If you don’t have the time to research the benchmarks, or if you don’t feel confident enough in your ability to pick the right processor for your next gaming machine, fear not. We at Tom’s Hardware have come to your aid with a simple list of the best gaming CPUs offered for the money.
December Review and January Updates
January 2010 has marked Intel's return to the sub-$200 CPU market with brand new technology, a space where the company has, up until now, relied on older Core 2-based processors. It released the new Core i5, i3, and Pentium G-series processors; 32nm models that employ two physical CPU cores, yet deliver four logical cores by way of Hyper-Threading. Intel has the distinction of offering the first CPUs with an integrated graphics core on the same package, though that's not going to be relevant to you as a gamer. Talk about a significant advancement in home and small office desktops, though. There are a lot of new CPUs available, and here are their particulars:
| Intel's New Clarkdale Processors | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Code Name | Clock | Max. Turbo | HT | Cores/Threads | Power | Street Price |
| Core i5-750 | Lynnfield | 2.66 GHz | 3.2 GHz | No | 4/4 | 95W | $200 |
| Core i5-670 | Clarkdale | 3.46 GHz | 3.73 GHz | Yes | 2/4 | 73W | $290 |
| Core i5-661 | Clarkdale | 3.33 GHz | 3.6 GHz | Yes | 2/4 | 87W | $210 |
| Core i5-660 | Clarkdale | 3.33 GHz | 3.6 GHz | Yes | 2/4 | 73W | $208 |
| Core i5-650 | Clarkdale | 3.2 GHz | 3.46 GHz | Yes | 2/4 | 73W | $195 |
| Core i3-540 | Clarkdale | 3.06 GHz | N/A | Yes | 2/4 | 73W | $145 |
| Core i3-530 | Clarkdale | 2.93 GHz | N/A | Yes | 2/4 | 73W | $125 |
| Pentium G6950 | Clarkdale | 2.8 GHz | N/A | No | 2/2 | 73W | $99 |
We can see how Intel is differentiating these processor families, though it's significantly more difficult to distinguish the individual model numbers. The Clarkdale-based Pentium has two cores, no Hyper-Threading, and no Turbo Boost. The Core i3 processors have two cores armed with Hyper-Threading, but no Turbo Boost. And the Clarkdale-based Core i5 models (there are Lynnfield Core i5s, too) feature Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost. Unfortunately, the Core i5 brand is now a little muddied, since the Lynnfield-based Core i5-750 has four physical cores and no Hyper-Threading.
There isn't a whole lot of performance data available for these new processors yet, so we've examined the information that is available and made the best educated guesses we can as to how these processors perform in games (this won't be the case for long; we have two stories planned for the end of the month covering i3 and Pentium G performance). From the limited data we've seen, it looks like these Clarkdale chips can really hold their own against true quad-core CPUs from a gaming performance standpoint.
We will note that, while the Core i3 CPUs seem to deliver good gaming value, the pricing is too high on the Clarkdale-based Core i5 models. Further tests will confirm, but we suspect the $200 Core i5-750 might offer better value than the more expensive i5-660 to 670 processors. It will be interesting to see how these Hyper-Threaded dual-core processors fare against AMD's quad-core budget models. Chances are good that we're going to see notable performance disparities, with the performance trophy changing hands depending on whether or not the application is optimized for threading.
Of course, AMD hasn't been sitting idle. It has a speed bump-based counter-attack planned for the end of January. The new models will include the Phenom II X2 555, Athlon II X4 635, Athlon II X3 440, and the Athlon II X2 255. We can't wait to see how this one plays out!
On a related note, it seems that Intel might be taking advantage of the diversity in its new lineup by increasing the prices of higher-end models. Both the Core i5-750 and Core i7-920 have gone up a few dollars since last month.
Some Notes About Our Recommendations
This list is for gamers who want to get the most for their money. If you don’t play games, then the CPUs on this list may not be suitable for your particular needs.
