Time to upgrade your gaming PC? These are the best processors to choose from

If want to completely revamp your computer to play the latest PC games, it’s smart to start with the processor and work outwards. Of course, the graphics component is the important half of the PC gaming equation along with the motherboard, system memory, and storage. But the processor is the heart of your machine, computing all the instructions required to create and maintain a believable, virtual environment.

So what are the best processors for gaming? You really only have two contenders to deal with: Intel and AMD. We broke down our processor choices into price groups, but kick off the gaming CPU bonanza with the ultimate chips from each company. They’re the best you can presently buy from each, so expect to drain the bank account, take out a loan, or do whatever needs to be done to purchase the absolute fastest gaming CPUs on the planet.

The speed demons

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

For this group, we have the two of the fastest desktop processors you can currently find from Intel and AMD. If you’re looking to just upgrade your CPU without having to rip out other components, then look the other way. If you don’t want to spend over $900 and on up into a four-digit price tag, then this duo isn’t for you. Intel’s 18-core chip is a whopping $2,000, and AMD’s 16-core chip is still rather wallet-thrashing at almost half the price.

For these two chips, you’ll need a completely new motherboard for starters given their enormous size. We’ve listed the required motherboard seat within the specifications along with the motherboard chipset that complements these powerhouse CPUs. Both shown below were released in the August/September 2017 timeframe, so they’re fresh off the CPU presses. These chips do not provide integrated graphics.

Intel
Core i9-7980XE
AMD
Ryzen Threadripper
1950X
Architecture:
Skylake-X
Zen
Cores:
18
16
Threads:
36
32
Base speed:
2.6GHz
3.4GHz
Maximum speed:
4.4GHz
4.0GHz
Cache:
24.75MB
32MB
Integrated graphics:
No
No
Power use:
165 watts
180 watts
Required socket:
LGA 2066
TR4
Required chipset:
X299
X399
Price:
$2,000
$970

The extreme market

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

This set is mostly dominated by Intel’s X-Series processors. Below you will find Intel’s 12-core X-Series chip along with AMD’s competing 12-core AMD Ryzen Threadripper processor. Again, both will require a new motherboard with a larger, compatible seat. But AMD’s variant will require additional juice given it consumes more power than the company’s current Ryzen 7/5/3 desktop processors. It even consumes 40 watts more than Intel’s 12-core chip.

Also seen below, you will find listings for three other Intel X-Series processors. You really can’t go wrong with any chip listed in this batch — it’s just a matter of how much you are willing to spend. Other things to consider is the additional cost of the motherboard, processor cooling, and possible system memory and graphics card upgrades. That’s a big part of AMD’s mission with its Ryzen processors: Equal, if not better, performance to match similar competing CPUs at a lower price.

Intel
Core i9-7920X
AMD
Ryzen Threadripper
1920X
Architecture:
Skylake-X
Zen
Cores:
12
12
Threads:
24
24
Base speed:
2.9GHz
3.5GHz
Maximum speed:
4.4GHz
4.0GHz
Cache:
16.5MB
32MB
Integrated graphics:
No
No
Power use:
140 watts
180 watts
Required socket:
LGA 2066
TR4
Required chipset:
X299
X399
Price:
$1,100
$745

Now here are the three other X-Series processors from Intel costing between $960 and $1,690.

Intel
Core i9-7960X
Intel
Core i9-7940X
Intel
Core i9-7900X
Architecture:
Skylake-X
Skylake-K
Skylake-X
Cores:
16
14
10
Threads:
32
24
20
Price:
$1,690
$1,400
$960

$500 to $599

Here is the last Intel X-Series processor in our batch, and the only chip within this price range that’s great for gamers. Like all the other X-Series chips, you’ll need a new motherboard with the big LGA 2066 processor seat, and Intel’s X299 chipset. It’s not exactly a power sipper either, so make sure your power supply can support the chip along with any other hardware — such as a high-end graphics card — you throw into the mix.

One note we’d like to throw in is that despite the X-Series chips hitting the market in the second and third quarters of 2017, they’re not eighth-generation chips. They’re actually based on a sixth-generation design that’s tweaked and enhanced to meet the high-performance requirements of enthusiasts. Intel typically does this every year, so keep in mind that when you sink huge loads of money into a new X-Series processor, another faster set of X-Series chips will likely arrive in the same timeframe a year later.

Intel

Core i7-7820X

Architecture:
Skylake-X
Cores:
8
Threads:
16
Base speed:
3.6GHz
Maximum speed:
4.5GHz
Cache:
11MB
Integrated graphics:
No
Power use:
140 watts
Required socket:
LGA 2066
Required chipset:
X299
Price:
$560

$400 to $499

Now we’re heading into a more mainstream-friendly desktop space. Leading this pack is Intel’s new eighth-generation Core i7-8700K processor, and AMD’s recently released Ryzen 7 1800X chip. Both were built with PC gamers in mind, but AMD’s solution falls slightly behind in gaming benchmarks. Still, if you insist on an AMD-based platform and don’t want to spend more than $500 on a processor, this is the chip for you.

There are a few things to note here. First, the Core i7-8700K uses the same processor seat as seventh- and sixth-generation Intel processors, but it requires a new chipset, leading to a new motherboard. Meanwhile, if you want to jump on AMD’s new Ryzen bandwagon, you’ll need to purchase a new AM4-based motherboard anyway given the chip doesn’t fit on older AMD-based motherboards. On top of that, Ryzen processors do not include integrated graphics, so the extra cost of an add-in card comes into play.

