You may be experiencing decision paralysis these days while looking to purchase a new desktop CPU. It’s a great time to look for a CPU because AMD and Intel are releasing new processors quickly and their last-generation models are becoming less expensive. With decades of combined experience and knowledge, we have tested CPUs since Trendy Reviews was established, allowing us to provide you with reliable recommendations for your next gaming PC. We now recommend AMD’s Ryzen 7 7700 and Intel’s Core i7-14700K as two of the finest gaming CPUs to most gamers, but we also offer other highly rated alternatives that match a variety of budgets. View all of our selections below, and then read our buying guide to learn about the important considerations.
1.AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
The new desktop PC high-performance gaming champion is the eight-core Ryzen 7 7800X3D. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is significantly less expensive than its rivals, but it still outperforms the fastest gaming CPU on the market right now, AMD’s 16-core Ryzen 9 7950X3D, by an average of 12% over Intel’s flagship Core i9-13900K and up to 40% in certain games.
The 7800X3D’s remarkable gaming performance is driven by AMD’s unique second-generation 3D V-Cache technology, which raises the chip’s L3 cache capacity to an astounding 96MB via a 3D-stacked chiplet, guaranteeing it a top spot in our list of the best CPUs for gaming.
Big shoes to fill for the Ryzen 7 7800X3D are those of the first-generation 3D V-Cache (X3D) processor, the Zen 3-powered Ryzen 7 5800X3D, has become the go-to chip for high-performance gaming at an accessible price point, and it continues to be a favorite. Like its predecessor, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is specifically designed to blast through CPU-limited games with previously-unseen levels of performance, but the tech doesn’t accelerate all games and can result in lower performance in some productivity applications than the standard Ryzen 7000 models.
Nevertheless, the 5nm Ryzen 7 7800X3D features the more recent Zen 4 architecture and a significantly higher 5.0 GHz peak boost than the 5800X3D, which was built using the Zen 3 architecture and 7nm manufacturing. This helps to ensure a more consistent blend of performance in productive workloads. Another improvement over the previous generation model is that AMD has enabled basic overclocking and undervolting on the 7800X3D.
One of the main benefits of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is its simplicity. With the Zen-4 powered \ 16-core Ryzen 9 7950X3D and \ 12-core Ryzen 9 7900X3D, AMD expanded its X3D family. These heavier models provide more cores for productivity-minded users along with amazing gaming performance, but in order to get the most out of their many compute chiplets, AMD’s novel new thread-targeting technology is necessary.
The target is to be simple, quick, and efficient, and AMD’s CPU largely achieves these objectives. We discovered that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D doesn’t really leave much room for any other CPU – it stands much above the others — if high gaming performance is your primary concern and you have the funds. However, Intel isn’t just standing by, however, as its Raptor Lake substitutes have benefits of their own. On the pages that follow, let’s examine how the chips compare in our gaming benchmarks.
Pros
Fastest gaming chip
Modern platform
Cons
No support for DDR4 memory
2.Intel Core i5 12400
While it’s simple to write off the Intel Core i5 12400 as one of the less intriguing processors from the 12th generation Alder Lake CPU generation, you would also be writing off one of the best mainstream chips ever produced. It is plausible that a portion of the geeky appeal of this CPU stems from a fortunate mishap on the part of Intel’s microcode; nonetheless, this does not alter the fact that, in addition to being a superb six-core, 12-thread gaming processor, it is also an incredibly powerful overclocking chip.
However, you would be losing out on the unique Alder Lake hybrid sauce that has made the Core i9 12900K and Core i5 12600K such powerful new CPUs if you were specifically pursuing it because the inexpensive Core i5.
There is still some of Alder Lake’s silicon goodness beneath that broad heatspreader, however. While this is no hybrid processor—missing the extra Efficient Cores (E-Cores) that add to the versatility of the higher-spec chips—it’s still rocking the Golden Cove architecture inside its pure Performance Cores (P-Cores).
And that’s what makes all the difference for us PC gamers since it means the Core i5 12400’s single-core performance is on par with the greatest CPUs available.
And yes, I’m included AMD’s Ryzen 5000 chips here, because in the newest Cinebench tests I’m seeing this stock-clocked $220 Core i5 CPU surpass AMD’s Ryzen 9 5950X in single-core testing. It should be noted that this is only one benchmark, and so the Core i5 12400 may not always outperform AMD’s best in every gaming scenario, but there are some instances in which it unquestionably does.
The main reasons Alder Lake produces such excellent gaming chips are the Golden Cove core design and the Intel 7 process, which is essentially the same as 10nm SuperFin (albeit an extra “+” may be required elsewhere). It’s been built to be wider and smarter in order to better compete with AMD’s Zen 3 cores, and boasts a big chunk more cache than the 11th Gen CPUs.
Additionally, compared to the Cypress Cove bastardized backport architecture that arrived with Rocket Lake last year, it offers a significant instructions per clock (IPC) improvement.
