CPU Benchmarks and Hierarchy 2024: CPU Rankings

References
By Paul Alcorn
last updated

We've run thousands of CPU benchmarks on all new and older Intel and AMD CPUs and ranked them.

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2020 - 2022 CPU Benchmarks Hierarchy

You can find our rankings of the most current-gen systems on the previous page. The results below are from our legacy benchmarks, using a different GPU and test systems than our current CPU benchmark rankings. However, this provides great historical context and also includes other previous-gen CPUs not included in our new test suite. You'll also find our even older legacy rankings further below. These date back over the last decade. 

Legacy: 2020 - 2022 CPU Benchmarks Rankings - Windows 10 and 11

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AMD vs Intel
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
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CPU Hierarchy
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Legacy: 2020 - 2022 Gaming CPU Benchmarks Ranking

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Legacy: Gaming CPU Benchmarks Hierarchy 2020 - 2022 - Windows 11
 1080p Gaming Score1440p Gaming ScoreArchitectureCores/Threads (P+E)Base/Boost GHzTDP - MTPBuy
$589 - Core i9-13900K100.00%100.00%Raptor Lake24 / 32 (8+16)3.0 / 5.8125 / 253W 
$409 - Core i7-13700K96.09%97.09%Raptor Lake16 / 24 (8+8)3.4 / 5.4125 / 253W 
$365 - Ryzen 7 5800X3D94.42%97.45%Zen 38 / 163.4 / 4.5105W 
$319 - Core i5-13600K90.03%92.94%Raptor Lake14 / 20 (6+8)3.5 / 5.1125 / 181W 
$474 - Ryzen 9 7900X87.40%90.52%Zen 412 / 244.7 / 5.6170 / 230W 
$569 - Ryzen 9 7950X87.25%90.27%Zen 416 / 324.5 / 5.7170 / 230W 
$349 - Ryzen 7 7700X87.13%91.55%Zen 48 /164.5 / 5.4105 / 142W 
$329 - Ryzen 7 770086.19%88.88%Zen 48 / 163.8 / 5.365 / 88W 
$429 - Ryzen 9 790084.75%88.46%Zen 412 / 244.7 / 5.6170 / 230W 
$249 - Ryzen 5 7600X83.62%88.44%Zen 46 / 124.7 / 5.3105 / 142W 
$229 - Ryzen 5 760079.74%85.97%Zen 46 / 123.8 / 5.165 / 88W 
$550 - Ryzen 9 5950X72.04%77.51%Zen 316 / 323.4 / 4.9105W 
$350 - Ryzen 9 5900X71.69%78.95%Zen 312 / 243.7 / 4.8105W 
$235 - Ryzen 7 5800X70.90%78.19%Zen 38 / 163.8 / 4.7105W 
$210 - Ryzen 7 5700X69.50%76.65%Zen 38 / 163.4 / 4.665W 
$165 - Ryzen 5 5600X67.52%74.68%Zen 36 / 123.7 / 4.665W 
$189 - Core i5-1240066.62%73.53%Alder Lake6 / 12 (6+0)2.5 / 4.465 / 117WRow 16 - Cell 7
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Legacy: Gaming CPU Benchmarks Hierarchy 2020 - 2022 - Windows 10
 1080p Gaming Score1440p Gaming ScoreCPUCores/ThreadsBase/Boost GHzTDPBuy
Intel Core i9-12900K DDR4 / DDR5100% / 93.51%100% / 95.86%Alder Lake16 / 24 (8P+8E) 3.2 / 5.2 125 / 241WCore i9-12900K
Intel Core i9-11900K92.48%97.26%Rocket Lake8 / 163.5 / 5.3125WCore i9-11900K
Intel Core i7-12700K DDR4 / DDR597.71% / 91.23%99.8% / 97.30%Alder Lake12 / 20 (8P+4E)3.6 / 4.9125 / 190WCore i7-12700K
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X90.98%93.18%Zen 312 / 243.7 / 4.8105WRyzen 9 5900X
Intel Core i5-12600K DDR4 / DDR590.89% / 84.32%96.94% / 92.33%Alder Lake10 / 16 (6P+4E)3.7 / 4.9125 / 150WCore i5-12600K
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X90.22%95.32%Zen 316 / 323.4 / 4.9105WRyzen 9 5950X
AMD Threadripper Pro 5975WX88.71%89.71%Zen 332 / 643.6 / 4.5280WThreadripper Pro 5975WX
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X88.51%91.79%Zen 36 / 123.7 / 4.665WRyzen 5 5600X
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X86.85%91.72%Zen 38 / 163.8 / 4.7105WRyzen 7 5800X
Intel Core i7-11700K86.3%92.0%Rocket Lake8 / 163.6 / 5.0125WCore i7-11700K
AMD Threadripper Pro 5995WX86.12%84.79%Zen 364 / 1282.7 / 4.5280WThreadripper Pro 5995WX
Intel Core i9-10900K85.01%91.5%Comet Lake10 / 203.7 / 5.3125WCore i9-9900K
Intel Core i9-10850K84.6%91.07%Comet Lake10 / 203.6 / 5.295WCore i9-10850K
Intel Core i5-11600K84.06%90.43%Rocket Lake6 / 123.9 / 4.9125WCore i5-11600K
Intel Core i5-1140080.98%87.77%Rocket Lake6 / 122.6 / 4.465WCore i5-11400
Intel Core i7-10700K80.66%87.88%Comet Lake8 / 163.8 / 5.1125WCore i7-10700K
Intel Core i9-10980XE78.04%84.04%Cascade Lake-X18 / 363.0 / 4.8165WCore i9-10980XE
Intel W-3175X76.93%82.58%Skylake28 / 563.1 / 4.3225W@Newegg
Ryzen 7 5700G*76.61%83.1%Zen 38 / 163.8 / 4.665WN/A
Intel Core i9-9900KS76.12%84.85%Coffee Lake-R8 / 164.0 / 5.0127W Intel Core i9-9900KS
Intel Core i7-10700/F~~Comet Lake8 / 162.9 / 4.865WIntel Core i7-10700
Intel Core i5-10600K75.42%82.57%Comet Lake6 / 124.1 / 4.8125W@Newegg
Intel Core i7-9700K73.62%81.12%Coffee Lake-R8 / 83.6 / 4.995W@Amazon
Intel Core i9-9900K / F73.41%84.85%Coffee Lake-R8 / 163.6 / 5.095WCore i9-9900K
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X72.63%78.58%Zen 216 / 323.5 / 4.7105W@Amazon
AMD Threadripper 3970X72.44%77.99%Zen 232 / 643.7 / 4.5280WAMD Threadripper 3970X
AMD Threadripper 3960X72.07%77.12%Zen 224 / 483.8 / 4.5280WAMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G71.99%76.76%Zen 36 / 123.9 / 4.465WRyzen 5 5600G
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT71.78%79.28%Zen 28 / 163.9 / 4.7105W@Newegg
