AMD’s 2000-series Ryzen chips came on strong in 2018, with the Ryzen 7 2700X knocking Intel’s similarly priced Core i7s to alternate pick territory, thanks to improved performance at 1080p, an attractive bundled cooler, plus more cores for less money.
Intel still wins in the mid-range price bracket, with its excellent Core i5-8400. Down in the mainstream/budget territory, things are spit depending on your graphics choices. AMD’s Ryzen 5 2400G and Ryzen 5 2200G are excellent options if you don’t plan on splurging on a dedicated card. But if you are going to plug in a graphics card, Intel’s Core i3-3100 delivers better performance at a good price.
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Intel Core i7-9700K (9th Gen)Best Overall
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- Socket
- 1151
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- Cores / Threads
- 8 / 8
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- Base Frequency
- 3.6 GHz
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- Boost Frequency
- 4.6 GHz
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- Memory Speed
- DDR4-2666
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- Memory Controller
- Dual-Channel
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- Unlocked Multiplier
- ✓
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- PCIe Lanes
- x16 PCIe Gen 3
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- Integrated Graphics
- 350 / 1200
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- Cache
- 12MB
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- Architecture
- Coffee Lake
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- Process
- 14nm++
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- TDP
- 95W
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Intel Core i5-8400Best Value
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- Socket
- LGA 1151
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- Cores / Threads
- 6 / 6
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- Base Frequency
- 2.8 GHz
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- Boost Frequency
- 1 Core @ 4.0 GHz, 2 Cores @ 3.9 GHz, 4 Cores @ 3.9 GHz, 6 Cores @ 3.8 GHz
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- Memory Speed
- DDR4-2666
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- Memory Controller
- Dual-Channel
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- Unlocked Multiplier
- ✗
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- PCIe Lanes
- x16 Gen3
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- Integrated Graphics
- UHD 630 (1150 MHz)
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- Cache
- 10.5MB
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- Architecture
- Coffee Lake
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- Process
- 14nm++
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- TDP
- 65W
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AMD Ryzen 5 2400GBudget Pick
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- Socket
- AM4
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- Cores / Threads
- 4 / 8
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- Base Frequency
- 3.6 GHz
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- Boost Frequency
- 3.9 GHz
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- Memory Speed
- up to DDR4-2933
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- Memory Controller
- Dual-Channel
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- Unlocked Multiplier
- ✓
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- PCIe Lanes
- x8 3.0
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- Integrated Graphics
- Vega
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- Cache
- 4MB L3
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- Architecture
- Zen - Vega
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- Process
- 14nm+
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- TDP
- 65W
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AMD Ryzen 3 2200GEntry-Level Pick
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- Socket
- AM4
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- Cores / Threads
- 4 / 4
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- Base Frequency
- 3.5 GHz
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- Boost Frequency
- 3.7 GHz
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- Memory Speed
- up to DDR4-2933 (varies)
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- Memory Controller
- Dual-Channel
-
- Unlocked Multiplier
- ✓
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- PCIe Lanes
- x8 3.0
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- Integrated Graphics
- Vega
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- Cache
- 4MB L3
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- Architecture
- Zen - Vega
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- Process
- 14nm+
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- TDP
- 65W
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News and Product Updates
This week, Intel launched a new high-end desktop (HEDT) flagship CPU, the Core i9-9980XE. With 18 cores and 36 threads, it’s a powerful part for heavily threaded applications. It also handles games well, but the $1979 price tag means it’s well out of the running for gaming-specific recommendations. But even if you’re looking for a chip that cando double-duty as a workhorse by day and a gamer by night, the new Core i9 (which is based on the same Skylake architecture as its 2017-era predecessors) offers only minimal gaming improvements in frame rates--our tests showed just 3.3 percent improvement over the 7980XE at 1080p.
Why Trust Us
Tom's Hardware has been reviewing PC components for more than two decades. We put each CPU through a bevy of benchmarks which measure everything from its single- and multi-core performance in applications and games, to its power consumption. We've tested hundreds of models, at both stock and overclock settings where applicable, so we can separate the best from the multi-core disappointments.
Quick Shopping Tips
When choosing a CPU, consider the following:
- You can't lose with AMD or Intel: So long as you’re considering current-generation parts (AMD Ryzen 2000 or Intel 8th Generation Core “Coffee Lake”), this debate is basically a wash, with Intel doing a bit better on gaming and browsing and AMD handling tasks like video editing faster.
- Clock speed is more important than core number: Higher clock speeds translate to snappier performance in simple, common tasks such as gaming, while more cores will help you get through time-consuming workloads faster.
- Get the latest gen: You won't save much money in the long run by going with an older chip.
- Budget for a full system: Don't pair a strong CPU with weak storage, RAM and graphics.
- Overclocking isn’t for everyone: For most people, it makes more sense to spend $20-$60 more and buy a higher-end chip.
For even more information, check out our CPU Buyer’s Guide, where we discuss how much you should spend for what you’re looking to do, and when cores matter more than high clock speeds.
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$300+ Best Pick
Flagship mainstream desktop processors come with the highest price tag of our recommendations, but those searching for the best performance to push the beefiest graphics cards will be rewarded with chart-topping performance. Both Intel and AMD offer high-end desktop models that scale beyond 16 cores, but those premium processors often don't deliver the same amount of gaming performance as the mainstream models. Also, they come with expensive platforms and typically support quad-channel memory, which adds yet more cost to the equation. The picture changes if you need more performance for other types of applications, like rendering or encoding, but the mainstream processors offer the best value for strictly gaming.