Thus, while the P-Cores are really present and correct, the absence of those E-Cores might actually be advantageous at this end of the market as opposed to a conspicuous omission. Although the compatibility issues with Alder Lake have supposedly been resolved, the Core i5 12400 isn’t really designed for multithreading, so those six potent P-Cores are more than sufficient for a dedicated budget gaming chip. However, it also means you don’t have to deal with Intel’s Thread Director and hope that the OS is allocating work to the right cores every time. It’s not necessary for you to Windows 11 to get the most out of this CPU either.
Pros
Great stock performance
Low power
Cons
BCLK OC may get patched out
3.Intel Core i5-13400F
Although 14th Gen Core “Raptor Lake Refresh” chips have since been released, the Intel Core i5-13400F ($196) remains one of the company’s more reasonably priced 13th Gen Raptor Lake Core i5 processors. Price isn’t everything, as course, but this makes it a top choice for PC builders, especially those creating low-cost gaming PCs. Even while the AM4-based AMD Ryzen 7 5700G continues to hold the title of Editors’ Choice, the reasonably priced Intel Core i5-13400F is still a worthy contender for low-cost PC designs. (Just make sure you couple it with a graphics card that is within a reasonable budget.)
The Intel Core i5-13400F is one of the company’s least expensive Raptor Lake Core i5 processors by design. Although a strong selling advantage, its low cost carries certain negative associations. With six high-performance Performance cores (P-cores) and just four low-power Efficient cores (E-cores), its core count is lower than that of the majority of 13th generation Core i5 processors. In comparison to the Core i5-13400F, the majority of other 13th Gen Core i5 processors, such as the Intel Core i5-13600K, come with eight E-cores in addition to the six P-cores, giving them a noticeable multi-threaded performance gain.
Another significant distinction is that, due to the absence of an integrated graphics processor (IGP), the Core i5-13400F is marginally less expensive than its non-“F” Core i5-13400 sister. This also helps gamers on a tight budget, since they can avoid spending money on an IGP they won’t use. It makes the CPU a little more tempting. That argument has some validity because, in most cases, if you have a graphics card, you won’t need the IGP; however, wherever possible, I like to purchase anything with an IGP—”just in case.”
Although they aren’t very strong for gaming, the IGPs on contemporary CPUs have other applications. Your graphics card’s performance can be spared for using your game on an IGP if you have a second display that you aren’t using for gaming. An IGP can also be useful for troubleshooting issues that can arise later, particularly if your graphics card has problems.
I put the Intel Core i5-13400F to the test using a dual-channel setup of two 16GB DDR5 memory sticks on a Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master motherboard. The maximum legally supported memory speed of 4,800MHz for the Core i5-13400F was utilized when operating this RAM. In accordance with their individual supported maximums, the RAM speeds of the other evaluated CPUs were lowered.
To prevent the chip from overheating, a Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL240 Flux 240mm water cooler was used. Power for the tests was provided by a SilverStone DA850 PSU, and Windows 11 was used. All of the parts were kept during testing in an open-air Praxis Wetbench. My choice of graphics card for the game tests was an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition. Additionally, the system made use of this while all CPU and power tests as a display adapter.
Pros
High core count for the money
Competitive multi-threaded performance
Cons
No integrated graphics in “F” version
4.AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
The Ryzen 5 7600X is still a 6-core/12-thread classic multi-core processor, and doesn’t have any exotic “hybrid” tech that the competing Core i5-12600K does, being a 6P+4E processor. This is probably a good thing in this segment, as all six of the “Zen 4” cores are what Intel would consider “performance cores,” and located in the same chiplet (CCD). Each of these comes with 1 MB of dedicated L2 cache, double the size over the previous-gen “Zen 3,” and share a large 32 MB L3 cache. The processor ticks at a base frequency of 4.70 GHz, and a decent 5.30 GHz boost. AMD has given this chip a TDP of 105 W, and around 140 W package power tracking, Which means the six cores have ample power budget in which to sustain boost frequencies.
The new “Zen 4” architecture introduces next-gen connectivity, including a DDR5 memory interface, and PCI-Express Gen 5. AMD goes a step further than Intel with its PCIe implementation, and offers Gen 5 not just for the x16 PEG slot, but also two CPU-attached x4 interfaces, besides the chipset bus. This means motherboard designers can have up to two Gen 5 NVMe slots wired to the CPU, without eating into the x16 PEG lanes.
Integrated graphics are now available across the Ryzen 7000 series, which is the most notable feature addition. This renders the 7600X a CPU with graphics powerful enough to perform all of the tasks performed by the Core i9-12900K, rather than a “APU” (a processor with a sizable, gaming-capable iGPU). Businesses which desire the processing capability of these CPUs but don’t need discrete graphics may likewise find the Ryzen 7000 series more appealing as a result.
We test the Ryzen 5 7600X in this review to see how it compares to Intel, namely the i5-12600K. Before publishing this evaluation, we retested every CPU using our most recent set of up-to-date software benchmarks and gaming tests.
