What is the best CPU for gaming? If you decided to build a powerful gaming PC with up to 4k resolutions, the graphic card is the most important thing you should consider. Instead, if you want to prevent bottlenecks and make use of the power of your graphic card to its highest potential, don’t skimp on the CPU.
Here is a list of excellent options that we suggest:
Intel Core i9-9900K (Best Overall)
The Intel Core i9-9900K is the most dominant CPU in the ninth Generation Intel Core lineup. For easygoing web browsers and YouTube fans, this chip is needless excess. In any case, for gamers and creatives, Intel claims that this processor will take your performance to the following level.
Rating: 4/5
Cores/Threads: 8/16 | Base Clock: 3.6GHz | Turbo Clock: 5.0GHz | Overclocking: Yes, 4.9-5.0GHz typical | L3 Cache: 16MB | TDP: 95W | PCIe 3.0 lanes: 16
Pros:
• Fastest CPU for gaming
• Best of speed for video rendering and editing
• Best clock speed
• Tight energy consumption
Cons:
• Requires a cooler to avoid overheating
• Expensive
• Limited room for overclocking
2. Intel Core i7-9700k – 9th Gen
Core i7-9700K, then again, lands right where we hope to locate some other top of the line, opened, Core i7 CPU. It even flaunts various enhancements contrasted with the past generation. Like Intel’s Core i9-9900K, the i7-9700K incorporates eight physical cores.
Rating: 4/5
Architecture: Coffee Lake | Socket: 1151 | Cores/Threads: 8/8 | Base Frequency: 3.6GHz | Top Boost Frequency: 4.9GHz | TDP:65W
Pros:
• Great gaming performance
• Eight cores excel in parallelized workloads
• Strong single-threaded performance thanks to high Turbo Boost clock rates
• Solder TIM improves thermal transfer
Cons:
• No bundled cooler
• No Hyper-Threading Technology
• Expensive
3. AMD Ryzen 7 3700X (Best Overall Value)
This new design (praised to its performance and minimal 65w TDP) is certain to turn into the most well known eight-core entry in the Ryzen 3000 lineup. The ‘progressive chipset structure’ of the AMD Zen 2 design on the 7nm process node could be only the thing to kick Intel into the second spot and raise it up as number one purveyor of go-to gaming chips.
Rating: 4.5/5
Architecture: Zen 2 | Socket: AM4 | Cores/Threads: 8/16 | Base Frequency: 3.6GHz | Top Boost Frequency: 4.4GHz | TDP: 65W
Pros:
• Support for PCIe 4.0
• Bundled cooler
• Unlocked multiplier
• Compatible with X470 motherboards
• Indium solder
Cons:
• Requires expensive X570 motherboards for PCIe 4.0 support
• Limited overclocking headroom
4. Intel Core i5-8400 (Best Gaming-Specific Value)
The Core i5 regularly offers devotees the best performance for their dollar. Be that as it may, with two additional cores, Intel’s most noteworthy end Core i5 is presently quicker than Core i7-7700K in most games, and even in certain applications. This implies the Coffee Lake Core i5s essentially supplant last generation’s Core i7s. Also, Six high-speed cores are going to be more than enough for the vast majority of gamers to play all the latest games without any frame hitches.
Rating: 4/5
Architecture: Coffee Lake | Socket: 1151 | Cores/Threads: 6/6 | Base Frequency: 2.8GHz | Top Boost Frequency: 4GHz | TDP: 65W
Pros:
• Incredible Value
• Six cores
• Strong performance in games and applications
• Affordable price includes bundled cooler
Cons:
• Locked ratio multiplier
• No hyperthreading
• Requires new motherboards
5. AMD Ryzen 5 2400G (Budget Pick)
If you didn’t need a powerful, discrete graphics card for running games, it didn’t make all that much sense to opt for a Ryzen processor. Now, though, the 2400G and 2200G bring AMD’s latest CPU and GPU technology together into one chip, making them ideal for powerful small-form-factor PCs.
Rating: 4.5/5
Architecture: Zen | Socket: AM4 | Cores/Threads: 4/8 | Base Frequency: 3.6GHz | Top Boost Frequency: 3.9GHz | TDP: 65W
Pros:
• Good value
• Higher frequencies
• Solid 720p gaming performance
• Passable 1080p gaming in some titles with low settings
• Unlocked multipliers
Cons:
• Eight lanes for PCIe slots
• Need to ensure motherboard BIOS compatibility
• Non-metallic TIM
• Requires a better heatsink for overclocking
6. AMD Ryzen 3 2200g (Entry-Level Pick)
The Ryzen 5 2400G and Ryzen 3 2200G are AMD’s two new APUs (accelerated processing units). In other words, they’re CPUs but with a built-in graphics processor. Both the Ryzen 5 2400G and Ryzen 3 2200G are from the new family of APUs that AMD has collectively codenamed Raven Ridge. They combine AMD’s Ryzen CPU technology with its Vega graphics, but also bring some improvements over the first generation of Ryzen CPUs.
Rating: 4/5
Architecture: Zen | Socket: AM4 | Cores/Threads: 4/4 | Base Frequency: 3.5GHz | Top Boost Frequency: 3.7GHz | TDP: 65W
Pros:
• Sub-$100 price
• Higher frequencies
• Solid 720p gaming performance
• Unlocked multipliers
Cons:
• Eight lanes for PCIe slots
• Need to ensure motherboard BIOS compatibility
• Non-metallic TIM
• Requires a better heatsink for overclocking