AMD Threadripper 3990X71.68%77.94%Zen 264 / 1282.9 / 4.3280WAMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT71.67%78.55%Zen 212 / 243.8 / 4.7105WRyzen 9 3900XT
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X~~Zen 212 / 243.8 / 4.6105W@Amazon
Intel Core i9-9980XE ~~Skylake18 / 364.4 / 4.5165W@B&HPhoto
AMD Ryzen 9 3900~~Zen 212 / 243.1 / 4.3105WOEM only
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X71.43%79.08%Zen 28 / 163.6 / 4.465WRyzen 7 3700X
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X71.3%78.67%Zen 28 / 163.9 / 4.5105WRyzen 7 3800X
AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT70.62%77.75%Zen 26 / 123.8 / 4.595W@Newegg
AMD Ryzen 5 360068.63%75.59%Zen 26 / 123.6 / 4.265W @Amazon
Intel Core i9-7960X~~Skylake16 / 322.8 / 4.2165W@Newegg
Intel Core i7-8700K68.47%76.41%Coffee Lake6 / 123.7 / 4.795W@Amazon
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X68.41%75.60%Zen 26 / 123.8 / 4.495W@Newegg
AMD Threadripper Pro 3975WX67.63%74.42%Zen 232 / 643.5 / 4.2280WThreadripper Pro 3975WX
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X67.49%74.6%Zen 24 / 83.8 / 4.365W@Newegg
Intel Core i5-9600K67.06%75.11%Coffee Lake-R6 / 63.7 / 4.695W@Newegg
AMD Threadripper Pro 3995WX66.18%69.28%Zen 264 / 1282.7 / 4.2280WThreadripper Pro 3995WX
Intel Core i5-8600K65.84%73.4%Coffee Lake6 / 63.6 / 4.395W@Newegg
Intel Core i7-870065.57%73.66%Coffee Lake6 / 123.2 / 4.665WCore i7-8700
Intel Core i7-8086K65.05%73.5%Coffee Lake6 / 124.0 / 5.095WCore i7-8086K
Intel Core i5-9400 / i5-9400F64.85%72.08%Coffee Lake6 / 62.9 / 4.165W@Amazon
Intel Core i5-840063.96%71.2%Coffee Lake6 / 62.8 / 4.065W@Newegg
AMD Ryzen 5 3500X~~Zen 26 / 63.6 / 4.165W@Newegg
Core i3-1010061.88%69.08%Comet Lake4 / 83.6 / 4.365WCore i3-10100
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X59.19%66.55%Zen+8 / 163.7 / 4.3105W@Newegg
Ryzen 7 4750G*58.43%66.46%Zen 28 / 163.8 / 4.665WRyzen 7 4750G
AMD Ryzen 3 310057.75%64.21%Zen 24 / 83.8 / 3.965W@Newegg
Intel Core i9-7980XE~~Skylake18 / 362.6 / 4.2165W@Amazon
Intel Core i9-7900X~~Skylake10 / 203.3 / 4.3140W@Newegg
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X57.55%65.33%Zen+6 / 123.6 / 4.295W@Amazon
Intel Core i7-7700K~~Kaby Lake4 / 84.2 / 4.591W@Amazon
AMD Threadripper 2990WX (GM)~~Zen+32 / 643.0 / 4.2250W@Newegg
Intel Core i7-7820X~~Skylake8 / 163.6 / 4.3140W@Amazon
AMD Threadripper 2950X (GM)~~Zen +16 / 323.5 / 4.4180W@Amazon
AMD Threadripper 2970WX~~Zen +24 / 483.0 / 4.2250W@Amazon
AMD Ryzen 7 2700~~Zen+8 / 163.2 / 4.165W@Amazon
AMD Threadripper 1900X (GM)~~Zen8 / 163.8 / 4.0180W@Amazon
Intel Core i7-7700~~Kaby Lake4 / 83.6 / 4.265W@Amazon
AMD Ryzen 5 2600~~Zen+6 / 123.4 / 3.965W@Newegg
Intel Core i7-7800X~~Skylake6 / 123.5 / 4.0140W@Newegg
Intel Core i5-7600K~~Kaby Lake4 / 43.8 / 4.291W@Amazon
AMD Threadripper 1950X (GM)~~Zen16 / 323.4 / 4.0180W@Newegg
AMD Threadripper 1920X (GM)~~Zen12 / 243.5 / 4.0180W@Amazon
Intel Core i3-9350KF56.42%65.19%Coffee Lake4 / 44.0 / 4.691W@Amazon
AMD Ryzen 3 5300G55.54%62.68%Zen 34 / 84.0 / 4.265WOEM Only
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X53.86%60.83%Zen8 / 163.6 / 4.095W@Newegg
Intel Core i5-7600~~Kaby Lake4 / 43.5 / 4.165W@Amazon
Intel Core i3-8100~~Coffee Lake4 / 43.6 / -65W@Amazon
Intel Core i5-7500~~Kaby Lake4 / 43.4 / 3.865W@Amazon
Intel Core i5-7400~~Kaby Lake4 / 43.0 / 3.565W@Amazon
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X~~Zen8 / 163.8 / 3.995W@Amazon
AMD Ryzen 5 1600AF~~Zen +6 / 123.2 / 3.665W@Amazon
AMD Ryzen 7 1700~~Zen8 / 163.0 / 3.865W@Newegg
Intel Core i3-8350K53.84%61.82%Coffee Lake4 / 44.0 / -91WCore i3 i3-8350K
Intel Core i3-910051.96%60.1%Coffee Lake-R4 / 43.6 / 4.265W@Newegg
AMD Ryzen 5 1600X49.99%57.28%Zen6 / 123.6 / 4.095W@Amazon
AMD Ryzen 5 1600~~Zen6 / 123.2 / 3.665W@Amazon
AMD Ryzen 5 3400G48.81%55.73%Zen +4 / 83.7 / 4.265W@Amazon
Intel Core i5-7400~~Kaby Lake4 / 4 3.0 / 3.565W@Newegg
Intel Core i3-810048.43%59.7%Coffee Lake4 / 43.6 / -65W@Amazon
AMD Ryzen 3 3200G45.96%52.98%Zen +4 / 43.6 / 4.065W@Amazon
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G44.84%50.67%Zen+4 / 83.6 / 3.965W@Newegg
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X~~Zen4 / 83.5 / 3.765W@Newegg
Intel Core i3-7350K~~Kaby Lake2 / 44.2 / -60W@Newegg
Intel Pentium G5600~~Coffee Lake2 / 43.9 / -54W@Newegg
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G42.16%48.56%Zen+4 / 43.5 / 3.765W@Amazon
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X~~Zen4 / 43.5 / 3.765W@Amazon
Intel Core i3-7300~~Kaby Lake2 / 44.0 / -51W@BH&Photo
Intel Pentium G560037.52%44.7%Coffee Lake2 / 43.9 / -54W@Intel
Intel Pentium G540036.57%43.31%Coffee Lake2 / 43.7 / -54W@Amazon
Intel Core i3-7100~~Kaby Lake2 / 43.9 / -51W@Amazon
AMD Ryzen 5 1400~~Zen4 / 83.2 / 3.465W@Amazon
Intel Pentium G4620~~Kaby Lake2 / 43.7 / -54W@Newegg
Intel Pentium G4560~~Kaby Lake2 / 43.5 / -54W@Newegg
AMD Athlon 3000G~~Zen+2 / 43.5 / -35W@Amazon
AMD Athlon 240GE~~Zen2 / 43.5 / -35W@Amazon
AMD Athlon 220GE~~Zen2 / 43.4 / -35W@Amazon
AMD Athlon 200GE~~Zen2 / 43.2 / -35W@Amazon
AMD Ryzen 3 1200~~Zen4 / 43.1 / 3.265W@Amazon
Zhaoxin KaiXian KX-U6780A~~LuJiaZui 8 / 82.7 / -70WN/A
AMD A10-9700~~Bristol Ridge4 / 43.5 / 3.865W@Newegg

