The ideal gaming processor: Buying tips for AMD and Intel CPUs
With the 14th series of Core processors, Intel has once again worked with a crowbar: the Intel Core i9-14900K‘s power consumption is significantly greater for just a few percentage points more performance compared to its predecessor, the Intel Core i9-13900K.
However, that measly gain in gaming performance isn’t enough to knock the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D off its throne. The AMD processor wins the duel of the fastest gaming CPU thanks to its sizeable 3D cache.
The biggest disadvantage of AMD’s 7000 series? The platform costs. You have to pay at least $100 for a motherboard with a B650 chipset. (And for motherboards with the top AMD X670E chipset, you’re spending at least $250.) Plus, the additional costs for DDR5 RAM. In many cases, the AM4 platform can be the cheaper way to upgrade.
More on this: The best gaming motherboards
The same applies to the 13th and 14th Gen Cores from Intel: for motherboards with the top Z790 chipset, you’ll pay at least $200. Suitable motherboards for the AMD Ryzen 5000 series are significantly cheaper (from $50), and DDR4 memory can still be used here. Plus, both AMD series usually offer better multi-core performance per dollar.
So, let’s check out AMD’s and Intel’s CPU ranges. We’ll help you find the ideal gaming processor for your budget, with summarized tips to consider when buying a CPU right now.
Best gaming CPU for beginners
AMD Ryzen 5 5500
Pros
- High clock rate (3.6GHz to 4.2GHz)
- 6 CPU cores, 12 threads
- Unlocked multiplier
- Energy efficient
Best gaming CPU for beginners (with integrated graphics chip)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
Pros
- High clock rate (3.9GHz to 4.4GHz)
- Gaming-ready onboard graphics (Radeon with 7CU/448SP at 1.9GHz)
- 6 CPU cores, 12 threads
- Unlocked multiplier
Best price-friendly gaming CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D
Pros
- 64MB 3D cache
- High clock rate (3.0GHz to 4.1GHz)
- 8 CPU cores, 16 threads
- 24 PCIe 4.0 lanes
- Unlocked multiplier
Best price-performance gaming CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Pros
- 64MB 3D V-Cache
- Very high clock rate (4.2GHz to 5.0GHz)
- 8 CPU cores, 16 threads
- 24 PCIe 4.0 lanes
- Unlocked multiplier
- Good price-performance ratio
Best future-proof gaming CPUs
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D
Pros
- 64MB 3D V-Cache
- Very high clock rate (4.4GHz to 5.6GHz)
- 12 CPU cores, 24 threads
- 24 PCIe 5.0 lanes
- Unlocked multiplier
Cons
- Expensive
Intel Core i5-13600KF
Pros
- Efficient Raptor Lake-S CPU architecture
- Very high clock rate (3.5GHz to 5.1GHz)
- 14 CPU cores, 20 threads
- 16 PCIe 5.0 and 4 PCIe 4.0 lanes
- Unlocked multiplier
Cons
- Expensive
Best top-tier gaming CPUs
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
Pros
- 64MB 3D V-Cache
- Very high clock rate (4.2GHz to 5.7GHz)
- 16 CPU cores, 32 threads
- 24 PCIe 4.0 lanes
- Unlocked multiplier
Cons
- Very expensive
Intel Core i9-13900K
Pros
- Very high clock rate (3.0GHz to 5.8GHz)
- 24 CPU cores, 32 threads
- 16 PCIe 5.0 and 4 PCIe 4.0 lanes
- Unlocked multiplier
Cons
- Very expensive
How much should you spend on a CPU for a gaming PC?
The better your graphics card, the smoother games will run and the higher you can crank your quality settings—but your CPU must match your graphics card, otherwise your CPU will bottleneck performance.
As a rough rule of thumb: for a decent gaming PC, around 60 percent of your total budget should be invested in your GPU/CPU combination, and that should be at a ratio of 3:1.
For example, let’s say you want to build a $1,000 gaming PC. You should invest about $600 in your GPU/CPU combination, and that should be split as $450 in your GPU and $150 in your CPU. (This assumes “normal” graphics card prices.)
Don’t care for today’s outrageous graphics card prices? You can get the above-mentioned AMD Ryzen 5 5600G, which comes with an integrated graphics chip that’s suitable for gaming, then later upgrade with a dedicated graphics card when you can. (Note: The 5600G is only suitable for FHD gaming, so you’ll likely have to reduce the image quality for graphically demanding games.)
What to look for in a gaming CPU
High clock rate: The most important criterion for a gaming processor is still the highest possible clock rate. It should be at least 3GHz, but ideally one that’s over 4GHz.
Due to different microprocessor architectures, a direct comparison of clock rates—or rather the instructions per cycle (IPC)—between AMD and Intel is difficult. Roughly speaking, Intel achieves the highest IPC value with 13th Gen Cores. Compared to 11th Gen Cores, AMD’s Ryzen 5000 series performs slightly better.
Good overclockability: When buying a gaming CPU, pay attention to the overclocking properties that allow you to push the clock rate even higher than the manufacturer’s stock setting.
The most important factor here is whether the CPU has an unlocked multiplier, which makes overclocking very easy. At Intel, this is the case for all Extreme Editions and models with a “K”; meanwhile, all AMD Ryzen models have unlocked multipliers.
Another factor is the CPU’s cooling capabilities, with best results achieved through water cooling. Make sure your case is well-ventilated, otherwise even the best water cooling system will be useless.
More on this: All-in-one CPU water coolers, explained
A high-quality motherboard with robust voltage converters and numerous UEFI options can also be helpful for overclocking, enabling you to squeeze every last ounce of performance out of your CPU.
At least 4 CPU cores: Most demanding games today are optimized for four to six processor cores. However, only CPUs with at least eight cores are future-proof, as we believe that octa-cores will be standard in game development in the coming years.
There are two reasons for this:
Firstly, the gaming industry is increasingly focused on developing cross-platform games, and the current generation of Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles are equipped with AMD octa-cores.
Secondly, the relatively affordable Ryzen 7 series has lowered the entry-level price, helping the spread eight-core CPUs. This has incentivized game developers to optimize games for more than four CPU cores.
Not only that, but more cores offer another important advantage: you can run more apps in parallel without impacting game performance. For example, chatting over Discord, listening to Spotify, or playing YouTube/Twitch on a second screen.
Further reading: 6-core vs. 8-core CPUs for gaming, compared