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Best CPU For Gaming

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TheBestCPU
Best CPU For Gaming

Today, you can buy a great CPU for gaming. In general, it's possible to get your pick of the bunch after you've gone for an extended period without being able to buy any processor you might want. Deals have even been available on top CPUs. 

Our intensive CPU benchmarking suite has been used to test every chip on this list on the PC Gamer test rig. In addition to 3D and video rendering workloads, gaming performance is also considered.  

In the moment, we recommend AMD's Ryzen 9 5900X, along with many of its current Zen 3 chips, which offer excellent performance and pricing. With Intel's Rocket Lake chips, we have a bunch of CPUs of varying quality, with its flagship Core i9 11900K being a bit of a disappointment while the less powerful Core i5 11600K is the best value among Intel CPUs so far. The Alder Lake processor family may be able to topple AMD's position atop the best CPUs list, but we still have to wait to see what happens with it.

If you are planning to build a brand new computer, be sure to check out our list of the best CPU for gaming.

Is Intel or AMD better?

The question is rather loaded. It is widely believed that AMD has superior CPU technology with its chiplet design, allowing it to produce processors with far more cores at prices and temperatures that Intel simply cannot compete with.

In terms of single-core performance and instructions per clock (IPC), Intel has historically been better for gaming workloads. As AMD's Zen architectures have progressed, the differences between them have diminished in terms of gaming performance.

It is also important to remember that game performance is generally GPU-limited, which means the graphics card is the limiting factor, and you will likely see the same frame rates regardless of the CPU manufacturer.

Should I overclock my CPU?

No, that is the honest answer. Although overclocking your processor may not be as risky as it once was, the benefits of doing so have drastically declined. A slightly faster CPU can make a difference when it comes to gaming performance, but arguably your graphics card will limit the speed of your system.

In addition, overclocked CPUs produce more heat, require more intensive and expensive cooling solutions, and require those coolers to work harder, so they're louder.

In our opinion, most PC gamers should not overclock their CPUs to gain real-world performance benefits.

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