The Best Gaming CPUs To Deliver Top PC Performance

Cores: 8 | Threads: 16 | Base clock: 4.2GHz | Maximum boost clock: 5GHz | Memory support: DDR5 | TDP: 120W

Best for: Gaming at the highest of detail settings and frame rates.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a modern marvel of high-end gaming. It combines AMD’s excellent Zen 4 architecture on the leanest 5nm process node with an impressive 3D V-Cache, which made AMD’s 5800X3D such a darling last generation. That combination delivers incredible performance and amazing efficiency in a single package, allowing this eight core processor to punch well above its weight in games, rivalling the 20-core Intel 14900K and AMD 7950X3D. That, despite costing around half the price, and using a fraction of the power. Since it’s part of AMD’s new AM5 platform, too, it will be upgradeable for at least a couple more generations.

Outside of gaming the 7800X3D does suffer a little from its reduced clock speed, making it less capable for productivity tasks than the comparable 7700X, and it falls well behind chips with more cores when it comes to heavy multi-threaded workloads. But for raw gaming, the 7800X3D is the best CPU in the world. It’s blazingly fast and impressively efficient, letting you cool it with a modest design while still enjoying the highest of frame rates.

What the writers say: Veteran Forbes Vetted contributor, Jon Martindale says, “This processor is a unicorn. Not only is it half the price of the competition, while delivering the same great gaming performance, but it often beats them, with just eight cores. It’s not a productivity powerhouse, but for straight gaming, there isn’t a CPU as fast as this one.”

Pros:

• The highest-level of gaming performance ever
• Incredibly efficient with low power draw and heat output
• Affordable price tag

Cons:

• Lacks productivity performance of higher-end CPUs

Cores: 24 (8P + 16E) | Threads: 32 | Base clock: 3.2GHz/2.4GHz | Maximum boost clock: 6GHz/4.4GHz | Memory support: DDR5, DDR4 | TDP: 125W/253W

Best for: Gaming at the highest of detail settings, or streaming while gaming.

The Intel Core i9-14900K breaks the mold for what a high-end gaming CPU should be. It has just eight high performance cores, but it combines them with 16 efficiency cores, making this a 24-core, 32-thread CPU that can hit over 5GHz on all of its big performance cores at once, and reaches 6GHz on just a couple when pushed to its limits. That comes at a big financial and power cost, so you’ll need a big wattage power supply and capable cooling to keep this beast of a CPU in check. But if you can splurge on this CPU, it’s as fast as a gaming processor can be.

In terms of raw performance, it rivals the 7800X3D, but there are some games where it just takes the top spot by a nose hair. It’s very close and either will give you a stellar gaming experience. The additional cores and threads of this processor make it better for multi-tasking, though, and if you stream and game at the same time, it can handle it with ease. There’s no upgrade path for this chip, though—it’s the fastest LGA 1700 CPU Intel has made to date, and Intel has no plans to release any new models. For 15th gen and onwards, you’ll need a new motherboard.

Pros:

• Top-tier gaming and productivity performance
• Incredibly multithreaded performance for streaming or transcoding
• Supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory

Cons:

• No upgrade path
• Expensive
• Uses a lot of power and gets very hot

Cores: 6 | Threads: 12 | Base clock: 3.8GHz | Maximum boost clock: 5.1GHz | Memory support: DDR5 | TDP: 65W

Best for: Casual and esports gaming at high frame rates.

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is a great new-generation processor with heaps of performance potential. It has six cores and 12 threads, making it better than almost any CPU from recent generations at heavy multi-tasking. With its 5.1GHz boost clock, when you’re in game, it really flies. Despite only having a TDP of 65W, it works as a great CPU for not only casual gaming, but also in small form factor systems where limiting the heat output of your components really matters.

It’s limited to DDR5 support, so there’s no option to use cheaper DDR4, but that does get you up to the latest generation of memory right away. Since this is built on AMD’s AM5 socket, too, it will receive support and upgrade options through at least a couple more generations, giving you plenty of scope for improving it in the future. It’s overclockable right out of the box, though, so you can eek out a little extra power yourself with some time and persistence.

Pros:

• Great gaming performance at great efficiency
• Good longevity with future upgrade options
• Affordable price

Cons:

• Lacks performance of high-end chips
• Limited to the more expensive DDR5 memory

Cores: 8 | Threads: 16 | Base clock: 3.4GHz | Maximum boost clock: 4.5GHz | Memory support: DDR5, DDR4 | TDP: 105W

Best for: Maxing out gaming performance on an AM4 platform.

