The CPU is the brain of your computer, so to speak. And as with any brain, you don’t want it to be lacking in brain power. On the other hand, you also don’t want all that potential to go to waste doing such menial tasks. So when it comes to picking the best CPU models, you have to take into account the price-to-performance ratio.
Your needs will decide what the best CPU for you will be, in case you’re looking to build a desktop computer.
RELATED: How many Cores Do you need for gaming – Find out the answer
How to Know the Best CPU for You
Two activities come to mind as far as deciding factors go in determining the best CPU. The first is gaming, and the second is productivity (video editing, Photoshop, file decompression, etc.).
If you’re strictly building a PC for gaming, it’s safe to assume that you’ll also be purchasing a GPU or graphics card as this is the most important component for gaming. Since the graphics card will handle the bulk of the video game processing load, then you don’t really need the best CPU for that.
An i5 or a Ryzen 5 CPU will work well in gaming; you can put the money you saved in a more powerful GPU as this will yield better performance gains over balancing the GPU and CPU tier.
Productivity or work is a different story. If you’re a video editor or a digital artist, you’re going to want the best CPU regardless of the GPU tier. For that matter an i7, i9, Ryzen 7, or Ryzen 9 CPU is well-justified.
For a mix of both, then an i7 or Ryzen 7 will do while still providing you enough savings for a beefy graphics card for gaming.
What about i3 and Ryzen 3 processors? We don’t talk about them. Your PC will lose so much value by opting for i3 or Ryzen instead of Intel’s budget-oriented Core i5-12400, which we’ll talk about later.
With that in mind, here are your best options at the moment.
Intel Core i5-12600k
PROS
- Beats Ryzen 9 CPUs in gaming
- The next best thing is an i7 or an i9
- Uses sockets that are compatible with 13th Gen Intel CPUs
- Power-efficient
- 10 Cores & 16 Threads, good enough for productivity
CONS
- It gets hot, Intel's stock CPU fan won't be enough
- Efficiency cores can cause some application and OS compatibility problems
- Processor Count: 10 Cores & 16 Threads (6 Performance and 4 Efficiency Cores)
- Socket: LGA1700
- Speed: Up to 4.9 GHz Unlocked
- Memory Speed: DDR5
- Power Consumption: 125W
Don’t be fooled by the i5 tag, this absolute beast of a CPU beats out Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 processors when it comes to gaming and other single-core tasks. Not only does that make it Intel’s best offering (as far as price-to-performance is concerned) but also the best gaming CPU of this generation.
What does make it impressive is its four efficiency cores which somehow handle all the background tasks while the six performance cores focus on the main task. That’s how it works in a nutshell. Intel’s experiment paid off.
This CPU was only supposed to compete with AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600x but it ended up punching way above its weight class and tier (when it comes to gaming). If you’re worried about the future with the new Intel CPUs on the horizon, then don’t; any motherboard you choose to pair with the Intel Core i5-12600k is compatible with the upcoming 13th Generation Intel CPUs.
Also, there are non-K variants of this CPU that are less powerful. We’re not talking about those. The K of the i5-12600k is the important identifier here.
Intel Core i5-12600k
Intel Core i5-12400
PROS
- Uses sockets that are compatible with 13th Gen Intel CPUs
- Power-efficient
- Offers the best price-to-performance ratio
- Good mid-range CPU
- Best budget CPU
- Pairs well with cheap, low-end motherboards for more savings
- Low price
CONS
- Included Intel stock cooler is loud and bad at cooling
- No overclocking
- Processor Count: 6 Cores & 12 Threads
- Socket: LGA 1700
- Speed: 4.4 GHz Maximum Turbo Frequency
- Memory Speed: DDR4
- Power Consumption: 65 W
Whether you’re a budget or a mid-range gamer (most popular tier), the Intel Core i5-12400 offers you the best value you can have in a processor. It trades blows with AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600x and if you want a cheaper price tag, you can even opt for the 12400f variant which ditches the integrated GPU, you’d most likely want a discrete GPU anyway if you’re building a gaming PC.
This one comes at a sub-$200 price tag and you can even cheap out on the motherboard and purchase an entry-level chipset (H610M series for sub-$100), allowing you to pour all the saved money into the GPU instead.
And you don’t need to worry too much about performance. Because with the savings, the marginal difference compared to the 12600k is worth it.
We also recommend foregoing the i3 or Ryzen 3 CPU tier in favor of the i5-12400 even if you’re on a tight budget since 4-core CPUs are aging fast now. Lots of applications and games are using more cores than ever before.
Intel Core i5-12400
AMD Ryzen 5600x
PROS
- Power-efficient
- Good mid-range CPU
- Backwards compatibility with previous AMD sockets
- Good overclocking potential
CONS
- AM4 is an aging socket
- Supports only DDR4 memory
- Processor Count: 6 Cores & 12 Threads
- Socket: AM4
- Speed: 4.6 GHz Max Boost Clock
- Memory Speed: DDR4
- Power Consumption: 65 W
With the upcoming AM5 architecture in November and Intel knocking down the competition in its generation, AMD’s Rzen 5 5600x has seen many discounts and sales. It’s now down to a sub-$200 price point which is considered budget or mid-range at this point. It did enjoy a good run as the best mid-range CPU before the i5-12600k was released.
