Top 3 AM4 CPUs for a Gaming PC in 2026

[0:00]Which AM4 CPU should I get for a 960 XT? In early 2026, there are four CPUs that I would recommend for any AM4 CPU. The most budget I'd get right now is the Ryzen 5 5500. It's going up in price a little, but it's still the cheapest, best brand new option. It can actually pair with the 9060 XT, but for CPU intensive games, it might hold you back a bit. For the most balanced FPS per dollar value, I would still get the 5600. It's faster than the 5500 and still performs really well for a 130-ish CPU. Now, if you want something better or you just want to maximize the upgrade path of AM4, then I really like the 5800 XT right now. For whatever reason, this has been sitting just over $200 for a couple months now. This is the fastest non-X3D AM4 CPU, so it's great for gaming and gives you those extra cores and threads. It can also pair nicely with an even beefier GPU than just the 960 XT. Now, depending on where you live, if you can buy an AM4 X3D chip, that would obviously be the best option. We usually don't have that available here in the States, so those other three CPUs are what I would go with.