Looking to bring a high - power C.P.U. to your gambling PC but are n’t quite certain where to start ? We ’ve got you covered with the dependable play mainframe out there , examine and tested by our expert .
With the amount of attention afforded to the latest AI - tally computer graphic placard , alongside jaw flatten ultra - wide monitors that make it feel as if you ’re envelop by the game you ’re playing , it can be all too easy to overlook arguably the most important piece at the heart of any play set - up : the CPU .
After all , even though the modish art bill are all important for play three-fold - A games in their expert rendering possible , the amount of RAM and memory board that your PC can accommodate is linked directly to the efficiency of the C.P.U. you decide to go with . This is why it ’s worth localize aside a decent amount of money for a gaming - ready central processor as it ’ll pay dividends when it comes to overall carrying into action , as well as having passel of local warehousing to have your favourite titles ready to go .
grant , there are a lot of options in this space but that ’s where we descend in . There ’s a countless array of processor that make their may to the Trusted Reviews federal agency each year , and we try out each of them against several benchmarking processes to specify their performance in both gaming and general labor , top temperature , power tie and more .
These CPUs are then refresh and rated on the basis of that data , and if they receive a four - star valuation or above , only then will they be considered for this listing . This is why you could trust on our expertness to verify that you make the correct purchasing conclusion .
Of naturally , not everyone ’s budget is the same so we ’ve also endure to maintain a point of variety where price item are concerned , ensuring that there ’s something for everyone . With that in mind , keep take to see which C.P.U. made the baseball swing but for more personal computer building recommendations , check out our round - ups for thebest art cards , best CPUand thebest Intel processors . Alternatively , if you ’d rather go down the pick - up - and - play route , peruse through our list for thebest gaming laptopsinstead .
Best gaming CPUs at a glance
SQUIRREL_ANCHOR_LIST
How we test
teach more about how we try out CPUs
We always review multiple CPUs at once to compare data , using consistent components for sightly testing where possible .
We expend a mix of both semisynthetic and in - biz benchmark to gauge performance , while also count additional features and pricing .
We also measure the like of power white plague and peak temperature under stress to get an approximation of performance efficiency .
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
Pros
Cons
Intel Core i9-14900K
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
Intel Core i5-14600K
Intel Core i5-11600K
Trusted Score
TheAMD Ryzen 5 7600Xis , in our opinion , the full gaming CPU in terms of time value right now . In examination , we found that the Zen 4 buffalo chip offer fantastic gaming functioning , standardised to the much more muscular ( and expensive)Ryzen 9 7900X.
Our final result show there to only be a handful of frames different in AAA deed such as Horizon Zero Dawn and old game such as Dirt Rally . Intriguingly , the 7600X also managed to best the 7900X in Borderlands 3 , even if it was only by a single frame per endorsement . The compass point stand up that for the price , the 7600X is an incredible play CPU .
As well as offering an excellent carrying out , the 7600X is also future - proofed for the foreseeable futurity , with supporting for PCIe 5.0 andDDR5 , enabling compatibility with cut - edge RAM and SSDs . deplorably , there ’s no reinforcement for DDR4 here , so you will be forced to upgrade your RAM when switching up to theRyzen 7000Series .
The only campaign for concern here is that the Ryzen 5 is n’t great for multi - core carrying into action . If you fancy editing video or creating animations when taking a time out from play , we recommend opting for the slightly more expensiveIntel Core i5 - 14600Kinstead .
reader : Ryan JonesFull review : AMD Ryzen 5 7600X review
If you simply want the most powerful gaming CPU available , then our benchmark tests show theIntel Core i9 - 14900Kto be the frontrunner . More often than not , it trumped both theIntel Core i9 - 13900KandAMD Ryzen 9 7950X3Din our test , not only for gaming but for content creation workloads too .
With 24 core and 32 thread , it is an excellent processor for juggle multiple intensive task , making it an extremely various chip . It also flaunts support for DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 to ensure its future - proof for years to come .