Still, the Ryzen 5 5600x is no slouch. It’s still an impressive option and you can’t go wrong with it. It does use the aging AM4 socket which isn’t compatible with the Zen 4 AMD CPUs but the thing is, the motherboards for the Zen 4 CPUs are still expensive.
In terms of performance, this is easily the best mid-range CPU right now if Zen 4 and the 12600k aren’t taken into account. It beats out the non-K i5-12600 and any option below that (or at least goes toe-to-toe in some games. The amazing part is its efficiency as it only consumes 65 watts under normal circumstances. You can overclock it even further for more performance.
AMD Ryzen 5600x
Intel Core i9-12900k
PROS
- Best CPU in this current generation (until Zen 4)
- Uses sockets that are compatible with 13th Gen Intel CPUs
- Impressive E-Core technology
- Good for future-proofing
- Amazing frequency/speed
- Gold-colored casing for added swag and bling
CONS
- Runs really hot, you'd need liquid cooling
- Expensive
- You'd also need a high-end motherboard, adding to the cost
- Efficiency cores can cause some application and OS compatibility problems
- Processor Count: 16 Cores & 24 Threads
- Socket: LGA 1700
- Speed: 5.2 GHz Maximum Turbo Frequency
- Memory Speed: DDR5
- Power Consumption: 125 W
Sadly, it’s hard to recommend any AMD Ryzen that’s high-end right now since their new CPUs are on the horizon. So if you really need to build a productivity PC with some jaw-dropping processing (and gaming) powers, then the Intel Core i9-12900k packs some serious performance.
It’s the best there is right now (until the Ryzen 7000 series is released in the mainstream.
Like the 12600k, the 12900k also utilizes E-Cores or efficiency cores in order to handle background tasks. This one has eight E-Cores and eight P-Cores for a total of 16 physical cores. Each P-Core has two threads and each E-Core has one thread, resulting in a total of 24 Threads, making it awesome for multithreaded tasks such as video editing, etc.
Of course, once the i9-13900k is released, you can always upgrade to it since those still use the same LGA 1700 socket.
Intel Core i9-12900k
Intel Core i7-12700KF
PROS
- Uses sockets that are compatible with 13th Gen Intel CPUs
- Impressive E-Core technology
- Good for future-proofing
- Amazing frequency/speed
- Good price-to-performance ratio in most use cases
CONS
- Runs hot, but not hot enough to make liquid cooling mandatory
- K version is a bit expensive
- Efficiency cores can cause some application and OS compatibility problems
- Processor Count: 12 Cores & 20 Threads
- Socket: LGA 1700
- Speed: 5 GHz Maximum Turbo Frequency
- Memory Speed: DDR5
- Power Consumption: 125 W
For digital professionals who want to play the best and latest games during their downtime, then the Core i7-12700KF offers the best of both worlds. It’s a powerful CPU that rivals even the Ryzen 9 when it comes to gaming.
20 Threads thanks to four E-Cores is no slouch either when it comes to multi-threaded tasks. There is a more expensive variant of this CPU which is the 12700K version but the only difference is that that one has an integrated GPU which you likely won’t need if you’re building a PC that requires a CPU like this.
But if you’re not interested in gaming at all, then you can opt for the 12700K version instead of the cheaper 12700KF to save up on the cost of a GPU.
Intel Core i7-12700KF
A New CPU Generation is Right Around the Corner
You might be wondering whether it’s worth waiting for the latest AMD CPUs since they’re at the precipice of a release. Well, that really depends on your needs. You could hold out for Zen 4, but after that, Intel is also poised to release the Raptor Lake (13th Gen) sometime late in 2022 or early 2023.
While the AMD Zen 4 CPUs are better than the offerings above, the Intel Raptor Lake CPUs are also bound to be slightly better than the Zen 4. Point is, if you keep waiting around for something better, you’ll be waiting a long time. Besides, these CPUs and their motherboards are on sale right now and are at their lowest prices. If you’re worried about future-proofing, you can always go Intel and then later upgrade to Raptor Lake CPUs if they prove to be significantly better (they use the LGA 1700 anyway), then sell your old CPUs.
As for waiting for Zen 4, AMD has recently revealed the price for the corresponding AM5 socket motherboards which you’ll need for the Zen 4 CPUs and they’re a lot more expensive than expected, with some nearly going for double the price compared to the previous AM4 motherboards.
With that in consideration, you might as well go Intel now with those options above, using an LGA 1700 motherboard, and then upgrade to the Raptor Lake later if you really want the latest stuff.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Intel vs AMD?
Intel for gaming, AMD for productivity is the usual consensus. -
Are CPUs important for gaming?
Yes, but not as important as the GPU. Don't spend too much on your CPU if you're only gaming. GPUs are better gaming investments.