The amount of gaming enthusiasts in this world is increasing, even as we speak. Each year or month, a new HD or VR-ready game is released, and to support such upgraded versions, it is important to have a compatible processor.
Motherboards, graphics cards, or monitors aren’t everything; a high-powered CPU is also one of the main components required to support gaming needs.
You must have heard of the newly released NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card – it’s one of the best cards you will ever come across for gaming. With that being said, the GTX 1060 is not compatible with all processors, and that is why you must know what kind of CPUs are compatible with the GTX 1060.
However, it’s been some time since its release, yet it is still one of the most popular graphics cards in the entire mid-range series lineup. In addition to t his, it was several times mentioned in the Steam Surveys that the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 is the most popular GPU all over the world – isn’t that special?
On the other hand, NVIDIA did release two additional competitors to the GTX 1060, namely GTX 1600 and 1600 Ti, and because of these two releases, the price of 1060 has narrowed dime a bit.
So, you are planning to buy the GTX 1060, or you already have one but your CPU is not giving you the kick you deserve? Well, in that case, it is time for you to buy a different CPU, one that is compatible with the GTX 1060.
There are a couple of best CPUs for GTX 1060 out there that are not only designed efficiently but also budget-friendly and provide maximum performance when combined with the GTX 1060 as well.
Let’s start our reviews of the very best CPU for GTX 1060 with a less over-the-top product – The Intel Pentium G5400 Gold series. We didn’t mean to startle you by categorizing this CPU as a less over-the-top one, but that is only because it is not suitable for high-level gaming; otherwise, it is a beast.
In addition to this, it is definitely one of the best designed CPUs to fit the aesthetics of the GTX 1060, plus it costs less. Its price is the main reason why a lot of GTX 1060 owners prefer to buy this CPU.
The Intel Pentium G5400 is equipped with the 8th Gen Pentium Processor with 4 Threads and 2 Cores, which is just like the i3 7100. However, Intel added some upgrades to the Pentium series to improve the performance structure of the entire Pentium lineup.
On the other hand, the GTX 1060 will offer you a butt-load of fps for all of your gamers, although this requires a lot of GPU power compared to the CPU the performance will not be disappointing in CPU intensive games.
However, the experience will not be as exciting as with an original quad-Core CPU. Everything aside, it is a great CPU when you want to buy a budget-friendly product.
The good news is, the G5400 processor will offer the same fps of the i3 8100 with intensive gaming, and the i3 8100 is the next competitor in this list of best CPUs for GTX 1060.
When it comes to the features, the G5400 offers a base clock of 3.7 GHz, and it doesn’t include a boost clock; then again, the 3.7 GHz is perfectly fine for handling any kind of game, not to mention the CPU itself.
Summary
The Intel Pentium is currently the cheapest Intel Pentium processor, and it will not bottleneck the GTX 1060 unless you want to play games that demand extra CPU power.
Pros
The Hyper-threading allows two cores to function
Bundled cooler enhances the value proposition
Great performance in lightly threaded games or work
If you are in search of a processor that is all about the “low price” and provides you exactly what you are searching for, then the Intel Core i3 8100 processor is the kind of processor you need.
This is not only a viable option just because it offers a low price and is the high-in performance, but it also fits the Nvidia GTX 1060 and supports almost any kind of game that one would want to play.
Without a doubt, the Intel i3 8100 is an awesome 4 Core processor that doesn’t include any hyperthreading. In addition to this, the Intel Core i3 8100 is also equivalent to the i5’s released in the previous generations, which support both 4 threads and 4 cores, but they were extra-costly than this processor.
So, these are some reasons why the Intel Core i3 8100 is one of the best CPUs for a high-end performance graphics card like the GTX 1060. With this processor, you will be able to higher fps at 1080 ultra situation.
On the other hand, when we compare the Intel Core i3 8100 with the G5400, which is listed on top, it is almost 20% faster in a variety of games and that is the significant difference between these two models from Intel.
When we discuss the features, the Intel i3 8100 is equipped with a strong base clock of 3.6 GHz loaded with a cache memory of 6 MB, and that is what makes it capable of handling any kind of game and helping the GTX 1060 increase its potential level to a noticeable extent.
Also, the i3 8100 can be used with a single H310 chipset motherboard, only if you want to reduce the cost.
Summary
The Intel Core i3 8100 is a much better version of the Intel Pentium G5400, and it is heavy in performance and light on the wallet as well.
If you are the one who doesn’t feel pleased with the above-mentioned CPUs and you are willing to pay some extra bucks, then you’re in luck pal. The AMD Ryzen 5 2400G is one of the greatest CPUs ever invented to support the GTX 1060. In addition to this, it is equipped with an enhanced chip than in the i3 8100, and there are multiple methods to prove this.
The AMD Ryzen 5 2400G is an awesome chip with both the GPU and CPU inbuilt, which does not demand a high-level graphics card for playing normal games. On the other hand, if you are planning to use the 5 2400G with the GTX 1060, then you will receive a heavy dose of performance from all aspects.
In fact, the best graphics card to use the 5 2400G CPU with is the GTX 1060 because it is everything you want in terms of performance and high-end gaming. In addition to this, it is priced just right – not too high, not too low and we think that’s beautiful.
Furthermore, this APU is right now the best APU that is available at the cost of $150 and is a very important competitor of the latest Intel processors released in the mid-range and gaming categories.
If you compare the AMD Ryzen 5 2400G to the i3 1800, it offers 10% of extra performance, so the cost you pay for it is not that terrifying when you think about all the amazing features and a powerful integrated graphics unit you are getting.
