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Best gaming CPU 2024

We'll help you find the best gaming CPU for your system, with AMD Ryzen and Intel Core processors both offering unique performance advantages.

Best gaming CPU - Intel and AMD CPUs on a gradient background

The best gaming CPU plays a large part in determining the capabilities of your system. This bit of silicon can make all the difference in hitting your target average frame rates, particularly if you play on a high refresh rate display or enjoy gaming with ray tracing enabled. 

The two main players are AMD and Intel, and competition has never been more fierce, with the 14th Gen Core and Ryzen 7000 series each offering high performance levels. You’re spoiled for choice when picking the perfect processor for your gaming PC, which is why we’re here to make your search easier.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D rules the roost according to our testing. However, the Intel Core i9 14900K can pull ahead in some benchmarks, providing you have a strong enough cooler and power supply to tame that particular beast.

We suggest CPUs with at least six cores. Hexacore chips are now the standard among gamers, and a growing number of AAA PC games expect as much. There are great current generation options that fit this bill, like the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X, but don’t feel sheepish about opting for a 12th Gen Core or Ryzen 5000 series model, as they’ll be fine for years to come.

Why you can trust our advice ✔ At PCGamesN, our experts spend hours testing hardware and reviewing games and VPNs. We share honest, unbiased opinions to help you buy the best. Find out how we test.

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

Best gaming CPU overall

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AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D specifications:
Socket AM5
Cores (P+E) 8
Threads 16
Base clock 4.20GHz
Boost clock Up to 5.00GHz
L3 cache 96MB
TDP 120W
Reasons to buy
  • Flagship performance under $500/£500
  • Extremely efficient
  • AM5 platform is feature-rich and has longevity
Reasons to avoid
  • Relatively slow clock speeds
  • No stock cooler
  • L3 cache doesn’t guarantee higher frame rates

The gaming CPU crown firmly sits with the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D thanks to its 3D V-Cache technology. This perky processor punches well above its weight, costing just $449 / £439, and handily competes with more expensive flagship options.

The 96MB of L3 cache inside the 7800X3D does wonders to boost the floor and ceiling of frame rates, ensuring that you’re getting all the pixel-pushing juice out of your graphics card. Its effects are most keenly felt at resolutions like 1080p, making it an ideal choice for competitive gamers.

It will concede ground where clock speeds are king, but these instances are few and far between in our experience. Plus, the AM5 motherboard you pick up to seat the 7800X3D will serve you well for a drop-in upgrade, futureproofing your build.

Read our AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D review.

Intel Core i5 12400F

Best budget gaming CPU

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Intel Core i5 12400F specifications:
Socket LGA 1700
Cores (P+E) 6 (6+0)
Threads 12
Base clock 2.5GHz
Boost clock 4.4GHz
L3 cache 18MB
TDP 65W
Reasons to buy
  • Six P-Cores
  • Amazing price
  • Solid gaming performance
Reasons to avoid
  • Clock speed could be higher
  • No E-Cores
  • No integrated GPU

If you’re looking to build a gaming PC on a very tight budget, the Intel Core i5 12400F is a bargain CPU. The price is amazing for the gaming performance on offer. Unlike newer budget CPUs, such as the Core i3 13100, the Core i5 12400F has six P-Cores under its heat spreader, rather than just four, giving it plenty of raw horsepower in games.

Don’t be fooled by the ‘12’ in this CPU’s model number either – the Alder Lake architecture used by this chip is very similar to the Raptor Lake architecture used in Intel’s latest 14th gen CPUs, and we’ve found it more than capable when it comes to gaming. Unlike AMD’s AM5 CPUs, you can run the Core i5 12400F with your old DDR4 memory if you have some in an existing system, and it will happily run an old motherboard with a B660 chipset.