These tests are from our 2022 test bench. We measured performance for the 1080p CPU gaming benchmarks with a geometric mean of Borderlands 3, Hitman 2, Far Cry 5, Project CARS 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. We measured performance for the 1440p CPU gaming benchmarks with a geometric mean of Borderlands 3, Project CARS 3, Far Cry 5, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. We conducted these tests in Windows 10.

Legacy: 2020 - 2022 Single-Threaded CPU Benchmarks Rankings

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Legacy: 2020 - 2022 Single-Threaded CPU Benchmarks Hierarchy - Windows 10
 Single-Threaded App ScoreArchitectureCores/ThreadsBase/Boost GHzTDP
Intel Core i9-11900K (ABT off/on)100% / 99.57%Rocket Lake8 / 163.5 / 5.3125W
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X95.31%Zen 316 / 323.4 / 4.9105W
Core i9-12900K DDR5 / DDR4 95.16% / 94.64%Alder Lake16 / 24 (8P+8E) 3.2 / 5.2125 / 241W
Core i7-11700K94.29%Rocket Lake8 / 163.6 / 5.095W
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X93.69%Zen 312 / 243.7 / 4.8105W
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X92.84%Zen 38 / 163.8 / 4.7105W
Intel Core i5-11600K92.56% / 89.67%Rocket Lake8 / 163.9 / 4.9125W
Intel Core i7-12700K DDR5 / DDR491.60%Alder Lake12 / 20 (8P+4E)3.6 / 4.9125W / 190W
AMD Threadripper Pro 5975WX89.25%Zen 364 / 1282.7 / 4.5280W
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X89.19%Zen 36 / 123.7 / 4.665W
Ryzen 7 5700G88.92%Zen 38 / 163.9 / 4.465W
AMD Threadripper Pro 5995WX88.48%Zen 364 / 1283.6 / 4.5280W
Core i5-12600K DDR4 / DDR587.85% / 87.82%Alder Lake10 / 16 (6P+4E)3.7 / 4.9125 / 150W
Intel Core i9-10900K86.68%Comet Lake10 / 203.7 / 5.3125W
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G85.75%Zen 36 / 123.9 / 4.465W
Intel Core i9-10850K84.87%Comet Lake10 / 203.6 / 5.295W
Intel Core i9-9900KS83.13%Coffee Lake-R8 / 164.0 / 5.0127W
Intel Core i5-1140083.09%Rocket Lake6 / 122.6 / 4.465W
Intel Core i9-9900K82.63%Coffee Lake-R8 / 163.6 / 5.095W
Intel Core i7-10700K82.31%Comet Lake8 / 163.8 / 5.1125W
AMD Ryzen 3 5300G81.51%Zen 34 / 8 4.0 / 4.265W
Intel Core i7-9700K80.36%Coffee Lake-R8 / 83.6 / 4.995W
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT79.75%Zen 28 / 163.9 / 4.7105W
AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT79.11%Zen 26 / 123.8 / 4.595W
AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT78.86%Zen 212 / 243.8 / 4.7105W
Intel Core i5-10600K78.79%Comet Lake6 / 124.1 / 4.125W
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X78.37%Zen 28 / 163.9 / 4.5105W
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X78.18%Zen 216 / 323.5 / 4.7105W
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X77.68%Zen 212 / 243.8 / 4.6105W
Intel Core i7-10700/F~Comet Lake8 / 162.9 / 4.865W
Ryzen 7 4750G77.2%Zen 38 /163.6 / 4.465W
AMD Threadripper 3970X76.52%Zen 232 / 643.7 / 4.5280W
AMD Threadripper 3960X76.42%Zen 224 / 483.8 / 4.5280W
AMD Threadripper Pro 3975WX76.36%Zen 232 / 643.5 / 4.2280W
Intel Core i7-8700K76.32%Coffee Lake6 / 123.7 / 4.795W
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X76.29%Zen 28 / 163.6 / 4.465W
Intel Core i7-8086K76.21%Coffee Lake6 / 124.0 / 5.095W
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X75.85%Zen 26 / 123.8 / 4.495W
Intel Core i3-9350KF75.72%Coffee Lake4 / 44.0 / 4.691W
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X75.62%Zen 24 / 83.8 / 4.365W
Intel Core i5-9600K75.41%Coffee Lake-R6 / 63.7 / 4.695W
Intel Core i9-10980XE75.24%Cascade Lake-X18 / 363.0 / 4.8165W
AMD Threadripper 3990X75.10%Zen 264 / 1282.9 / 4.3280W
Intel Core i7-870074.66%Coffee Lake6 / 123.2 / 4.665W
AMD Threadripper Pro 3995WX74.20%Zen 264 / 1282.7 / 4.2280W
AMD Ryzen 5 360073.02%Zen 26 / 123.6 / 4.265W
Intel Core i9-9980XE~Skylake18 / 364.4 / 4.5165W
Intel Core i7-7700K~Kaby Lake4 / 84.2 / 4.591W
Intel Core i5-8600K71.08%Coffee Lake6 / 63.6 / 4.395W
Core i3-1010070.80%Coffee Lake4 / 83.6 / 4.365W
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X69.53%Zen+8 / 163.7 / 4.3105W
Intel Core i3-910069.20%Coffee Lake-R4 / 43.6 / 4.265W
AMD Ryzen 3 310067.74%Zen 24 / 83.8 / 3.965W
Intel Core i5-9400 / -9400F67.67%Coffee Lake6 / 62.9 / 4.165W
Intel Xeon W-3175X67.51%Skylake28 / 563.1 / 3.8225W
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X66.78%Zen+6 / 123.6 / 4.295W
Intel Core i3-8350K / -8350KF66.71%Coffee Lake4 / 44.0 / -91W
Intel Core i5-840066.03%Coffee Lake6 / 62.8 / 4.065W
AMD Ryzen 5 3500X~Zen 26 / 63.6 / 4.165W
AMD Ryzen 9 3900~Zen 212 / 243.1 / 4.365W
Intel Core i3-7100~Kaby Lake2 / 43.9 / -51W
AMD Threadripper 2950X~Zen +16 / 323.5 / 4.4180W
AMD Threadripper 2990WX~Zen+32 / 643.0 / 4.2250W
AMD Threadripper 2970WX~Zen +24 / 483.0 / 4.2250W
AMD Ryzen 5 3400G64.86%Zen +4 / 83.7 / 4.265W
AMD Ryzen 5 1600X63.62%Zen6 / 123.6 / 4.095W
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X61.99%Zen8 / 163.6 / 4.095W
Intel Core i5-7400~Kaby Lake4 / 4 3.0 / 3.565W
AMD Ryzen 3 3200G60.90%Zen +4 / 43.6 / 4.065W
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G60.79%Zen+4 / 83.6 / 3.965W
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X~Zen4 / 43.5 / 3.765W
AMD Ryzen 5 1600AF~Zen6 / 123.2 / 3.665W
Intel Pentium G560060.13%Coffee Lake2 / 43.9 / -54W
Intel Core i3-810060.12%Coffee Lake4 / 43.6 / -65W
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G57.09%Zen4 / 43.5 / 3.765W
Intel Pentium G540056.79%Coffee Lake2 / 43.7 / -54W
AMD Athlon 3000G~Zen+2 / 43.5 / -35W
AMD Athlon 220GE~Zen2 / 43.4 / -35W
Intel Pentium G4560~Kaby Lake2 / 43.5 / -54W
AMD Athlon 200GE~Zen2 / 43.2 / -35W
AMD A10-9700~Bristol Ridge4 / 43.5 / 3.865W
Zhaoxin KaiXian KX-U6780A~LuJiaZui 8 / 82.7 / -70W

These results are from our 2022 test bench. We calculate the above single-threaded CPU benchmark rankings based on a geometric mean of the Cinebench, POV-Ray, and LAME CPU benchmarks. The most powerful chip gets a 100, and all others are scored relative to it. We conducted these tests in Windows 10.

