 1440p or 4K resolution should look for a GPU that comes with at least 12GB of VRAM.

Power Requirement: It’s important to know the power consumption of the GPU before the purchase. This is in order to see if the power supply is capable of providing adequate wattage to the GPU and the rest of the parts. Moreover, it’s best to get a good power supply that provides a good amount of room for upgrades and is also 80-plus rated.

GPU size: Graphics cards can be big and heavy. Not every PC case can accommodate huge GPUs like the RTX 4080/4090. Therefore, it’s important to double-check the clearance a chassis has for the GPUs. GPUs vary in their thickness. They can be 2-slot or up to 4-slots thick, which can pose problems with fitting in some cases.

Game Rant’s Picks for the Best GPUs for Intel Core i5 14600K

When the discussion is about GPUs, Ada Lovelace cards are currently reigning over the GPU market with ease. After the success of the RTX 4070, Nvidia brought another RTX 4070 GPU with better specs to further increase the performance gap between its GPU and AMD’s mid-range offerings. The RTX 4070 Super is currently the best overall choice for not only Core i5 14600K, but for any mid-range processor. With 7168 Cuda Cores on its potent AD104 chip, it brings around 20% improvement over the non-Super edition.

All of this for just a $50 price increase, which makes it the best bang for the buck. The RTX 4070 Super provides a lower cost per frame compared to the RTX 4070 and destroys all the modern titles at 1440p resolution on ultra settings. Expect it to deliver over 100 fps in most games and decent performance with Ray Tracing on. With DLSS 3 support, users can enhance the frame rates even further by enabling Frame Generation in supported games. The RTX 4070 Super remains highly power efficient compared to its AMD counterparts and doesn’t go over 220 watts most of the time unless overclocked.

1080p enjoyers can save their hard-earned cash and still enjoy gaming on ultra settings. Full HD resolution is still the most popular resolution, and has remained so as pushing frame rates beyond 60 is easier at this resolution. For i5 14600K users, the RX 7600 XT is the best budget GPU to do the job. Unlike its smaller sibling, the RX 7600, the XT edition gets twice the VRAM size to eliminate any possible bottlenecking in modern games. Although 8GB is pretty sufficient in most titles, there are a couple of games that run better with higher VRAM.

Still, the RX 7600 XT manages to perform noticeably better on average and has no problem maintaining over 60 fps on ultra settings. It even outperforms the RTX 4060 for a little higher price but does lack good Ray Tracing performance. Assuming that a lot of games still don’t support Ray Tracing, and it affects the performance drastically, the RX 7600 XT is overall a better choice for most users.

Even though the RX 7600 XT is around 7% faster than the RTX 4060 in rasterization, there is no debate on how good the RTX 4060 is overall concerning its price tag. The RTX 4060 not only remains equivalent to the RX 7600 XT in price-to-performance ratio but goes one step further by destroying the 7600 XT in ray tracing. Furthermore, the DLSS 3 frame generation helps it achieve twice the frame rates without losing much visual quality. It’s not only excellent for 1080p, but is capable of 1440p gaming as well.

One thing that stops it from performing well at higher resolutions is its memory configuration, which is rather a downgrade when compared to the RTX 3060 12GB edition. With 8GB memory on a 128-bit bus, some games do suffer at higher resolutions. Hence, it’s best for 1080p gaming and won’t disappoint no matter what title users throw at it. Perhaps one of the best-selling points of this card is its power efficiency. While the RX 7600 XT can consume close to 200 watts, the RTX 4060 remains strictly under 140W.

In the mid-range category, there are a couple of GPUs from both AMD and Nvidia, which can make choosing one quite confusing, especially when they are close to each other in performance. There are a few points to consider when getting to the right choice and this is why, after a thorough analysis, Game Rant recommends getting the Radeon RX 7800 XT, which is aimed at maxing out the graphics settings at 1440p resolution. Its little sibling, the RX 7700 XT, falls a little short in providing better value for the money compared to the 7800 XT and that makes the RX 7800 XT overall a better choice from AMD’s RDNA 3 lineup.

Even compared to the RTX 4070, it provides more value as it delivers slightly better performance in rasterization while costing $50 cheaper. It may not sound much, but when we consider the memory configuration of both GPUs, the RX 7800 XT seems a better choice for future-proofing the gaming build. It brings 4GB more VRAM, which may benefit users in the long run. When we test its ray tracing performance, it’s around 15% slower than the 4070, but as said earlier, if ray tracing isn’t the primary focus here, the RX 7800 XT is a preferable choice.

The RTX 4070 Ti Super repeats the story of the RTX 4070 Super but has a better appeal due to its memory configuration. While the RTX 4070 Super carries over the memory configuration of the non-Super edition, the RTX 4070 Ti Super is drastically better than the non-Super one. The RTX 4070 Ti was criticized heavily due to its hefty price tag and just 12GB VRAM. Therefore, the 4070 Ti Super looks much better with 16GB VRAM on a wider 256-bit bus. Plus, other specs such as Cuda Cores and Tensor Cores are also increased to bring improvements in gaming performance.

All of this is for the same price, which makes the 4070 Ti an excellent high-end GPU for 1440p and 4K resolution. It performs equivalent to the RX 7900 XT at different resolutions, but Ray Tracing is where it shines the most and outperforms the 7900 XT in price-to-performance ratio. Compared to the non-Super edition, it is roughly 6% faster at 1080p, 7% faster at 1440p, and 10% faster at 4K. This comes as a result of enhanced hardware and the usage of the AD103 chip, which is from the RTX 4080.

Coming to Tier 1, there are a handful of GPUs from Nvidia and AMD that take on each other with all their power and might. It’s a close battle most of the time, particularly between the RX 7900 XTX and RTX 4080. While the 7900 XTX has more VRAM, it is roughly equivalent to the RTX 4080 in rasterization and loses easily in ray tracing. The official MSRP is exactly equal and therefore, it makes sense to go with the RTX 4080, which not only outperforms the AMD GPU in ray tracing but is also more power efficient.

The RTX 4080 Super is essentially the RTX 4080 but with a $200 price cut. The RTX 4080 didn’t do well in the market as its hefty price tag of $1200 looked too much to most consumers. The RTX 4080 Super was launched later to replace the RTX 4080 for a thousand dollars and is hardly 1-2% faster. However, due to its obvious advantages over the 4080 in value and the RX 7900 XTX, it stays in heavy demand most of the time, which can increase its cost in retail stores. Getting it at MSRP is one of the best decisions users can make if they want to see over 60 fps at 4K resolution.

With the Core i5 14600K, it might look too overpowered, but the 14600K is able to handle it pretty comfortably. There won’t be any bottlenecks and the performance will blow users’ minds.

FAQ

Q: What is the best GPU for i5 14600K?

In the mid-range category, the RX 7800 XT and the RTX 4070 Super are excellent choices, but users who are looking to obtain a high value should go for the RTX 4070 Ti Super.;

Q: Is i5 14600K good for 1440p?

Core i5 14600K is a powerful mid-range CPU that is more than sufficient for any mid-range or high-end gaming build that aims to max out games at 1440p resolution.

Q: Is 14600K better than 13600K?

The i5 14600K is only slightly better than the i5 13600K. The max turbo boost is 200MHz higher, which results in a slight advantage in CPU-oriented applications.