Best Budget CPUs for a 9060XT Build?

Not long ago, you could grab a 14600K at a great price; it’s a solid option if it's still affordable. I’ve got mine paired with a DDR4 motherboard that I modded a bit, and it runs smoothly.

If you're keen to save, the 9600X is decent as well, especially if funds are limited. Personally, I’m running a Ryzen 3600 with a 6750XT and have had no issues while playing most games at 1440p, though I often see my GPU as the limiting factor.

If you're really on a tight budget, the Ryzen 5 5600X is worth considering, or even the newer 7500F or 7500X3D models. They perform well without breaking the bank.

For the best balance, I’d recommend the Ryzen 7 5700X. It has 8 cores and utilizes the full Zen 3 architecture, which is good for gaming and uses cheaper DDR4 memory. If you’re looking to save a bit more, the Ryzen 5 3600 is a solid choice available at affordable prices secondhand and won’t bottleneck your GPU too much.

Your choice also depends on the motherboard you’ve selected. If you haven’t picked one yet, you have the freedom to choose between AM4 or AM5. But if you've already bought your motherboard, that might limit your CPU selection a bit.