Legacy: 2020 - 2022 Multi-Threaded CPU Benchmarks Rankings

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Legacy: Multi-Threaded CPU Benchmarks Hierarchy 2020 - 2022 - Windows 10
 Multi-Threaded App ScoreArchitectureCores/ThreadsBase/Boost GHzTDP
AMD Threadripper Pro 5995WX112.53%Zen 364 / 1282.7 / 4.5280W
AMD Threadripper 3990X100.0%Zen 264 / 1282.9 / 4.3280W
AMD Threadripper Pro 3995WX97.59%Zen 264 / 1282.7 / 4.2280W
AMD Threadripper Pro 5975WX93.14%Zen 332 / 643.6 / 4.5280W
AMD Threadripper Pro 3975WX82.59%Zen 232 / 643.5 / 4.2280W
AMD Threadripper 3970X75.74%Zen 232 / 643.7 / 4.5280W
AMD Threadripper 3960X64.76%Zen 224 / 483.8 / 4.5280W
Intel Xeon W-3175X59.95%Skylake28 / 563.1 / 4.3225W
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X53.58%Zen 316 / 323.4 / 4.9105W
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X47.32%Zen 216 / 323.5 / 4.7105W
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X45.89%Zen 312 / 243.7 / 4.8105W
Intel Core i9-10980XE43.06%Cascade Lake-X18 / 363.0 / 4.8165W
Intel Core i9-9980XE~Skylake18 / 364.4 / 4.5165W
AMD Threadripper 2990WX~Zen+32 / 643.0 / 4.2250W
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X38.69%Zen 212 / 243.8 / 4.6105W
AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT38.66%Zen 212 / 243.8 / 4.7105W
Core i9-12900K DDR4 / DDR538.39% / 38.11%Alder Lake16 / 24 (8P+8E)3.2 / 5.2125 / 241W
Intel Core i9-11900K (ABT off/on)36.01% / 37.07%Rocket Lake8 / 163.5 / 5.3125W
AMD Threadripper 2970WX~Zen +24 / 483.0 / 4.2250W
Core i7-11700K34.26%Rocket Lake8 / 163.6 / 5.0125W
Intel Core i9-10900K33.79%Comet Lake10 / 203.7 / 5.3125W
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X33.48%Zen 38 / 163.8 / 4.7105W
Intel Core i9-10850K33.38%Comet Lake10 / 203.6 / 5.295W
AMD Threadripper 2950X~Zen +16 / 323.5 / 4.4180W
AMD Ryzen 9 3900~Zen 212 / 243.1 / 4.365W
Ryzen 7 5700G29.73%Zen 38 / 163.8 / 4.665W
Intel Core i9-9900KS29.11%Coffee Lake-R8 / 164.0 / 5.0127W
Core i7-12700K DDR5 / DDR4 28.77% / 28.77%Alder Lake12 / 20 (8P+4E)2.7 / 3.8125 / 190W
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT28.49%Zen 28 / 163.9 / 4.7105W
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X28.25%Zen 28 / 163.9 / 4.5105W
Intel Core i7-10700K28.17%Comet Lake8 / 163.8 / 5.1125W
Intel Core i9-9900K27.78%Coffee Lake-R8 / 163.6 / 5.095W
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X27.47%Zen 28 / 163.6 / 4.465W
Intel Core i5-11600K26.79%Rocket Lake8 / 163.9 / 4.9125W
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X26.15%Zen 36 / 123.7 / 4.665W
AMD Ryzen 7 4750G26.06%Zen 38 / 163.6 / 4.465W
Intel Core i7-10700/F~Comet Lake8 / 162.9 / 4.865W
Intel Core i5-1140024.46%Rocket Lake6 / 122.6 / 4.465W
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G23.33%Zen 36 / 123.9 / 4.465W
Core i5-12600K DDR4 / DDR52308% / 23.07%Alder Lake10 / 16 (6P+4E)3.7 / 4.9125 / 150W
Intel Core i7-9700K22.81%Coffee Lake-R8 / 83.6 / 4.995W
AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT22.28%Zen 26 / 123.8 / 4.595W
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X21.76%Zen 26 / 123.8 / 4.495W
AMD Ryzen 5 360021.41%Zen 26 / 123.6 / 4.265W
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X21.59%Zen+8 / 163.7 / 4.3105W
Intel Core i5-10600K20.83%Comet Lake6 / 124.1 / 4.8125W
Intel Core i7-8700K20.23%Coffee Lake6 / 123.7 / 4.795W
Core i7-870020.04%Coffee Lake6 / 123.2 / 4.665W
Core i7-8086K19.30%Coffee Lake6 / 124.0 / 5.095W
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X19.17%Zen8 / 163.6 / 4.095W
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X16.96%Zen+6 / 123.6 / 4.295W
Intel Core i5-9600K16.60%Coffee Lake-R6 / 63.7 / 4.695W
AMD Ryzen 5 3500X~Zen 26 / 63.6 / 4.165W
Intel Core i7-7700K~Kaby Lake4 / 84.2 / 4.591W
Intel Core i5-8600K15.93%Coffee Lake6 / 63.6 / 4.395W
AMD Ryzen 3 5300G15.83%Zen 34 / 84.0 / 4.265W
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X15.55%Zen 24 / 83.8 / 4.365W
AMD Ryzen 5 1600AF~Zen6 / 123.2 / 3.665W
AMD Ryzen 5 1600X15.16%Zen6 / 123.6 / 4.095W
Intel Core i5-9400 / -9400F15.04%Coffee Lake6 / 62.9 / 4.165W
Intel Core i5-840014.76%Coffee Lake6 / 62.8 / 4.065W
AMD Ryzen 3 310014.17%Zen 24 / 83.8 / 3.965W
Core i3-1010013.37%Rocket Lake4 / 83.6 / 4.365W
Intel Core i3-9350KF11.76%Coffee Lake4 / 44.0/4.691W
AMD Ryzen 5 3400G11.31%Zen +4 / 83.7 / 4.265W
Intel Core i3-8350K10.74%Coffee Lake4 / 44.0 / -91W
Intel Core i3-910010.70%Coffee Lake-R4 / 43.6 / 4.265W
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G10.56%Zen+4 / 83.6 / 3.965W
Intel Core i3-81009.61%Coffee Lake4 / 43.6 / -65W
Intel Core i5-7400~Kaby Lake4 / 4 3.0 / 3.565W
AMD Ryzen 3 3200G8.66%Zen +4 / 43.6 / 4.065W
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X~Zen4 / 43.5 / 3.765W
Intel Core i3-7100~Kaby Lake2 / 43.9 / -51W
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G7.99%Zen4 / 43.5 / 3.765W
Intel Pentium G56005.43%Coffee Lake2 / 43.9 / -54W
AMD Athlon 3000G~Zen+2 / 43.5 / -35W
AMD Athlon 220GE~Zen2 / 43.4 / -35W
Intel Pentium G54005.13%Coffee Lake2 / 43.7 / -54W
AMD Athlon 200GE~Zen2 / 43.2 / -35W
Intel Pentium G4560~Kaby Lake2 / 43.5 / -54W
AMD A10-9700~Bristol Ridge4 / 43.5 / 3.865W
Zhaoxin KaiXian KX-U6780A~LuJiaZui 8 / 82.7 / -70W

These tests are from our 2022 test bench. The multi-threaded workload column is based on CPU benchmarks performance in Cinebench, POV-ray, vray, Blender (four tests - Koro, Barcellona, Classroom, bmw27), y-cruncher, and Handbrake x264 and x265 workloads. These CPU benchmarks represent performance in productivity-focused applications that tend to require more compute horsepower. The most powerful chip gets a 100, and all others are scored relative to it. We conducted these benchmarks in Windows 10. 