The criteria to get on this list are strictly price/performance. We acknowledge that there are other factors that come into play, such as platform price or CPU overclockability, but we're not going to complicate things by factoring in motherboard costs. We may add honorable mentions for outstanding products in the future, though. For now, our recommendations are based on stock clock speeds and performance at that price.
Cost and availability change on a daily basis. We can’t offer up-to-the-minute accurate pricing information in the text, but we can list some good chips that you probably won’t regret buying at the price ranges we suggest (and our PriceGrabber-based engine will help track down some of the best prices for you).
The list is based on some of the best US prices from online retailers. In other countries or at retail stores, your mileage will most certainly vary. Of course, these are retail CPU prices. We do not list used or OEM CPUs.
Lots of new stuff in the list with the inclusion of new Intel CPUs.
Hopefully, there would be something new that will come from AMD.
Yes the LGA1336 system is worth it... the prices are probably going to drop just a tad bit in the next few months as there are also a bunch of sub$200 core 1336mbs out there. If you read this article, the author even states that it will be well worth it especially this year when usb3.0, sata and ssds become cheaper and the norm. Expect to see a new LGA1336 processor coming out as well but for now the i7 920 is a jewel. It is like the older q6600 when it first came out. Great in overclocking and really preforms well overall fora decent price. There are few problems with heat, games, video, processes, ect that the i7 920 will give you....
If you're going multi-GPU, go for a i7 920, otherwise, grab its cheaper brother.
We can only hope. Sad to say, but I think I'd rather a Intel 32nm dual core with HT over a quad core AMD.
AMD, wake up pretty pleae. My old 1.6GHz athlon (which I still have, though it's burried under a foot of snow outside) was a beast, and my Pentium D and i7 since just haven't felt to par for me.
core i5 660 is $208,- while the 670 is $200,-
The 670 also has faster clocks, anybody know??
According to this wiki page i7 930 is still 45nm:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_future_Intel_Core_i7_microprocessors#.22Gulftown.22_.2832_nm.29
I do appreciate the value perspective and not recommending the 920, since most value-minded people would not go for multi-GPU setups that need a far more expensive board like the X58.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103652
True enough there's no heatsink, but you can still get a half-decent one for ~$20.
I own a Core i7-920, and no. It's not worth the extra cost. It cost more, RAM cost more, mother cost more, at it eats so much more power, that you will need to buy a better power source.
also it produces too many heat, and gets too high temperature, so is not really a good overclocker, unless you also spend on a really really expensive cooler.
the 920 only makes sense if you plan to go for SLI/Crossfire, but then again, dual video cards only make sense if you use only top cards.
otherwise, go for cards with dual video on a single package (as the ati 5950, or Geforce 295) because they eat less power, are more silent, produces less heat (which is a real problem with the 920), and don't ask for so expensive power sources.
You don't need an after-market heatsink with the Phenom II x3 720, you can overclock it to 3.4 GHz stable with the stock heatsink, just apply good thermal compound (at the least, Arctic Silver 5). I compared two of my builds, one with a $35 heatsink and one with stock, and the differences in heat is minimal unless the CPU is stressed, then the difference is around 5C. However, with the stock cooler, you won't be able to overclock to 3.7 GHz.
If you are not afraid of overclocking you will be good for long while.
RAM does not cost more, wtf are you talking about? Motherboard and Heatsink costs are what set you back. For a $170 Motherboard and a $35 Heatsink, you can overclock stable at 3.6 GHz. For a $300 Motherboard and a $55+ cooling solution, you can hit the 4.0 GHz stable. It's all up to whether you, as a builder, sees a need for a 400 MHz additional overclock for $150 (or $37.50 per 100 MHz).
The Core i7-920 is the BLACK of CPU's. Once you go BLACK, you don't go back...
Now if I only can get my wife to let me buy the Q9400 replacement that is coming out soon, I think I'll be good for another 2 years on my system.
Not any more
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0317379
Never mind. Though it said 750.....
Tom, when are going to get an edit feature in this!