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The usual advice is to avoid bottlenecking the graphics card, and for a 1660 Super at 1080p that advice points the wrong way round. The lower the resolution, the more frames the GPU can finish per second, and the more often it finishes early and waits for the processor to hand it the next one. At 4K a slow CPU is nearly invisible because the card is the constraint. At 1080p — which is exactly what this card is for — the CPU is far more likely to be the thing limiting your frame rate. So the risk with a 1660 Super is not that you pair it with too much processor. It is that you pair it with too little and blame the graphics card.
The number that matters is single-core performance. Most games still lean on one or two main threads for the simulation and the draw calls, so a six-core chip with strong per-core speed beats a sixteen-core one with weak cores in almost everything you will play on this card. Compare single-thread benchmark scores, not core counts.
Six cores is the sensible floor and eight is the comfortable target. Quad-core chips without hyperthreading now stutter in modern titles regardless of clock speed, because background work and game engine threads run out of room. Six cores with twelve threads is the value sweet spot for a card in this class.
Know what this card is and is not, because it changes what CPU makes sense. The 1660 Super is a Turing card without RT or tensor cores, which means no hardware ray tracing worth using and — importantly — no DLSS. You cannot upscale your way out of a performance problem on this card the way an RTX owner can, so the raw frame rate is what you get. That argues for spending a little more on the processor rather than less.
And be honest about the platform, which is usually where the money actually goes. A new CPU generally means a new motherboard and often new memory, so a £60 processor can be a £250 decision. If you are upgrading an existing machine, the best-value chip is frequently the fastest one your current socket supports — a used Ryzen 5 5600 on an existing AM4 board, or the top chip for an older Intel socket, avoids the platform cost entirely. Check what your board supports and whether it needs a BIOS update first.
The list runs from the best value on existing platforms through to new builds.
| # | Product | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AMD Ryzen 5 5600 / 5600X | $100–$150 | Amazon · eBay |
| 2 | AMD Ryzen 7 5700X | $130–$190 | Amazon · eBay |
| 3 | Intel Core i5-12400 / 12400F | $110–$160 | Amazon · eBay |
| 4 | AMD Ryzen 5 5500 | $70–$100 | Amazon · eBay |
| 5 | Intel Core i5-10400F / 10600K (used) | $50–$110 | Amazon · eBay |
| 6 | AMD Ryzen 5 7600 | $180–$240 | Amazon · eBay |
| 7 | 16 GB DDR4 Dual-Channel Memory Kit (3200–3600 MHz) | $40–$80 | Amazon · eBay |
| 8 | Tower CPU Cooler (Thermalright or similar) | $25–$45 | Amazon · eBay |
| 9 | 550 W or 650 W 80+ Bronze Power Supply | $55–$90 | Amazon · eBay |
| 10 | Used GTX 1660 Super Replacement or Step-Up Card | $150–$300 | Amazon · eBay |
The picks, in detail
AMD Ryzen 5 5600 / 5600X
The single best pairing for this card and it is not close on value. Six cores, twelve threads, strong single-core performance, and it drops into any AM4 motherboard that most people upgrading a 1660 Super already own — so the processor is the entire cost. Prices have fallen a long way since launch and the used market is full of them. If you have an AM4 board, stop reading here.
- 6 cores, 12 threads
- AM4 socket — fits existing boards
- Strong single-core performance
- Cooler included on the non-X model
- No new motherboard or memory needed on AM4
- Comfortably ahead of what this card needs
- Cheap new and cheaper used
- AM4 is an end-of-life platform with no future upgrades
- Older boards need a BIOS update first — check before buying
- No integrated graphics for troubleshooting
AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
Eight cores on the same AM4 socket, for people who also stream, record or compile. For gaming with a 1660 Super the extra cores buy very little over a 5600 — this card will be the limit long before the processor is — but the price gap has narrowed enough that it is defensible if the machine does anything else. Same platform argument applies: no new board needed.
- 8 cores, 16 threads
- AM4 socket
- 65 W TDP
- No bundled cooler on most SKUs
- Eight cores without changing platform
- Better for streaming and content work alongside gaming
- Runs cool at 65 W
- Little to no gaming gain over a 5600 with this card
- No bundled cooler
- AM4 has no upgrade path left
Intel Core i5-12400 / 12400F
The Intel equivalent of the value argument: six performance cores, excellent single-thread speed, and low power draw. The F version drops integrated graphics and costs less, which is fine when you already have a card — though integrated graphics are genuinely useful for diagnosing a dead GPU. It needs an LGA1700 board, so factor the platform cost in.
- 6 performance cores, 12 threads
- LGA1700 socket
- Strong single-thread performance
- Cooler included on non-F variants
- Excellent gaming performance per pound
- Runs cool and draws modest power
- Supports both DDR4 and DDR5 depending on the board
- Needs a new LGA1700 motherboard
- F variant has no integrated graphics for troubleshooting
- LGA1700 is now an older socket
AMD Ryzen 5 5500
The budget floor worth considering, and it comes with a caveat that matters. It is six cores and twelve threads on AM4 for very little money, but it runs a reduced PCIe specification and less cache than the 5600, and the gap in games is real rather than theoretical. Buy it only if the price difference to a 5600 is large; otherwise the 5600 is better value at almost any price.
- 6 cores, 12 threads
- AM4 socket
- Reduced cache versus the 5600
- Cooler included
- Cheapest route to six modern cores
- Drops into existing AM4 boards
- Cooler in the box
- Measurably slower than a 5600 in games
- Reduced PCIe specification
- The saving over a 5600 is rarely worth it
Intel Core i5-10400F / 10600K (used)
The used-market option for anyone on an older Intel platform. A 10th-generation i5 is six cores with twelve threads and enough single-core speed to keep a 1660 Super fed at 1080p, and used prices are very low. The catch is the socket: LGA1200 is dead, so this is a terminal upgrade rather than a step towards anything.
