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Apr 18, 2024 · AMD's Ryzen 7 7800X3D is now both the best AMD CPU for gaming and the fastest gaming CPU in the world, and its $399 price point is far more accessible than AMD's other 3D V-Cache models. The ...
Mar 16, 2024 · The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is easily the best processor on the market right now with incredible performance, energy efficiency, and support for the latest DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 technology.
Feb 9, 2024 · The best AMD Ryzen 7000 CPU you can buy. $199 $229 Save $30. AMD's Ryzen 5 7600 is the new entry-level processor from the company, offering six-core performance at a more affordable price. Capable ...
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- Consideration No. 1: Upgrade, or New Build? Answering this question will set you on a narrow path or a broad one. If you're upgrading an existing desktop PC, your CPU upgrade options, by definition, will be limited: by the architecture, socket, and compatibility of the motherboard installed in the PC.
- Buying Basics: Four Key Concepts to Know About CPUs. Let's take a quick look at some basic specs you need to understand before digging into Intel's and AMD's lines.
- So, Which Intel or AMD Processor Line to Choose? Assuming you are staying on a given motherboard, your CPU choices will by definition be limited. But if you're open to all of the current CPU platforms, you need weigh the various AMD and Intel chip families.
- What Kind of CPU Cooler Do I Need? When you're shopping for a CPU, you may also need to shop for a new CPU cooler. It depends on the family of CPU you're looking at, whether a cooler comes bundled in the box, whether your existing cooler will work with the new CPU (if it's being installed along with a new motherboard that has a new kind of socket), and if you intend to overclock.
- Overview
- The best processors for 2023
- 1. Intel Core i7-14700K
- 2. AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
- 3. Intel Core i9-14900K
- 4. AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
- 5. AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
- 6. Intel Core i5-11600K
- How to find the best processor for you
Best
By John Loeffler
Contributions from
Michelle Rae Uy
last updated 17 October 2023
The best processors on the market don't have to cost the world
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Here you'll find the best processors in 2023, backed by our rigorous testing and decades of collective experience working with the best CPUs Intel and AMD have to offer. If you want to learn more about CPUs before you buy, check out our what is a processor page for more details.
Specifications
Cores: 20 Threads: 28 Base clock: 3.4GHz Boost clock: 5.5GHz Cache: 61MB TDP: 125W Today's Best Deals View at Amazon (Intel Core i7)
Reasons to buy
+ i9 performance at an i7 price + The best gaming processor in Intel's lineup + Excellent midrange value
Reasons to avoid
- Runs very hot under load - Only small improvement over previous gen chip The Intel Core i7-14700K is a heck of a processor to end the LGA 1700 era with, thanks to its very solid performance and excellent price for a midrange processor. It's only a small improvement over its predecessor, but it does pack four additional efficiency cores for better multitasking and freeing up the performance cores to focus on the workloads that need that extra power. It also comes with discrete WiFi 7 and Thunderbolt 5 support out the box, and even though those technologies are still a ways away from becoming mainstream, it's nice to have a certain level of future proofing a new processor. While this chip boasts similar performance to the Intel Core i9-13900K, it also has a similar problem managing heat, so you will need the best CPU cooler around to keep this chip from throttling, which is something some i7 users might not have been used to in the past. Read the full Intel Core i7-14700K review (Image credit: Future)The best affordable processor
Specifications
Cores: 6 Threads: 12 Base clock: 4.7GHz Boost clock: 5.3GHz L3 cache: 38MB TDP: 105W Today's Best Deals View at Amazon (AMD Ryzen 5) View at Walmart (AMD Ryzen 5) View at Best Buy (Silver)
Reasons to buy
+ Outstanding performance for the price + Very energy efficient + DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support
Reasons to avoid
- Requires AM5 motherboard - Multicore performance lags somewhat The most value-oriented processor in the new AMD Zen 4 lineup is the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X, but don't let its price fool you: this chip is anything but a lightweight. Sure, it can't hold up against the massive, 16-core Ryzen 9 7950X, but its single-core performance is nearly on par with its beefier cousins. What's more, the lack of V-Cache doesn't slow this chip down one bit when it comes to gaming performance, and gamers looking to make the jump to AMD's AM5 platform will find a lot to love about this processor, especially as its more accessible cost helps to offset the cost of a new motherboard and RAM. Fortunately, you won't need a different CPU cooler if you already have one compatible with AM4, and fortunately the Ryzen 5 7600X manages to stay cool under load. Read the full AMD Ryzen 5 7600X review (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)The best processor for performance
Specifications
Cores: 24 Threads: 32 Base clock: 3.2GHz Boost clock: 6.0GHz L3 cache: 68MB TDP: 125W Today's Best Deals View at Amazon (Intel Core i9) View at Best Buy View at Newegg
Reasons to buy
+ Best performance of any current-gen processor + No price increase over its predecessor + chews through creative workloads with ease
Reasons to avoid
- Runs obscenely hot - Almost no gen-on-gen improvement The Intel Core i9-14900K normally wouldn't be the kind of chip I'd put on this list, given its fairly mild gen-on-gen performance increase, but there's no denying that the 14900K is the fastest chip Intel — or anyone, really — has put out. Right out of the box, this chip is capable of hitting 6.0GHz, something no other consumer processor can do. And while it can only do so under the right conditions, it still counts, and it's why Intel maintains its performance lead over AMD as it heads into a new era next year with a redesigned Meteor Lake processor. And all for the same price as its predecessor, which is a relief given the way inflation has been wrecking havoc around the world. It's not without its faults. The 13900K will likely be a better value for you, if you can find it, and this level of performance comes with more heat than any other chip we've ever teted, so make sure you've got the best cooling solution possible. Read the full Intel Core i9-14900K review (Image credit: Future/John Loeffler)The best processor for gaming
