So, finally, Intel decided to launch the ARC A580 after keeping the higher-end ARC cards in the market for a whole year. The ARC A580 remained a mysterious card for a long time and is probably one of the most needed ones in the budget category.
While there are a lot of great budget GPUs right now, there are not too many for under $200. The A580 is aimed at budget gamers who want to play on ultra settings at 1080p resolution and yes, it is totally possible on this GPU. However, if you don’t have a CPU that can leverage its full power, you can’t expect optimal performance.
In this post, we are looking at the best CPUs you can buy for the ARC Alchemist A580. So, without wasting any more time, let’s dive into the list!
Best CPUs to use with ARC A580
Whether you have $100 or $200 in your pocket, here are the top 6 processors you can get today for your gaming build:
AMD Ryzen 5 5500
The Ryzen 5500 is perhaps the only 6-core and 12-thread processor available for 100 bucks. Unlike any other 6-core CPUs, it is actually pretty relevant to recent times and is much more capable of gaming than any other CPU at this price. With 6 cores you will have enough for any budget or mid-range GPU and with 12 threads, you unlock the power to decent productivity and multi-tasking. It is one of the cheapest yet one of the best value CPUs for the A580 if you wanna stick to the older AM4 platform that is cheaper than AM5 and will help you build a gaming PC for $600.
It is essentially a downgraded Ryzen 5600X with nerfed clock speeds and a half L3 cache of 16MB. Still, it is pretty competitive with the similarly priced Intel CPUs from the Alder Lake family while outperforming them in productivity. Just put it on an A320 chipset motherboard if you want to save some cash and you are good to do. Still, if you want to squeeze every drop of performance out of it, go with a budget B450/B550 chipset motherboard and you won’t regret it.
Intel Core i3 13100F
If you are an Intel fan and want something that can compete with the Ryzen 5500, then consider going with the fastest Core i3 ever made i.e., the Core i3 13100F. Even though it doesn’t provide any significant uplift over the 12100F, it boasts higher clock speeds. The Core i3 13100F is a decent CPU for any budget gaming build and can easily handle the ARC A580 without breaking a sweat.
The chip features a hybrid architecture where you get 4 Performance cores and 0 Efficient cores resulting in a total of 8 threads. The performance cores take care of the intensive tasks and this is exactly what we are looking for when we want to max out the gaming performance. Of course, it is not that good in productivity when compared to the Ryzen 5500 but in gaming, the Core i3 provides a noticeable uplift in gaming performance.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
Ryzen 5 5600X is like the bigger brother of the Ryzen 5500. The processor retains the core and thread count but is superior in other specs. It features significantly higher core clock speed whether you consider the base or boost clock. This gives it a drastic advantage in gaming as well as other CPU-intensive application that loves higher clock speeds such as Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro.
The L3 cache is also doubled which has been proven to show positive effects in gaming. It is essentially the top-of-the-line mid-range CPU from the Zen 3 family and is currently cheaper than ever. You get to use the older AM4 platform that will save a lot of cost in motherboard and cooling solutions. Moreover, you can overclock it just like the Ryzen 5500 for further performance enhancements.
Intel Core i5 12400F
The Core i5 12400F is essentially an equivalent to the Ryzen 5600X with the latter winning in some games, however, the average gaming performance is somewhat equal. This is again for those who are Intel fans and want to get started with a cheap H610 chipset motherboard. It comes with 6 cores and 12 threads clocked at 2.5-4.40GHz which is pretty impressive.
One of the coolest advantages you can have with this CPU is that you can easily upgrade to a Raptor Lake Refresh CPU like a Core i5 14600K or higher without changing the motherboard. Moreover, you can also get a DDR5 motherboard if you want to take advantage of the faster memory speeds. Overall, you will have an edge over Ryzen 5600X users if you are considering upgradeability in the next 2-3 years.
Intel Core i5 13400F
If you want to have a significant gaming performance uplift then look no further than the Core i5 13400F. Even though it’s just another Core i5 13400F, it’s way more capable than any other locked Core i5s from the previous generation. It features a Hybrid architecture that now also features Efficient cores that were absent in the Core i5 12400F. This is why you get 6 Performance + 4 Efficient cores resulting in 10 Cores in total.
While the 6 cores will continuously get involved in gaming and other intensive tasks, the efficient cores will make sure you have enough power for the background tasks. This distributes the unnecessary load to the efficient cores leaving the performance cores fully dedicated to the main task. With this chip, you get a boost core clock as high as 4.6GHz and 20MB of L3 cache.
AMD Ryzen 5 7600
For around $220, there is no match for the Ryzen 5 7600. It is simply the best gaming CPU at this price annihilating any previous generation Ryzen and even Intel Core i5s like the i5 13400F. Even though it features fewer cores than the 13400F, it brings considerably higher single-core performance in gaming due to which it outperforms the Core i5 by over 10-15% higher performance. One of the secrets to its crazy good performance is its core clock speed which easily surpasses 5.0GHz.
It features 32MB of L3 cache and has the same 65W TDP as the Ryzen 5600. So, you don’t have to worry about its power consumption because it does a better job for the same power. However, you will need a good cooling solution, like a 280mm AIO as it generates more heat than its predecessor. Other than that, we cannot find any other flaws.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money do I need to buy a good CPU for A580?
You will need $100-$200 if you want a decent CPU. The higher, the better.
How much power does the Intel A580 use?
The ARC A580 is rated at 175W and depending on the model, it can consume more or less power than the default max TDP.
Does Intel ARC work better with an Intel CPU?
Not necessarily. You can use processors from both AMD and Intel without worrying about the performance impact due to being from a different brand.
Can I buy a Core i7 or Ryzen 7 CPU?
Yes, you can but remember that you won’t necessarily get a huge boost in gaming performance. Buy a higher-end CPU only if you are into content creation or CPU-intensive apps.
Conclusion
In order to achieve the best results with the ARC A580, you need to choose a CPU that does not bottleneck it in the least possible way. The above-listed processors will make sure you don’t have any kind of bottleneck from the CPU side and will also ensure you get 60+fps in most titles.
Let us know what CPU you are going with in the comments below and if you have any doubts, feel free to leave your comment in the comment box.
If I were to pair the ryzen 5 3600 with the Intel Arc A580, would it bottleneck and which part is causing the bottleneck?