With its TDP of just 65W, this CPU also doesn’t need a massive AIO cooler to keep it in check – a decent air cooler will do the job fine. There are a few catches. One is that this ‘F’ model has no integrated GPU, but that’s not an issue if you buy a separate graphics card for gaming. It also doesn’t have any of Intel’s E-Cores, which provide a boost in multi-threaded work, but these are largely irrelevant when it comes to performance in most games.

The peak clock speed of just 4.4GHz could also be higher, and this isn’t a K-series CPU either, so you can’t officially overclock it with the multiplier but you can’t have everything at this price. This is the best option if you want a decent gaming CPU for the cheapest price possible.

Read our Intel Core i5 12400F review

Intel Core i5 13400F

Best value gaming CPU

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Intel Core i5 13400F specifications:
Socket LGA 1700
Cores (P+E) 10 (6+4)
Threads 16
Base clock 2.50GHz / 1.80GHz
Boost clock Up to 4.60GHz / 3.30GHz
L3 cache 18MB
TDP 65W
Reasons to buy
  • Generous price
  • Slightly higher clock speed than 12400F
  • Four E-Cores over 12400F
Reasons to avoid
  • No overclocking capabilities
  • Limited boost clock
  • No integrated GPU

If you want to get a decent gaming CPU on a tight budget, but also want a bit of a boost in multi-threaded work such as video encoding and rendering, the Core i5 13400F is a solid candidate. It features six of Intel’s latest Raptor Lake P-Cores and a 4.6GHz boost clock, making it a capable processor for gaming, but it also has an added bonus over the 12400F.

Unlike its predecessor, the 13400F also has four of Intel’s low-power E-Cores under its heat spreader, giving you a total of ten cores, which gives it a boost in multi-threaded software. It’s an ideal choice for anyone who does more than just game with their system but doesn’t have a huge amount of money to spend.

Like the 12400F, this chip doesn’t have a K in its model name, which means it can’t officially be overclocked by changing the multiplier, and the F means it doesn’t have an integrated GPU either. However, the latter enables you to save some money if you’re buying a dedicated graphics card anyway.

You won’t need an enormously powerful AIO cooler to keep this CPU in check either, and if you buy the retail version you’ll even get an adequate Intel stock air cooler included in the box.

Read our Intel Core i5 13400F review.

AMD Ryzen 5 7600X

Best AMD gaming CPU

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AMD Ryzen 5 7600X specifications:
Socket AM5
Cores (P+E) 6
Threads 12
Base clock 4.70GHz
Boost clock Up to 5.30GHz
L3 cache 32MB
TDP 105W
Reasons to buy
  • Lion’s share of Zen 4 performance
  • Outperforms last-generation flagship processors
Reasons to avoid
  • No included cooler
  • Runs hotter than non-X version

When we tested the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X, we found that the Zen 4 processor packs a potent performance punch that’s strong enough to run with the most powerful GPUs of today. This makes it a prime candidate for just about any build you could think of, regardless of size or power.

Despite sitting at the lower end of the Ryzen 7000 series stack, the 7600X handily outperforms previous generation flagships when it comes to gaming. Better still, you’re not missing out on many frames at all by opting for it versus its more expensive siblings.

It’s worth bearing in mind, however, that you’ll want to pair the 7600X with suitably strong cooling as it doesn’t come with a stock cooler. Don’t forget that you’ll need a new motherboard too, as well as some sticks of DDR5 RAM.

Read our AMD Ryzen 5 7600X review.

AMD Ryzen 5 8600G

Best gaming CPU with integrated graphics

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AMD Ryzen 5 8600G specifications:
Socket AM5
Cores (P+E) 6
Threads 12
Base clock 4.3GHz
Boost clock 5GHz
L3 cache 16MB
TDP 65W
Reasons to buy
  • Best value iGPU on the market
  • Included air cooler
  • Good CPU performance in games
Reasons to avoid
  • 6,000MHz+ RAM is a must for iGPU
  • So-so value versus cheap graphics card
  • Doesn’t have 16x PCIe 4.0 lanes

For those needing a single chip that can handle CPU and GPU duties, perhaps for building a small system, or if you’re just on a tight budget, look no further than the Ryzen 5 8600G. With six Zen 4 cores and a Radeon 760M integrated GPU, it’s a perky performer as a processor and stand-in graphics card.

