PCPairs

Ryzen 5 3600 + RTX 2070 Super: bottleneck check

13%

CPU-limited at 1440p. Mild CPU bottleneck.

The Ryzen 5 3600 cannot feed the RTX 2070 Super fast enough at 1440p, so the card sits partly idle in CPU-heavy games.

By resolution

ResolutionLimiting partSeverityVerdict
1080pCPU 21%mild CPU bottleneck
1440pCPU 13%mild CPU bottleneck
4KGPU 11%balanced

This is the classic pattern: at 1080p the Ryzen 5 3600 is the limit (21%), while at 4K the RTX 2070 Super takes over (11% GPU-limited). If you play at 1080p on a high-refresh monitor, a faster CPU is the upgrade that matters; at 1440p or 4K this pair is already well matched.

Specifications

AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Cores / threads6 / 12
Max boost4.2 GHz
SocketAM4
Power used for the PSU estimate65 W not confirmed against a manufacturer page
Released2019
Gaming index48 / 100
Multi-core index40 / 100
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super
VRAM8 GB
Board power215 W
Released2019
1080p index30.8 / 100
1440p index25 / 100
4K index20.3 / 100

Power supply

The RTX 2070 Super measured 211 W average while gaming (220 W peak, TechPowerUp). With the Ryzen 5 3600 at a power figure of 65 W and about 75 W for the rest of the system, the sustained load is about 351 W. A 650 W unit is the safe choice. Details on the RTX 2070 Super PSU page or try other pairs in the PSU calculator.

Upgrade paths

Best CPU for the RTX 2070 Super Best GPU for the Ryzen 5 3600 RTX 2070 Super PSU requirements

Indexes are relative estimates aggregated from published reviews; real results vary by game, settings, memory speed and drivers. Methodology.