- 6 cores, 12 threads
- LGA1200 socket
- Adequate single-core performance for this card
- Widely available used
- Very cheap on the used market
- Sufficient for everything this card can run
- Drops into existing LGA1200 boards
- Dead-end socket with no upgrade path
- Used chips come without warranty
- Noticeably behind current generations
AMD Ryzen 5 7600
The forward-looking choice: six cores on AM5, which unlike AM4 still has a future. It is more processor than a 1660 Super needs, and that is the point — you buy the platform now, and when the graphics card is eventually replaced the CPU is not the thing holding the new one back. Requires DDR5 memory and a new board, so the total cost is substantial.
- 6 cores, 12 threads
- AM5 socket with a live upgrade path
- DDR5 memory required
- Integrated graphics included
- Platform with a genuine future upgrade path
- Integrated graphics useful for diagnosis
- Will not limit a much faster card later
- Requires a new board and DDR5 memory
- Considerably more processor than this card needs
- Highest total cost here
16 GB DDR4 Dual-Channel Memory Kit (3200–3600 MHz)
Frequently a bigger real-world improvement than the processor itself, and routinely overlooked. Ryzen in particular is sensitive to memory speed, and a machine running a single stick at 2400 MHz leaves substantial performance unclaimed. A matched dual-channel kit at 3200 or 3600 MHz with the XMP or DOCP profile enabled in BIOS is cheap and it is the upgrade people forget to actually switch on.
- Matched dual-channel kit
- 3200–3600 MHz with XMP or DOCP profile
- 16 GB is the sensible capacity for gaming
- CL16 or better timings
- Large gain on Ryzen systems for modest money
- Dual channel matters more than capacity beyond 16 GB
- Fits existing DDR4 platforms
- Profile must be enabled in BIOS or it runs at base speed
- Mixing with existing sticks can prevent the profile working
- DDR5 platforms need different memory entirely
Tower CPU Cooler (Thermalright or similar)
Modern six-core chips boost higher and hold that boost longer when they have thermal headroom, and single-core boost is exactly the thing that feeds this graphics card. A cheap tower cooler costs less than the price difference between two processor tiers and frequently delivers more of the benefit. It also makes the machine much quieter, which matters more day to day than a few frames.
- Four to six heatpipe tower
- 120 or 140 mm PWM fan
- Mounting for AM4, AM5 and LGA1700
- Around 150–160 mm tall
- Higher sustained boost clocks, which is what this pairing needs
- Far quieter than a stock cooler
- Cheap relative to a CPU tier upgrade
- Check case width and RAM height for clearance
- Fitting requires removing the motherboard on some cases
- Overkill for a 65 W chip if you do not mind noise
550 W or 650 W 80+ Bronze Power Supply
The component that quietly kills upgrades. A 1660 Super is undemanding at roughly 125 W, but a machine built around one is often several years old, and an ageing no-name supply is the most common cause of crashes that get blamed on a new processor. A modern 550 to 650 W unit from a reputable maker costs little and removes the doubt — and leaves headroom for whatever card replaces this one.
- 550–650 W continuous output
- 80+ Bronze efficiency or better
- Modern connectors including PCIe 8-pin
- Multi-year manufacturer warranty
- Removes the commonest cause of mystery instability
- Leaves headroom for a future graphics card
- Long warranties on reputable units
- Boring purchase with no performance gain
- Rewiring the machine is a fiddly hour
- Cheap units with inflated ratings are still widely sold
Used GTX 1660 Super Replacement or Step-Up Card
The honest last entry. If you have already got a capable six-core processor and you are still unhappy with performance, the card is the limit and no CPU purchase will change that. A used step up to something with more memory and DLSS support does more for a modern game than any processor on this list, because upscaling is the feature this card conspicuously lacks.
- 6 GB on the 1660 Super, more on newer cards
- No RT or tensor cores on the 1660 Super, so no DLSS
- Modern replacements support upscaling
- Widely available used
- Addresses the actual limit once the CPU is adequate
- DLSS or FSR support transforms modern titles
- More VRAM headroom for newer games
- Used graphics cards carry real risk
- Needs power supply headroom checking first
- Outside the scope of a CPU upgrade budget
Buying tips
- Do not worry about over-powering the card. At 1080p the CPU is more likely to be your limit than the GPU, so the risk with a 1660 Super is pairing it with too little processor, not too much.
- Compare single-thread benchmark scores. Most games lean on one or two main threads, so six fast cores beat sixteen slow ones in almost everything this card will run.
- Treat six cores and twelve threads as the floor. Quad-core chips without hyperthreading now stutter in modern titles regardless of clock speed.
- Remember this card has no DLSS. The 1660 Super has no tensor cores, so you cannot upscale your way out of a shortfall the way an RTX owner can — raw frame rate is all you get.
- Check what your existing motherboard supports before buying anything. The best value is often the fastest chip your current socket takes, which avoids the board and memory costs entirely.
- Check whether the board needs a BIOS update for a newer chip, and whether it can be updated without a working CPU installed. This catches out a lot of AM4 upgrades.
- Enable XMP or DOCP after fitting memory. A kit rated 3600 MHz runs at 2133 or 2400 until you switch the profile on, and a great many machines never have it enabled.
- Replace an old power supply before blaming a new CPU. An ageing unit is the most common cause of instability that gets attributed to a fresh component.
As an Amazon Associate and eBay Partner, toptenpick.com earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability are subject to change.