The 8600G shines brightest in less demanding games, but it’s still capable of playing the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 at 30fps if you’re comfortable with playing at 1080p using low settings. It’s compatible with FidelityFX Super Resolution too, which can help boost frame rates further through upscaling and frame generation.

You’ll need to pair the 8600G with DDR5 RAM clocked at 6,000MHz or above to get the most performance out of its integrated graphics. While this does add to the total cost of putting together a system, you can use the same RAM if you upgrade your CPU in the future.

If you plan to pair the 8600G with a dedicated graphics card, it only supports a limited number of PCIe 4.0 lanes. This is less of a problem with current generation pixel pushers (Radeon RX 7000 and GeForce RTX 40 series), but it will limit the bandwidth of future graphics cards that use the PCIe 5.0 interface.

Read our AMD Ryzen 5 8600G review.

Intel Core i7 13700K

Best CPU for streaming

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Intel Core i7 13700K specifications:
Socket LGA 1700
Cores (P+E) 16 (8+8)
Threads 24
Base clock 3.40GHz / 2.50GHz
Boost clock Up to 5.30GHz / 4.20GHz
L3 cache 30MB
TDP 125W
Reasons to buy
  • Easily handles 120fps ‘x264 Slower’ encoding in real time
  • Great gaming and creative application performance
Reasons to avoid
  • Can be beaten by AMD Ryzen 7000 processors
  • Runs a touch hot

The 13700K is something of a champion for streamers and creatives alike, offering an all-in-one solution that doesn’t carry an overly premium price tag. Featuring 16 cores and 24 threads, the chip is more than capable of handling real-time 120fps encoding using the ‘x264 Slower’ preset.

This is especially useful if you have a Radeon graphics card but it can act as a great replacement for ‘NVENC’ on GeForce GPUs, should the need arise. The chip can keep up with top-tier pixel pushers too, maintaining solid maximum, average, and minimum frames per second.

It’s plenty useful for exporting and editing VODs too, boasting fast export times and rendering capabilities in Adobe suite applications such as Premiere Pro and After Effects.

Read our Intel Core i7 13700K review.

Intel Core i9 14900K

Most powerful Intel gaming CPU

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Intel Core i9 14900K specifications:
Socket LGA 1700
Cores (P+E) 24 (8+16)
Threads 32
Base clock 3.20GHz / 2.40GHz
Boost clock Up to 5.60GHz / 4.40GHz
L3 cache 36MB
TDP 125W
Reasons to buy
  • Great frame rate consistency
  • 6.00GHz maximum turbo frequency
  • Unrivalled multi-threaded capabilities
Reasons to avoid
  • Extraordinarily power hungry
  • Requires a high-end cooling solution
  • Often falls behind cheaper AMD X3D CPUs in games

Sitting at the top of Intel’s gaming CPU stack is the Core i9 14900K, one of the few chips out there capable of hitting 6.00GHz clock speeds.

It packs the usual makeup of 24 cores and 32 threads that have defined every Core i9 for the past three generations. The only other LGA 1700 processor capable of competing is the Core i9 13900KS, but the 14900K is essentially identical to the more expensive CPU.

The Core i9 14900K is best suited for systems that serve both as a gaming rig and workstation, as its strengths are best realized in multi-core workloads. Just make sure you have a capable power supply and cooler to hand, as it’ll guzzle electricity like nobody’s business.

Read our Intel Core i9 14900K review.

