Which is the Best Processor for a Gaming PC?

Which is the Best Processor for a Gaming PC?

Intel is the market leader in consumer CPUs, and for good reason. Their consistent improvement on existing architectures has led them to develop great chips that are excellent at handling workloads similar to those encountered in modern games.

Intel’s CPUs line up with specifications ranging from Celeron, Pentium, Core i3, to Core i7. They are available at different price points depending on clock speed and the number of cores or threads they have.

Processor Specs for Gaming PCs

A processor’s specifications tell a non-technical user whether it is adequate for their needs. A graphics processing unit (GPU) or video card would be the primary component that determines which games can run on a machine, but anyone buying a pre-built gaming computer will want to know what CPU they should get.

The CPU is the brain that dictates how fast your system can process instructions and get through tasks like loading, rendering, or in-game AI. The CPU also dictates how quickly graphics can be displayed on the screen, which is why it’s important to choose one that would work best for your chosen GPU.

Clock Speed

Clock speed is the number of instructions per second, or how fast a processor can complete an instruction. One core in a CPU is called a ‘processor’, and in most Intel processors there are two cores in one ‘CPU’. Dual-core CPUs have twice the clock speed of single-core CPUs with the same number of GHz.

If you’d like to play games like Skyrim or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which use a lot of graphics and processing power to render the game, you’d want at least a quad-core or an Intel Core i5.

For games, this may sound like clock speed is a better choice, but it’s important to note that more cores and higher multi-threading performance would make the system perform better if the application is able to support multiple threads.

Cores/Threads

If your game is able to support multiple threads, then you would want a system with more cores.

Games with multi-thread support like Battlefield 4, Civilization 5, and Watch Dogs would see a significant boost in performance from using CPUs with more cores.

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a solid 6-core performer for both gaming and work applications. It has a slightly higher clock speed than its predecessors with a 3.7 GHz base and 4.6 GHz boost clock, increasing frame rate quality; buying this gets you great gaming performance for any PC.

Intel Core i5-11400

If you are looking for a budget-friendly gaming CPU, then the Intel Core i5-11400 is the one for you. The 6-core chip gives an excellent performance for any application, although it tends to run quite hot. However, with its low price, it leaves you enough money to set up a better cooling system around it.

Intel Core I5 10600K

The intel core I5 10600K is the best gaming CPU for overclocking. You can pair this processor with a casing made for excellent airflow if you’re considering pushing it to the limits of performance.

Intel Core I9 10900K

The intel core I9 10900K is for people willing to spend for performance. This 10-core monster is one of the fastest available Intel processors for gaming, and paired with a powerful video card, meaning you can turn up your game settings to ultra at 4K with negligible framerate issues.

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X

If you’re a gamer looking for a decent gaming CPU at a reasonable price, then the Ryzen 7 3700X is what you are looking for. With this processor, you can set yourself up with a balance of multi-thread computational chops and gaming performance.