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Legacy 2023 CPU Benchmarks Hierarchy Test Setup
HardwareHeader Cell - Column 1
AMD Socket AM4 (400- 500-Series)AMD Ryzen 2000- 3000- 5000- series processors
 MSI MEG X570 Godlike
 2x 8GB Trident Z Royal DDR4-3600
Intel LGA 1151 (Z490)Intel Comet Lake processors
 MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
 2x 8GB Trident Z Royal DDR4-3600
AMD Socket AM4 (300-Series)Ryzen 1000-series processors
 MSI X370 Xpower Gaming Titanium
 2x 8GB G.Skill FlareX DDR4-3200 @ DDR4-2667
Intel LGA 1151 (Z270)Intel Coffee Lake, Kaby Lake processors
 MSI Z270 Gaming M7
 2x 8GB Trident Z Royal DDR4-3600
Intel LGA 2066Intel Skylake processors
 MSI X299 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
 2x 8GB Trident Z Royal DDR4-3600
AllGigabyte GeForce RTX 3090 Eagle
 2TB Intel DC4510 SSD
 EVGA Supernova 1600 T2, 1600W
 Windows 10 Pro version 2004 (build 19041.450)
CoolingCorsair H115i

Legacy: Pre-2018 Desktop CPU Benchmarks

Recognizing that a lot of older platforms are going to be paired with graphics subsystems multiple generations old, we wanted to define the top of our range to encourage balance between host processing and complementary GPUs. At this point, anyone with a Sandy Bridge-based Core i7 would realize a gain from stepping up to Coffee Lake or Kaby Lake, for example. And putting AMD's top FX CPUs next to a handful of Core i7s and those older Core i5s represents an upgrade to their status.

Currently, our hierarchy consists of 13 total tiers. The bottom half of the chart is largely outdated; you'll notice those CPUs dragging down performance in the latest games, whether you have one of the best graphics cards or not. If you own a CPU in that range, an upgrade could really take your experience to another level.

Really, it's the top five tiers or so that remain viable. And in that top half of the chart, an upgrade is typically worthwhile if it's a least a couple of tiers higher. Otherwise, there's just not enough improvement to warrant the expense of a fresh CPU, motherboard and RAM (not to mention the graphics card and storage solution you'd be considering as well). 