Intel
Core i7-8700K
AMDRyzen 7 1800X
Architecture:
Coffee Lake
Zen
Cores:
6
8
Threads:
12
16
Base speed:
3.6GHz
3.6GHz
Maximum speed:
4.7GHz
4.0GHz
Cache:
12MB
16MB
Integrated graphics:
UHD Graphics 630
No
Power use:
95 watts
95 watts
Required socket:
LGA 1151
AM4
Suggested chipset:
Z370
X370 / X300
Price:

$415
($420 @ Newegg)
$440

$300 to $399

Moving down the line, we have more affordable options from Intel and AMD. Intel’s chip is based on the company’s eighth-generation “Coffee Lake” design, and AMD’s Ryzen-branded solution is based on its near-built-from-scratch “Zen” architecture. Both are fresh off the presses, and require new motherboards even though the Intel-based chip is no bigger than previous-generation models.

For this duo, which model comes out ahead depends on the benchmark. Intel’s chip shows better single-core performance in benchmarks while AMD’s chip does a better job in multi-core tests. Again, you can’t go wrong with either chip in this price bracket, and the final purchase will depend if you favor one manufacturer over the other. The drawback with AMD’s model is that you’ll have no integrated graphics, but who uses that when PC gaming, right??

But here’s one last note: the Intel Core i5-8600K can provide the same if not better performance when overclocked than the Core i7-8700 chip for $40 less.

Intel
Core i5-8600K
AMD
Ryzen 7 1700X
Architecture:
Coffee Lake
Zen
Cores:
6
8
Threads:
6
16
Base speed:
3.6GHz
3.4GHz
Maximum speed:
4.3GHz
3.8GHz
Cache:
9MB
16MB
Integrated graphics:
UHD Graphics 630
No
Power use:
95 watts
95 watts
Required socket:
LGA 1151
AM4
Suggested chipset:
Z370
X370 / X300
Price:
$300
$350

$200 to $299

Continuing down the performance-per-dollar path is Intel’s eighth-generation Core i5-8400, and AMD’s Zen-based Ryzen 7 1700 chip. Technically, AMD’s “Zen” architecture is a first-generation design given that the company started with a clean slate, and ditched the “Excavator” design it used with four generations of processors. Regardless, both are the latest from Intel and AMD, designed with gamers in mind so you get more bang for your buck.

Like the previous two, these chips out-perform each other in different tests. The Core i5-8400 does a better job in single-core benchmarks whereas the Ryzen 7 1700 has a higher multi-core performance. AMD’s chip also does better in overclocked multi-core benchmarks despite Intel’s chip having a higher maximum speed. Both processors require new motherboards, and the AMD chip does not include integrated graphics.

Intel
Core i5-8400
AMD
Ryzen 7 1700
Architecture:
Coffee Lake
Zen
Cores:
6
8
Threads:
6
16
Base speed:
2.8GHz
3.0GHz
Maximum speed:
4.0GHz
3.7GHz
Cache:
9MB
16MB
Integrated graphics:
UHD Graphics 630
No
Power use:
65 watts
65 watts
Required socket:
LGA 1151
AM4
Suggested chipset:
Z370
X370 / X300
Price:
$252
$285

$100 to $199

Finally, we’re getting close to the $100 mark. Here we have Intel’s eighth-generation Core i3-8100 processor, and AMD’s fresh-off-the-presses Zen-based Ryzen 5 1500X chip. Both are extremely new and require a new motherboard, so you’ll need to add that extra cost and labor into the mix when making a purchase.

The rivalry between these two chips is no different than the other comparisons in our list: Intel’s chip out-performs in single-core benchmarks, and AMD’s chip does better in multi-core tests. Both offer a lot of bang for a small amount of bucks, but note that Intel’s chip doesn’t have a turbo speed, and is locked to four threads versus the Ryzen’s eight. Meanwhile, AMD’s chip doesn’t include integrated graphics.

Intel
Core i3-8100
AMD
Ryzen 5 1500X
Architecture:
Coffee Lake
Zen
Cores:
4
4
Threads:
4
8
Base speed:
3.6GHz
3.5GHz
Maximum speed:
N/A
3.7GHz
Cache:
6MB
16MB
Integrated graphics:
UHD Graphics 630
No
Power use:
65 watts
65 watts
Required socket:
LGA 1151
AM4
Suggested chipset:
Z370
X370 / X300
Price:
$130
$170

Under $100

For this price bracket, AMD’s Ryzen 3 1200 just squeezes in at a few cents under $100. It’s based on AMD’s latest “Zen” processor architecture, thus you’ll need to upgrade the motherboard too. Meanwhile, Intel’s Pentium G4560 chip is based on its seventh-generation “Kaby Lake” design, thus if your motherboard already includes the Z270 chipset, then you should be golden. Actually, any motherboard based on Intel’s 200 Series chipsets work, but the Z270 targets PC gamers.

In this boxing match, Intel’s Pentium chip has a slightly higher single-core performance due to a higher base speed. But the Ryzen’s multi-core performance outshines Intel’s competition for just $14 more, as it has four overclockable cores versus the two Pentium cores that are locked at 3.5GHz. Again, the drawback to AMD’s Ryzen chip is that it doesn’t include integrated graphics.

Intel
Pentium G4560
AMD
Ryzen 3 1200
Architecture:
Kaby Lake
Zen
Cores:
2
4
Threads:
4
4
Base speed:
3.5GHz
3.1GHz
Maximum speed:
N/A
3.4GHz
Cache:
3MB
8MB
Integrated graphics:
HD Graphics 610
No
Power use:
54 watts
65 watts
Required socket:
LGA 1151
AM4
Suggested chipset:
Z270
X370 / X300
Price:
$85
$99

Don’t forget your motherboard!

With your processor chosen, now you need a great motherboard. Luckily for you, we have a great list right here! Happy shopping, gamers!

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