AMD has moved on to new CPUs on a new socket, but the last-generation king is still worth considering—especially with its blend of excellent performance and impressive efficiency. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D has eight Zen 3 cores and a relatively modest 4.5GHz clock speed, but it makes up for that with a massive 70MB of additional L3 cache. That allows it to offer gaming performance that’s competitive with all but the most powerful of latest-generation CPUs. That makes it the perfect upgrade for anyone on an existing AM4 platform—especially if your motherboard can support it with a quick firmware update. It’s a great option for anyone who wants lots of gaming power but at a reduced thermal and power footprint.

The 5800X3D is a great buy for anyone wanting to bring their PC up to modern performance standards without having to replace the motherboard, memory and more. It is a completely dead-end platform, though, and once you have upgraded to this CPU, there’s nowhere else to go. Ryzen 7000 or anything newer in the future, will require a full system overhaul.

What the writers say: Veteran Forbes Vetted contributor, Jon Martindale says, “The 5800X3D was the CPU that broke the mould for gaming processors. It’s crazy fast considering its age, and it runs at a much lower TDP than many modern alternatives. Its pricing just keeps getting better, too.”

Pros:

• Competes with some of the fastest gaming CPUs in the world
• Impressive efficiency compared to the latest chips
• An easy drop-in upgrade for existing AM4 PCs

Cons:

• No upgrade path
• Weaker general compute performance than modern CPUs

Cores: 16 | Threads: 32 | Base clock: 4.2GHz | Maximum boost clock: 5.7GHz | Memory support: DDR5 | TDP: 120W

Best for: Running demanding applications while you game.

The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D is overkill for most games, but it’s AMD’s top CPU with a ton of extra cache bolted on top. It’s a Frankenstein’s monster of gaming processors, with comparable gaming performance to the 7800X3D, but with an additional eight standard Zen 4 cores alongside it. That makes this chip less efficient than our top gaming processor, but one that can offer comparable gaming performance, while its other cores get to work on streaming or transcoding your video. This is the chip for the gamers who work from home, or workers who want to game in their downtime. It’s not the best straight gaming CPU, but for mixed workloads, there’s nothing else like it.

It has 16 cores in total, all of them full-size for maximum performance (unlike the 14900K’s mix of performance and efficiency cores) giving it an edge in some applications where they benefit more from per-core performance, than simply a greater number of cores. You’ll need DDR5 memory and a new AMD 600-series motherboard to support it. You won’t need a monster cooler, either. This CPU offers incredible efficiency, demanding less than half the power of the 14900K with comparable performance. It’s a fantastic gaming CPU.

What the writers say: Veteran Forbes Vetted contributor, Jon Martindale says, “This is the CPU I use in my work and gaming PC. It does absolutely everything well, whether you’re editing photos, running AI calculations, or indeed, gaming. It’s blazing fast with all the cores I need, and it’s pretty efficient compared to the competition.”

Pros:

• (Almost) the best gaming performance AMD can offer
• Amazing multi-tasking performance for streaming while gaming
• Much more efficient than the 14900K

Cons:

• Motherboards and RAM can be expensive
• Falls behind the 7950X on productivity tasks

Cores: 4 (4P + 0E) | Threads: 8 | Base clock: 4.5GHz | Maximum boost clock: 4.3GHz | Memory support: DDR5, DDR4 | TDP: 58W/89W

Best for: Budget gaming PC builds and esports play.

The Intel Core i3-12100F is far from a cutting edge processor, but despite being a low-end option from a couple of generations ago, it’s still a great modern gaming processor. Its four cores and eight threads with a boost clock speed of 4.3GHz give it all the power it needs for high frame rate esports gaming, and even some AAA games if you pair it with a modern graphics card. You’ll want to stick to 1080p unless you have a really powerful GPU, but this CPU is amazingly capable for the money.

For less than $100, it’s one of the most affordable gaming processors out there, especially with this kind of performance. It isn’t an unlocked processor, so you can’t expect to overclock it for added power, but it’s still a strong CPU right out of the box and you can always tweak the memory. That’s DDR5 or DDR4, as well, helping to keep costs down, and you can use older 600-series motherboards without issue. There’s also an incredible upgrade path to any 12th, 13th, or 14th generation CPUs, when you’re ready. There’s no onboard graphics with this CPU, though, so make sure you do have a graphics card to get it up and running.

Pros:

• Great bang for buck gaming CPU
• Supports DDR5 and DDR4 memory for affordable builds
• Huge upgrade potential in the future

Cons:

• Lacks performance of newer CPUs with E cores