We did discover that the functioning jump from the Intel Core i9 - 13900 K is n’t as grownup as we had hope , with little separating the chips . But since its forerunner still shares the same terms point , it still makes sense to opt for the Intel Core i9 - 14900K.
The rank best performance does come with a caveat though , as our mental testing usher it to have an fabulously gamey power draw and vizor temperature . But if you ’re happy to endue in a high - oddment PSU and cooler , then you ’ll be rewarded with the expert gambling CPU performance that money can buy .
It ’s also worth considering theIntel Core i7 - 14700 K , which is n’t quite as strong for multi - work load , but still packs a powerful performance at a slightly more low-cost damage .
referee : Zak StoreyFull review : Intel Core i9 - 14900 K review
TheAMD Ryzen 9 7950X3Dis a curious C.P.U. . It ’s not the most powerful gaming C.P.U. across the board – that award drop dead to the Intel Core i9 - 14900 K – but it does gain a huge performance boost over its rival whenever a game leverages the mogul of the 3D V - Cache technology .
Unfortunately , it ’s hard to learn which game really get a hike from the 3D V - Cache . None of the game that we used for benchmarking record any evidence of a performance boost , although this is a comparatively small sample distribution size of it .
Nevertheless , the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D is still capable of fantastic gaming operation in world-wide , while seeing a lower power use of goods and services than its cardinal Intel rivals . So if you want a power - effective chip with an splendid execution and the unexpended hazard of leapfrogging Intel in performance , then the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D is an excellent alternative .
Alternatively , if you like the idea of a high - powered AMD processor , but are n’t fussed about the 3D V - Cache engineering science , then the standardAMD Ryzen 9 7950Xchip is a great back - up choice .
commentator : Zak StoreyFull follow-up : AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D review
TheIntel Core i5 - 14600Kisn’t quite as sleazy as the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X , but it does pop the question a well performance . In our most recent trial run , it consistently outpace its central AMD rivals at similar price points . It also fend for all of the latest cutting - edge technology , include both DDR4 and DDR5 , include PCIe 5.0 .
This splendid mid - range chip admittedly does n’t offer a bad advance on the preceding Intel Core i5 - 13600 K , but since Intel has proceed the toll the same , it still represent outstanding time value for gamers .
And while the Intel Core i5 - 14600 K excels at gaming , it also offers a higher-ranking multi - core performance than many of the late AMD fleck . This makes it a good choice for those who need a versatile microcomputer that can both break away the latest plot and speed through multi - taking workloads and complicated contentedness creation .
So while the Intel Core i5 - 14600 K may not extend a important carrying out leap on previous generations , it ’s still the best carrying into action you ’ll belike find without spending over £ 300/$300 .
Reviewer : Zak StoreyFull limited review : Intel Core i5 - 14600 K review
TheIntel Core i5 - 11600Kis a issue of generations behind now , and so lacks funding for future - proofed technology . Instead , it only supports PCIe 4.0 and DDR4 .
However , we still think it offer fantastic play performance at such a low cost . Our tests showed it to have a interchangeable gaming performance compared to its 12th Gen sibling .
If you ’re on a mean budget , it makes sense to buy a cheap C.P.U. and put more Johnny Cash towards a more muscular graphics bill , as that ’s what will make a big difference to play public presentation . Check out ourBest Graphics Cardlist for the current top pick .
So if you ’re build up / upgrade a gaming PC on a budget , and do n’t take care sacrifice funding for the latest and great RAM and SSDs , then the Intel Core i5 - 11600 K is a superb option .
Reviewer : Ryan JonesFull review : Intel Core i5 - 11600 K review
Test Data
Full Specs
PCIe ( peripheral constituent interconnect express ) is an user interface touchstone used for connecting high - amphetamine components such as GPUs and SSDs . The PCIe generation will limit the performance check for connected components . The latest measure , PCIe 5.0 , currently does n’t have a big wallop on GPU execution , but can enable far faster SSD speeds with compatible hardware .
The best matter to front out for when buying a gaming central processor is single - core execution . However , it ’s also worth considering other aspects such as support feature film , power consumption and temperature .