For most high-end gamers, the flagship mainstream models in Intel's Core i7 and AMD's Ryzen 7 product families offer the best value. Intel's Coffee and Kaby Lake models offer the best absolute gaming performance, but AMD's Ryzen 7 series comes with more cores, which you might find attractive if you have more demanding requirements, such as streaming or intense multi-tasking. You can also often find the Ryzen processors well below MSRP.
For the serious gamers who have some breathing room in their budgets, Intel’s Core i7-9700K is a much smarter choice for gaming than the pricey Core i9-9900K. It serves up similar gaming performance at a significantly lower price than the i9, making it the best gaming CPU you can buy today.
That said, at about $100 less with an in-box cooler (which Intel’s unlocked CPUs lack) AMD’s Ryzen 7 2700X is arguably a better value for gamers on a tight budget—especially if you’re gaming at or close to 4K resolutions, where frame rates tend to even out between Intel and AMD. If you want the best frame rates possible for your high-refresh monitor, go with the Core i7. But if you can live with slightly lower FPS to save $150 or so on your CPU and cooler, AMD’s Ryzen 7 2700X is still a very strong alternative option.
Alternative Pick:
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$200 - $300 Best Pick
Mid-range processors typically land in the $200 to $300 price range, and they offer satisfying performance for the majority of gamers. Stepping beyond the $300 price class typically grants less than a 10% overall performance improvement that isn't always worth the higher price tag.
AMD's Ryzen processors have truly reinvigorated this segment and often come with a discount, too. For the overclockers among us, AMD's processors all offer unlocked ratio multipliers that you can exploit on budget-friendly motherboards, while Intel's offerings are split into both locked and unlocked processors. With Intel, overclocking requires a step up to a Z-Series motherboard and a more expensive "K"-series processor.
This price range finds two distinct price tiers, but provided the processor has an unlocked multiplier, you can often find the best value around the $200 mark. It's best to step up to the more expensive models in this class if overclocking isn't in your plans.
The Core i5-8400 brings a powerful six-core design to the mid-range, offering class-leading gaming performance and competitive performance in heavier applications. More expensive models offer more performance in both categories, but the Core i5-8400 is easily the pound-for-pound gaming champion.
The i5-8400 wades into the market with six physical cores and no Hyper-Threading, which is 50% increase in cores compared to the Kaby Lake i5 Series. The 2.8 GHz base frequency jumps to 4.0 GHz on a single core. That's complemented by varying multi-core boost frequencies based upon the number of active cores.
The -8400 drops into the LGA1151 socket on 300-Series motherboards. It comes with a bundled cooler and will make a good companion for B- and H-Series motherboards when they arrive early this year. For now, Z370 motherboards are the only option, but you can find “budget” Z370s for as low as $120. 
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$100 - $200 Best Pick
The lower end of the gaming processor spectrum is incredibly competitive, particularly with the copious core counts, bundled coolers, and unlocked multipliers you can find in the AMD lineup. Intel processors tend to offer the best performance at stock settings, and the locked multipliers in this price range make them suitable for less-expensive B- and H-Series motherboards.
These processors will often find a home in sub-$800 gaming rigs, so bundled coolers, particularly if they can handle overclocking, become more important.
Finding any gaming-friendly graphics card at a reasonable price these days is next to impossible thanks to coin mining. But AMD's latest Ryzen chips with onboard Vega graphics make gaming without a card a serious possibility. Don't expect to run games above 1080p, or even always at 1080p with the Ryzen 5 2400G. But if you're after a chip that will let you achieve smooth frame rates on recent titles at low settings without buying an overpriced card, the Ryzen 5 2400G is your best bet today.
If you have or will soon buy a graphics card, the Ryzen 5 2400G is not the best option, as the processor and graphics cores have to share power. In this price range, if a graphics card is destined for your rig, get the Intel Core i3 8100 instead--especially if Intel's more affordable 8th-gen B- and H-series motherboards are available by the time you read this.
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Sub-$100 Best Pick
You won't find several of the more advanced features on this class of processors, such as AVX or Optane support, but they make a great pairing for sub-$200 graphics cards.
Graphics card price hikes haven’t quite hit the budget builder and low-end gamer market as hard as the mid-range and high-end market (basically, anything above a Nvidia GTX 1050). But when money is tight, being able to game without a graphics card can lead to serious savings. And with RAM prices continuing to soar, those working with small budgets need to tighten the strings anywhere they can.
That makes the four-core, four-thread Ryzen 3 2200G particularly appealing for budget gaming builders and upgraders. The $99 chip delivers solid 720p performance thanks to its Vega on-chip graphics, decent CPU muscle for mainstream tasks, and can be dropped into an existing inexpensive 300-series motherboard (after a requisite BIOS update), to form the basis of a surprisingly capable low-cost PC. It’s also unlocked, so with proper cooling you can tune the graphics or the CPU to best suit your needs.
Alternative Pick:
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I can understand why the i5-8400 got the 1st place but I can't get it why are you still recommending i5-8600K given that the i5-9600K is very close in price from the new generation and better.