With new silicon developed year, it can be difficult to stay up with the Joneses in the computing industry, and chipmakers occasionally find it difficult to keep up with the pace. Consider AMD and the Ryzen 7000 series of their most recent processors. We first praised the introduction of these new CPUs for their outstanding performance, but Intel’s 13th generation “Raptor Lake” chips soon followed, spoiling AMD’s party. Particularly affecting CPUs like the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X, Intel’s latest silicon poses a significant threat to AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series chips. We find it hard to suggest the Ryzen 5 7600X above alternatives like the last-generation Intel Core i5-12600K, which is still relevant in 2023, given that less expensive processors—even when recent sales of this chip are taken into account—outperform it.
Pros
Six cores
12 threads
Cons
Sluggish performance for the money
5.AMD Ryzen 5 8600G
In October of 2024, I finally sit down to review the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G after months of searching for the parts for GamesRadar+’s new AMD testing PC. To be honest, this is not the best moment to be a modern gaming CPU. I’m a little afraid to look at the screen as I start my benchmarking because the last four weeks have seen some pretty depressing headlines: AMD’s Ryzen 9000 series has seen delays and some awkward-looking leaks; Intel’s 13th and 14th Generation chips have been so suddenly volatile that they’ve cast the brand in an embarrassing light.
Right now, upgrading to the best CPUs for gaming can be challenging for those who haven’t upgraded to a DDR5-compatible system because it can mean a whole new motherboard and memory too. For that reason, you want peace of mind that whichever one you commit to will be worth the money and will be able to harness the power of other new-gen components.
Many people may be startled to hear that the most recent generations of CPUs from AMD and Intel are so strong that a flagship, or even a Ryzen 7/i7, really isn’t necessary for most of us, as I’ll explain in a lot of my CPU coverage. Even though I’ve known it for a long, AMD’s Ryzen 5, which was introduced at the beginning of 2024, nonetheless caught me off guard. Its MSRP upon debut was, however as of this writing, it can be found for. It might be the best affordable 4K processor available as a result.
You might be a little surprised at how the raw specifications of AMD’s most recent CPUs compare to those of Intel’s equivalents two compete. On paper, Intel gives people way more horsepower to gallop with. The Intel Core i5-13600K, which currently holds our top spot on the desktop CPU ladder, has a surprising 14 cores and 20 threads compared to the respective 6 and 12 offered up here.
That actually gave me doubts about this processor’s ability to meet the demands of one of the top gaming PCs, but it shouldn’t have. As impressive as Intel’s vast array of cores and threads may be, the reality is that you hardly ever use them all. Even with streaming, 4K gaming, multiple apps open, and general attempts to throw the CPU off balance, I find it difficult to assign it taxing tasks that need more than 20% of its power.
Without those additional cores and threads, AMD’s Zen 4 architecture is so fast that it can achieve some truly astounding outcomes. The Ryzen 5 8600G’s 4.3GHz base clock speed, which outperforms the 13th Gen i5’s, demonstrates this.
Pros
Excellent performance for the money
Efficient, and runs cooler than the competition
Cons
Fewer cores and threads than Intel’s equivalents
Processor FAQ
How do you test CPUs?
We’ve updated our entire benchmark suite—which includes Cyberpunk 2077, Baldur’s Gate 3, Homeworld 3, Metro Exodus Enhanced, Total War: Warhammer 3, 3DMark Time Spy, Cinebench 2024, Blender 4.2, 7zip, Handbrake H.265, and UL Procyon—for CPU reviews starting in 2024 to better reflect current processors and use cases.
Even though there are 4K and 720p gaming resolutions, most of our testing is done at 1080p. This will highlight the CPU rather than the GPU—an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 in this case—and demonstrate the biggest difference in gaming performance you’re likely to notice.
Does your CPU matter for gaming?
Yes, is the succinct response. The longer response is that there are more nuances and complexity involved. Your gaming PC must obviously have a CPU, but your graphics card is the part that affects frame rates the most. That does not imply that you can put a powerful GPU in your setup and ignore the fact that your system has an outdated, weak processor. For a seamless gaming experience, your processor must continue to feed data to your graphics card; otherwise, the GPU will stutter while waiting for the CPU to catch up.
Like anything else, balance is key. However, a common CPU nowadays won’t cause you to lose out on gaming performance when compared to the top chips by anything more than single-digit frames per second.
What motherboard is right for my CPU?
The most recent Intel platform, Raptor Lake, works with both the older 700-series motherboards and any motherboard from the 600 series. Choose carefully which side of things to support as these are available for both DDR4 and DDR5 (new).
The most recent AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs are limited to compatibility with X670, X670E, and B650 motherboards due to their usage of the new AM5 socket. A520, B550, and X570 boards are among the older AM4 motherboards that are incompatible, breaking a lengthy run of compatibility there.