5 Best High-End CPUs in 2023

Specs:

• 16 cores (8 P-cores + 8 E-cores) and 24 threads
• 5.4 GHz boost clock
• LGA 1700 socket
• 253 watts max TDP

If you want something that you can use for a good mix of gaming and high-end PC-related work, then you’d best go with something like the 13700K. It offers the most bang for your buck while also keeping the budget under control since you don’t have to buy too much of a robust cooling solution.

Air cooling is often enough for an i7. In terms of gaming performance, it’s not far off from the best gaming CPU right now (more on that one below). It is however, significantly more powerful in productivity tasks compared to gaming CPUs. So consider this one as the best of both worlds– a purchase you won’t regret as it’s also only slightly less powerful than its i9 brother.

Specs:

• 8 Cores and 16 processing threads
• 5.0 GHz Max Boost
• AM5 socket
• 120 watt max TDP

Then again, not all of us are digital professionals that need 16 cores firing on all cylinders all the time. A lot of high-end PC users reserve the machine for gaming, and this is where the Ryzen 7 7800X3D has the clear advantage. It’s dubbed the “ultimate gaming processor,” perfect for squeezing every frame of gaming performance from your computer.

It’s somewhat in an odd spot since GPU will still be the bigger determinant of gaming performance, so this is best-paired with a high-end GPU as well (once you can no longer go up in GPU performance).

As expected, it’s not great for work or digital productivity tasks. It will always lag behind the more dedicated 13700K from Intel when it comes to productivity. But for gaming, its only real superior would be the 7950X3D and even then, the two have a miniscule performance gap.

• 24 cores (8 P-cores + 16 E-cores) and 32 threads
• 5.8 GHz boost clock
• LGA 1700 socket
• 253 watt max TDP

And now, we have Intel’s best consumer-grade CPU at the moment, the 13900K. It comes with a whopping 24 cores and 32 threads, so you’ll usually never run out of multitasking capabilities. If you bought this one solely for gaming, you’d be wasting it a bit since it’s made for more serious processing work.

For semi-wealthy digital creators or professionals, this CPU is the cream of the crop– one of the most powerful work tools at their disposal. It’s rightfully expensive and power-hungry, so you can’t just pair it with cheap or mid-range components. For that matter, it’s not an idea option for gamers or the typical mid-range user.

Specs:

• 16 Cores and 32 processing threads
• 5.7 GHz Max Boost
• AM5 socket
• 170 watts

If you want impressive productivity and gaming performance while also valuing the prospect of upgradeability since that can save you a lot of money in the long run, then the Ryzen 9 7950X is the more appealing option. The productivity performance is somewhat on par (or slightly worse) with the 13900K but it loses slightly when it comes to gaming.

Okay fine, it’s slightly worse than the 13900K, however, you’re getting a fresh new platform and you can easily upgrade if you want to the Ryzen 9000 series since AM5 is slated for several generations or at least until 2025 (most likely beyond).

That’s a good trade-off for slightly lower overall performance.

Specs:

• 8 Cores and 16 processing threads
• 5.4 GHz Max Boost
• AM5 socket
• 105 watts

The Ryzen 7 7700X is supposedly the primary competitor for Intel’s 13700K but there’s a considerable performance gap between the two when it comes to productivity (they’re on par in gaming). Still, that isn’t to say the Ryzen 7 7700X is a slouch, it’s right up there with the CPU heavyweights.

And for its current price, it’s a solid or even ideal high-end (or high mid-range, low high-end) option for when you want something that’s future-proof and still offers great gaming and work performance. It’s also the most power-efficient CPU on this list, which is becoming a rare quality among high-end computer components these days.