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Legacy: Pre-2018 Desktop CPU Benchmarks Hierarchy
Intel CPUsAMD CPUs and APUs
Intel Core i7-8700K Row 1 - Cell 1
Intel Core i9-7900XRow 2 - Cell 1
Intel Core i9-7960XRow 3 - Cell 1
Intel Core i9-7980XERow 4 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-8700KRow 5 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-7740XRow 6 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-7700KRow 7 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-7820XAMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
Intel Core i7-7700AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X
Intel Core i5-8400AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
Intel Core i7-7800XAMD Ryzen Threadripper 1900X
Intel Core i7-7700TAMD Ryzen 7 1700X
Intel Core i7-6950XAMD Ryzen 7 1700
Intel Core i7-6900KAMD Ryzen 5 1600X
Intel Core i7-6850KAMD Ryzen 5 1600
Intel Core i7-6800KAMD Ryzen 5 1500X
Intel Core i7-6700KAMD Ryzen 5 1400
Intel Core i7 6700AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
Intel Core i7-5960XRyzen 5 2400G
Intel Core i7-5930KRow 20 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-5820KRow 21 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-5775CRow 22 - Cell 1
Intel i7-4960XRow 23 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-4930KRow 24 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-4820KRow 25 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-4790KRow 26 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-4770KRow 27 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-4790Row 28 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-4771Row 29 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-4770Row 30 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-3970XRow 31 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-3960XRow 32 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-3930KRow 33 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-3820Row 34 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-3770KRow 35 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-3770Row 36 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-7640XRow 37 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-7600KRow 38 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-7600Row 39 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-7500Row 40 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-7400Row 41 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5 6600KRow 42 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-6600Row 43 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-6500Row 44 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5 6402PRow 45 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-6400Row 46 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-5675CRow 47 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-4690KRow 48 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-4670KRow 49 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-4590Row 50 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-4670Row 51 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-4570Row 52 - Cell 1
Intel BX80646I54460Row 53 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-4440Row 54 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-4430Row 55 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-3570KRow 56 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-3570Row 57 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-3550Row 58 - Cell 1
Row 59 - Cell 0 Row 59 - Cell 1
Intel CPUsAMD CPUs and APUs
Intel Core i7-990X ExtremeRow 61 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-980X ExtremeRow 62 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-975 ExtremeRow 63 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-2600KRow 64 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-2600Row 65 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-965Row 66 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-3470Row 67 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-3450PIntel Core i7-7700
Intel Core i5-3450AMD FX-9370
Intel Core i5-3350PAMD FX-8370
Intel Core i5-3330AMD FX-8350 w/Wraith
Intel Core i5-2550KAMD FX-8320
Intel Core i5-2500KAMD FX-8300
Intel Core i5-2500AMD FX-8150
Intel Core i5-2450PRow 75 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-2400Row 76 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-2380PRow 77 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-2320Row 78 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-2310Row 79 - Cell 1
Intel Core i5-2300Row 80 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-7350KRow 81 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-7320Row 82 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-7300Row 83 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-7100Row 84 - Cell 1
Row 85 - Cell 0 Row 85 - Cell 1
Intel CPUsAMD CPUs and APUs
Intel Core i7-980Row 87 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-970Row 88 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-960Row 89 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-875KRow 90 - Cell 1
Intel Core i7-870Row 91 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3 6320Row 92 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3 6300Row 93 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-6100AMD FX-6350
Intel Core i3 6100TAMD FX-4350
Intel Core i3-6098PAMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition
Intel Core i3-4360AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition
Intel Core i3-4350AMD Phenom II X4 Black Edition 980
Intel Core i3-4340AMD Phenom II X4 Black Edition 975
Intel Core i3-4170Row 100 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-4160Row 101 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-4150Row 102 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-4130Row 103 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-3250Row 104 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-3245Row 105 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-3240Row 106 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-3225Row 107 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-3220Row 108 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-3210Row 109 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-2130Row 110 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-2025Row 111 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-2120Row 112 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-2105Row 113 - Cell 1
Intel Core i3-2100Row 114 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G4620Row 115 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G4600Row 116 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G4560Row 117 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G4500Row 118 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G4400Row 119 - Cell 1
Row 120 - Cell 0 Row 120 - Cell 1
Intel CPUsAMD CPUs and APUs
Row 122 - Cell 0 AMD FX-8370E
Row 123 - Cell 0 AMD FX-8320
Row 124 - Cell 0 AMD FX-8120
Row 125 - Cell 0 AMD FX-6300
Row 126 - Cell 0 AMD FX-6200
Row 127 - Cell 0 AMD FX-4300
Row 128 - Cell 0 AMD FX-4170
Row 129 - Cell 0 AMD Phenom II X6 1075T
Intel Core i7-950AMD Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition
Intel Core i7-940AMD Phenom II X4 965
Intel Core i7-930AMD Phenom II X4 955
Intel Core i7-920AMD A10-7890K APU
Intel Core i7-860Intel A10-7870K
Intel Core i5-3220TAMD A10-7860K
Intel Core i5-2405SAMD A10-7850K
Intel Core i5-2400SAMD A10-7800
Intel Core i5-760AMD A10-7700K
Intel Core i5-750AMD A10-6800K
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9775AMD A10-6790K
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770AMD A10-6700
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650AMD A10-5800K
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650AMD A10-5700
Row 144 - Cell 0 Intel A8-7650K
Row 145 - Cell 0 AMD A8-7600
Row 146 - Cell 0 AMD A8-6600K
Row 147 - Cell 0 AMD A8-5600K
Row 148 - Cell 0 AMD A8-3870K
Row 149 - Cell 0 AMD A8-3870
Row 150 - Cell 0 AMD A8-3850
Row 151 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon X4 880K
Row 152 - Cell 0 Intel Athlon X4 870K)
Row 153 - Cell 0 Intel A10-7870K
Row 154 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon X4 750K
Row 155 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon X4 740
Row 156 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon X4 651K