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X

Most powerful AMD gaming CPU

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AMD Ryzen 9 7950X specifications:
Socket AM5
Cores (P+E) 16
Threads 32
Base clock 4.50GHz
Boost clock Up to 5.70GHz
L3 cache 64MB
TDP 170W
Reasons to buy
  • Great power efficiency
  • So much multi-core power
  • Eco mode works great
Reasons to avoid
  • Gets hot in multi-threaded workloads
  • Specs benefit production workloads more than gaming
  • High price

You’ll find the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X at the top of Team Red’s latest processor series. In this chip lies the very best that Zen 4 has to offer, with the flagship hiding some surprising tricks up its sleeve.

While this chip doesn’t boast a higher core or thread count compared to previous generation offerings, they are clocked much higher. This not only translates into higher frames per second but also greatly improves performance in just about every application that can make use of multiple CPU cores.

Its greatest trick, however, is its ‘Eco Mode’, which can force the processor to draw a maximum of 65W. Even with such low power consumption, it can still trade blows with top-tier processors. Naturally, you’ll get the most out of the chip while running at its standard 170W TDP, but it makes the prospect of a small form factor build featuring the 7950X more possibility than a dream.

Read our AMD Ryzen 9 7950X review.

How to choose a CPU for gaming

Once you’ve figured out your budget, choosing the right CPU for your system comes down to what you plan to use it for. Do you play games at 60fps, 120fps, or higher? Do you play competitive shooters and RTS games or lean more toward action-adventure games or RPGs? All of these variables should impact your purchase decision.

Core i5 and Ryzen 5 chips pack plenty of processing power to sate most people’s needs. If you’re looking for more CPU performance you should opt for Core i7 and Ryzen 7 options. While Ryzen 9 and Core i9 options offer more power still, they’re best suited for production workloads. Ryzen 3 and Core i3 are still solid options for budget builders, but opting for a more expensive chip is ideal.

FAQs

How we test the best gaming CPUs

There are a lot of gaming CPUs on the market, and it can be hard to know which processors are genuinely worth your money. To help you decide which CPU is right for your system and budget, we evaluate each chip’s gaming capabilities paired with the most powerful graphics cards, including the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090.

When we test gaming CPUs, our benchmarks include our usual suite of PC games with a few extra additions, including 3DMark, Civilization VI, and Cinebench 2024. We also observe what temperatures the processor hits under load, noting how long it can maintain its advertised boost clock speeds.

Can I upgrade my CPU?

To upgrade the CPU in your gaming PC, you’ll need to physically swap it out for one of the more powerful processors in this list. It’s more straightforward than you’d think, provided you have a compatible chip, an adequate cooling solution, and the right tools.

Check that a new CPU is compatible with your motherboard before upgrading. Intel’s compatibility tool lets you look up any Intel processor and view all compatible motherboards, while AMD’s search tool does a similar thing.

When you’re ready, our 7-step CPU upgrade guide has plenty of advice on installing a new processor.

When to upgrade a gaming CPU

There isn’t a set amount of time that a CPU will last you, but there are several ways to determine the best time to replace your CPU. Either you’ll find that your current system has slowed and is no longer meeting your needs, you have a fast processing speed and want to keep it that way, or you want to futureproof yourself with the latest processor.

If you’re unsure whether the CPU is the weak link in your gaming machine, there are tools to help you figure it out. CapFrameX and Rivatuner Statistics Server can display CPU and GPU loads when you boot a game with it running in the background. If your GPU hovers around 90-100%, upgrading to the best graphics card you can will be better than a CPU upgrade.

What should CPU usage be when gaming?

In a balanced system (i.e. a PC with a CPU and GPU of a similar caliber, think RX 7700 XT and Ryzen 5 7600 or RTX 4090 and Core i9 14900K) your CPU usage will largely depend on the types of games you’re playing.

Certain genres, such as RTS games, will lean more heavily on the CPU as more computational performance is required to manage things like artificial intelligence. That said, more often than not, your GPU usage will be at 100% long before your processor is but higher frame rates (120+) will put more strain on it.