One of the best things about this CPU is that it is overclockable and is equipped with a boost/base clock of 3.6 GHz/3.9 GHz, and you can even overclock this up to 4.0 GHz with the help of a reliable CPU cooler.
Summary
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G is the first-ever APU released to hype everyone up on integrated graphics and the chance to play games at high-quality and 4K settings.
So, now we move onto a product that is both best and affordable, and it fits the GTX 1060 – The AMD Ryzen 5 2600. This is one of the most amazing AMD Ryzen productions and it beats the above-mentioned processors with just a boost of heavy performance.
Furthermore, this CPU is also known as a Ryzen 2nd Gen CPU, and it is much more powerful than the one and only Ryzen 5 2400G, and as a result, you will get great benefits if you combine it with the GTX 1060 graphics card. In addition to this, the chip comes with 12 threads and 6 cores which is equivalent to the ones in the i7 8700K.
When it comes to the features, then the 5 2600 is equipped with 3.4GHz as a base clock and 3.9 GHz as a boost clock. In addition to this, you can easily overclock it to 4.0GHz, only if you have the right cooler, although it features an awesome stock AMD cooler.
The Ryzen 5 2600 is a great choice for both productivity and gaming as it features several amazing cores with hyperthreading. Also, when you compare this product with the i5, it is not easy to decide which one is the winner in terms of gaming.
For the NVIDIA GTX 1060 graphics card, it is best to stay on the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 processor as it is exactly what the GTX 1060 wants.
Summary
The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 provides an incremental upgrade, and that’s pretty much all you need. However, those who have already purchased the Ryzen 51600 processor are not going to upgrade by buying 2600, but they will simply jump to the 2700X processor.
Contrary to this, for those of you who are looking to build a new PC processor, then the Ryzen 5 2600 is ultimately the best incremental upgrade you can do to your processor.
The AMD Ryzen line-up drenched the CPU market with more threads and cores at a reasonable price point than other competing Intel processors. But, you can’t just praise the price for bringing the main reason why a lot of people prefer to use the AMD Ryzen 5 1600.
The reason why the majority of people find the 5 1600 compatible with the GTX 1060 is because it offers unlocked ratio multipliers which are the real deal to getting great value from Ryzen.
The Ryzen 5 1600 is an eight-core processor, and the quad-core is basically the eight-core part enabled in the 2+2 trend, and each from the two four-core clusters contains only two cores. In addition to this, with every Ryzen model, there is an upgrade. With that being said, the Ryzen 5 1600 offers 1080p game performance when combined with the NVIDIA GTX 1060.
Indeed, it is one of the best CPUs for GTX 1060.
Summary
The AMD Ryzen 5 1600 is a combination of both twelve threads and six cores all wrapped up under a great price that puts it in place right next to the Intel’s four core kaby lake lineup. In addition to this, it is suitable for both gaming and productivity workloads. It’s basically one of the bests.
Without a doubt, AMD’s Ryzen processors have challenged the position of Intel in the entire PC market. The Intel i5 8400 offers gaming enthusiasts the best kind of performance worth their every dollar, and there are two-extra cores equipped in this model as well.
When it comes to the features, the i5 8400 contains six cores with no hyperthreading. However, keeping the locked multiplier aside, the major difference boils down to the thermal power design, price, and clock rates.
Moreover, this is one of the best processors compatible with the GTX 1060, and it can offer a butt-load of performance based on gaming preferences.
You can buy this product from Amazon or from your local hardware store. The best way to buy a product like this would be online, as you will be able to enlighten yourself with some of the best discounts offers Amazon has to offer, and who knows, you might end up at a much reasonable price.
The Core i5 8400 provides a very useful six-core structure to the entire mid-range series of processors, which offer class-leading gaming performance and extra-competitive performance when it comes to heavier apps.
However, expensive models offer more performance in all categories, but the i5 8400 is easily titled as the pound-for-pound performance trophy winner.
Conclusion
The best part about owning a high-performance CPU is that it will enhance the workload-handling and operations of your PC. As our title is about the best CPUs for GTX 1060, then it is easy for you to find a high-performance, feature-filled, and budget-friendly CPU from our list of CPUs compatible with the GTX 1060.
Without a doubt, our mentioned CPUs are ideal for this graphics card, but the best one on this is the Intel Pentium G5400, as it is both ideals for gaming and for the GTX 1060.
Any Ryzen CPU is good for GTX 1060 3GB but Ryzen 2600x with 6 cores and 12 threads has been tested as the best for GTX 1060. It costs around 140$.
What CPU will not bottleneck a GTX 1060?
I3 8350k or any Ryzen 3 processor will not bottleneck a GTX 1060 however Ryzen 2600x is known as best for GTX 1060.
Can a GTX 1060 handle 144hz?
GTX 1060 with a good CPU can handle 144HZ or 1440p. It can also give 60fps on low settings but remember you have to drop your setting down for 60fps.
Is the RTX 2060 better than the GTX 1060?
Yes! RTX 2060 has 1920 shader processing units and the GTX 1060 has 1280 shader units. RTX 2060 is also massively better than GTX 1060 when it comes to memory performance.
I have been fond of computer technology for a long time, ever since childhood, and was always meddling with various hardware and software. With graduation in computer engineering from a recognized university like NUST was a dream come true and enabled me to pursue my dreams in swift ways. Currently, I am working for various websites as a hardware reviewer and content writer.
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