Row 157 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon X4 645
Row 158 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon X4 641
Row 159 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon X4 640
Row 160 - Cell 0 Row 160 - Cell 1
Intel CPUsAMD CPUs and APUs
Row 162 - Cell 0 AMD FX-6100
Row 163 - Cell 0 AMD FX-4130
Row 164 - Cell 0 AMD FX-4100
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850AMD Phenom II X6 1055T
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6800AMD Phenom II X6 1045T
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550AMD Phenom II X4 945
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450AMD Phenom II X4 940
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400AMD Phenom II X4 920
Intel Core i5-680AMD Phenom II X3 740
Intel Core i5-670AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition
Intel Core i5-661AMD A8-6500
Intel Core i5-660AMD A8-5500
Intel Core i5-655KAMD A6
Intel Core i5-650AMD A6
Intel Core i3-2120TAMD A6-3670K
Intel Core i3-2100TAMD A6-3650
Row 178 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon II X4 635
Row 179 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon II X4 630
Row 180 - Cell 0 Row 180 - Cell 1
Intel CPUsAMD CPUs and APUs
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700Row 182 - Cell 1
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300Row 183 - Cell 1
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400Row 184 - Cell 1
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300Row 185 - Cell 1
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700Row 186 - Cell 1
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600Row 187 - Cell 1
Intel Core 2 Duo E8600Row 188 - Cell 1
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500AMD Phenom II X4 910
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400AMD Phenom II X4 910e
Intel Core 2 Duo E7600AMD Phenom II X4 810
Intel Core i3-550AMD Athlon II X4 631
Intel Core i3-540AMD Athlon II X4 620
Intel Core i3-530AMD Athlon II X3 460
Intel Pentium G3470Row 195 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G3460Row 196 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G3450Row 197 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G3440Row 198 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G3430Row 199 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G3420Row 200 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G3260Row 201 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G3258Row 202 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G3250Row 203 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G3220Row 204 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G2130Row 205 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G2120Row 206 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G2020Row 207 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G2010Row 208 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G870Row 209 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G860Row 210 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G850Row 211 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G840Row 212 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G645Row 213 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G640Row 214 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium G630Row 215 - Cell 1
Row 216 - Cell 0 Row 216 - Cell 1
Intel CPUsAMD CPUs and APUs
Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800Row 218 - Cell 1
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200Row 219 - Cell 1
Intel Core 2 Duo E8300AMD Phenom II X4 905e
Intel Core 2 Duo E8200AMD Phenom II X4 805
Intel Core 2 Duo E8190AMD Phenom II X3 710
Intel Core 2 Duo E7500AMD Phenom II X3 705e
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400AMD Phenom II X2 565 Black Edition
Intel Core 2 Duo E6850AMD Phenom II X2 560 Black Edition
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition
Intel Pentium G620AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition
Intel Celeron G1630AMD Phenom II X2 545
Intel Celeron G1620AMD Phenom X4 9950
Intel Celeron G1610AMD Athlon II X3 455
Intel Celeron G555AMD Athlon II X3 450
Intel Celeron G550AMD Athlon II X3 445
Intel Celeron G540AMD Athlon II X3 440
Intel Celeron G530AMD Athlon II X3 435
Intel Celeron G3950AMD Athlon II X3 425
Intel Celeron G3930Row 236 - Cell 1
Intel Celeron G3930Row 237 - Cell 1
Intel Celeron G3900Row 238 - Cell 1
Row 239 - Cell 0 Row 239 - Cell 1
Intel CPUsAMD CPUs and APUs
Row 241 - Cell 0 AMD Phenom X4 9850
Row 242 - Cell 0 AMD Phenom X4 9750
Row 243 - Cell 0 AMD Phenom X4 9650
Intel Core 2 Duo E7300AMD Phenom X4 9600
Intel Core 2 Duo E7200AMD Phenom X3 8850
Intel Core 2 Duo E6700AMD Phenom X3 8750
Intel Core 2 Duo E6550AMD Athlon II X2 370K
Intel Core 2 Duo E6540AMD Athlon II X2 265
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6700AMD Athlon II X2 260
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6600AMD Athlon II X2 255
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E650AMD A6-5500K
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6300AMD A6
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5800AMD A4-7300
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5700AMD A4-6400K
Intel Pentium G9650AMD A4-6300
Row 256 - Cell 0 AMD A4-5400K
Row 257 - Cell 0 AMD A4-5300
Row 258 - Cell 0 AMD A4-4400
Row 259 - Cell 0 AMD A4-4000
Row 260 - Cell 0 AMD A4-3400
Row 261 - Cell 0 AMD A4-3300
Row 262 - Cell 0 AMD Sempron 2650
Row 263 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+
Row 264 - Cell 0 Row 264 - Cell 1
Intel CPUsAMD CPUs and APUs
Row 266 - Cell 0 AMD Phenom X4 9550
Row 267 - Cell 0 AMD Phenom X4 9500
Row 268 - Cell 0 AMD Phenom X4 9450e
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600AMD Phenom X4 9350e
Intel Core 2 Duo E6420AMD Phenom X3 8650
Intel Core 2 Duo E4700AMD Phenom X3 8600
Intel Core 2 Duo E4600AMD Phenom X3 8550
Intel Core 2 Duo E4500AMD Phenom X3 8450e
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5400AMD Phenom X3 8450
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5300AMD Phenom X3 8400
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200AMD Phenom X3 8250e
Intel Pentium Dual-Core G620TAMD Athlon II X2 250
Row 278 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon II X2 245
Row 279 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon II X2 240
Row 280 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon X2 7850
Row 281 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon X2 7750
Row 282 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+
Row 283 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+
Row 284 - Cell 0 Row 284 - Cell 1
Intel CPUsAMD CPUs and APUs
Row 286 - Cell 0 AMD Phenom X4 9150e
Row 287 - Cell 0 AMD Phenom X4 9100e
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400AMD Athlon X2 7550
Intel Core 2 Duo E6320AMD Athlon X2 7450
Intel Core 2 Duo E4400AMD Athlon X2 5050e
Intel Core 2 Duo E4300AMD Athlon X2 4850e/b
Intel Celeron E3300AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+
Row 293 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+
Row 294 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+
Row 295 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+
Row 296 - Cell 0 Row 296 - Cell 1
Intel CPUsAMD CPUs and APUs
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300AMD Athlon X2 6550
Intel Core 2 Duo E5500AMD Athlon X2 6500
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2220AMD Athlon X2 4450e/b
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2200AMD Athlon X2 4600+
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2210AMD Athlon X2 4400+
Intel Celeron E3200AMD Athlon X2 4200+
Row 304 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon X2 BE-2400
Row 305 - Cell 0 Row 305 - Cell 1
Intel CPUsAMD CPUs and APUs
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2180AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+
Intel Celeron 1600AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+
Intel Celeron G440AMD Athlon X2 4050e
Row 310 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon X2 2300 Black Edition
Row 311 - Cell 0 Row 311 - Cell 1
Intel CPUsAMD CPUs and APUs
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2160Row 313 - Cell 1
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2140Row 314 - Cell 1
Intel Celeron E1500Row 315 - Cell 1
Intel Celeron E1400Row 316 - Cell 1
Intel Celeron E1200Row 317 - Cell 1
Paul Alcorn
Paul Alcorn
Managing Editor: News and Emerging Tech