Specifications
Cores: 8 Threads: 16 Base clock: 4.2GHz Boost clock: 5.0GHz L3 cache: 104MB TDP: 120W Today's Best Deals View at Amazon (AMD Ryzen 7) View at Best Buy (Black) View at Newegg
Reasons to buy
+ Best-in-class gaming performance + Very energy efficient + DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support
Reasons to avoid
- Requires AM5 motherboard - Non-gaming performance lags behind The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is easily the best AMD processor on the market for gamers, thanks to its outstanding performance in just about any game you throw at it thanks to its 3D V-Cache technology. Its non-gaming performance isn't as great, however, so if you're looking for a chip that can do everything, the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is a great option in this tier, assuming you don't want to go with the Intel Core i7-14700K listed above. This is also an expensive chip, though it's somewhat more reasonably priced than the Ryzen 9 7950X3D. If you don't already have an AM5 motherboard though, by wary that you will need to upgrade a lot of components in your PC as well in order to run the new AMD ryzen processors. Read the full AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D review (Image credit: Future)The best processor for AM4 motherboards
Specifications
Cores: 8 Threads: 16 Base clock: 3.7GHz Boost clock: 4.7GHz L3 cache: 100MB TDP: 105W Today's Best Deals View at Amazon View at Walmart View at Best Buy
Reasons to buy
+ Outstanding gaming performance + 3D V-Cache technology
Reasons to avoid
- No DDR5 or PCIe 5.0 - Non-gaming performance lags a little The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is - without question - one of the best processors for gaming on the market. With incredible performance thanks to AMD's 3D V-Cache technology, the 5800X3D punches way above its weight class and can even beat out the more expensive Core i9-12900K when it comes to gaming. Since this is essentially an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X with triple the cache memory thanks to a new microarchitecture that lets AMD 'stack' cache on the CPU die, it keeps the same AM4 motherboard socket as earlier Ryzen chips - meaning that you don't need to spend more to upgrade your motherboard if you're already rocking an AM4 system. This is still a last-gen chip though, so you're not going to get all the perks of the AM5 platform like PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 RAM, but if you've got an AM4 system and you want an upgrade but not ready for a total overhual, this is a great chip to carry you for another couple of years at least. Read the full AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D review
Specifications
Cores: 6 Threads: 12 Base clock: 3.9GHz Boost clock: 4.9GHz L3 cache: 12MB TDP: 125W Today's Best Deals View at Newegg Check Amazon
Reasons to buy
+ Great gaming performance + Accessible price
Reasons to avoid
- Runs hot - Requires more power tel's 11th-gen processors generally weren't much to celebrate, given that they didn't provide all that much of a gen-on-gen performance increase. But the Core i5-11600K is a noteable exception, providing outstanding performance for the price, making it a great chip to upgrade to if you are still using an Intel LGA 1200 system. You won't be able to take advantage of the latest PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 RAM, however, and the i5-11600K's performance comes at the cost of power consumption and heat, which might require you to upgrade your CPU cooler to compensate. This might possibly even mean upgrading to an AIO cooler, whereas earlier generations could get away with air cooling. Still, if you're not ready just yet to make the jump to Intel's 12th- or 13th-gen chips — especially if you are waiting for Intel's 14th-gen chips, which will use a whole new LGA 1851 socket. Read the full Intel Core i5-11600K review How we test processors It's impossible to tell the best processors from the worst just by looking at them. All of the core components are hidden away in near-identical packaging, and even if you were to peel back that packaging, the transistors on the CPU die are literally measured in nanometers. How can you tell a million transistors on a chip from a billion, and how can you measure a processor's clock cycle by looking at the box? Fortunately, there are tests we can run to see how well a processor performs in the real world, and the best way to do that is to push a processor to its limits by running finely-calibrated benchmarking tools that produce comparable scores based on how well a processor performed a specific task - like compressing a video file, or performing the complex math used for 3D gaming. We use industry-standard tools like Geekbench 5, Cinebench R23, and PCMark 10 to synthetically push processors to the limit using realistic workloads that you're likely to experience in day-to-day use. We also use modern PC games set to the lowest graphical settings on the best available gaming hardware to isolate CPU performance while gaming, which we measure in frames per second. Then, with the scores in hand, we look at the price of the processor. The best processors offer either best-in-class performance regardless of price, or compelling value for the customer. We won't score a CPU highly if its performance is just fine but it's out of reach for most people's budgets. For more information, see How We Test. How to find the best processor for you
Finding the best processor for your needs and budget isn't just about finding the fastest processor out there, since it's easy to spend far more than you need to. It's important to look at what you actually want out of your PC and shop accordingly.
If you're looking for the best gaming CPU on the market, definitely look at the Intel Core i9-12900K and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D - the same goes if you're planning on performing high-level content creation tasks, like 4K video editing. But if you're planning on gaming at lower resolutions or you're just looking for something to handle everyday tasks faster with some medium-duty processing work, anything from a Core i5 to a Ryzen 7 should do the trick.
- John Loeffler
Apr 28, 2022 · The Ryzen 7 5700G is currently AMD's best desktop APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) featuring its powerful Zen 3 architecture with Vega-based graphics. Based on the same 7nm process, the CPU ...
Feb 2, 2024 · Looking at an updated top 10 Amazon best-selling CPUs list for February 2024 update, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D (Zen 4, 8 cores/16 threads) remains in the top spot, priced at $387, and offers lots of ...