Paul Alcorn is the Managing Editor: News and Emerging Tech for Tom's Hardware US. He also writes news and reviews on CPUs, storage, and enterprise hardware.

243 Comments Comment from the forums
  • abryant
    Archived comments are found here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3819348/intel-amd-processor-hierarchy.html
    Reply
  • King_V
    Will the G5xxx Pentiums, as well as the Ryzen-based Athlons, be added?

    Come to think about it, maybe the AM4 versions of the A10 and A12?

    Low end stuff, true, but still interesting I think to see where the new bottom-end CPUs fit relative to some of the older things that were decent performers in their day.
    Reply
  • Yarberger1
    I have an i5-3570. I have previously been told that an upgrade to (for example) an i7-8700K would see a significant improvement and would be well worth the investment. This article seems to say the exact opposite.

    I presently have a 1920x1080 monitor and GTX960 GPU. My system is used for general office applications, surfing and limited gaming (WoW, with an intention to switch to Elite: Dangerous shortly).
    Reply
  • King_V
    My son, at his mother's house, still uses an i5-2320 with a GTX 660Ti. Handles his needs just fine. I'd say with your usage, what you have is more than sufficient.
    Reply
  • Yarberger1
    Would this remain the case if I were to upgrade to a 2560x1440 monitor? (Thanks for the reply)
    Reply
  • King_V
    That I couldn't say - as I'm not familiar with those particular games or how demanding they are.

    Might be more appropriate to start a separate thread though, for that question. That way you're more likely to get people who can address that question than who would see it buried in the midst of this thread about the hierarchy charts.
    Reply
  • urbanman2004
    Would it be advisable to upgrade the GPU on a system running a i7-980X (w/ 16GB RAM) from a GTX 680 (2GB) to a GTX 1070 (8GB)?
    Reply
  • King_V
    That would really be more dependent on your monitor's resolution and refresh rate. Could be the right choice, could be a bit of overkill, depending on the monitor.
    Reply
  • nufelevas
    Here are the prices updates to February 2019.

    The size of the bubbles indicate application performance.

    The labels in red belong to best buys (lower price or higher performance)


    Not all prices and processors on the article are on sale anymore, so I excluded some CPUs.

    Prices source:
    Intel Core i7-8700K $ 400 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B07598VZR8/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
    Intel Core i7-8700 $ 350 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B07598HLB4/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new
    Intel Core i9-7960X $ 930 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B075XRYMDS/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new
    Intel Core i5-8600K $ 260 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0759FKH8K/?tag=pcpapi-20
    AMD Ryzen 5 2600X $ 216 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B07B428V2L/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
    AMD Ryzen 7 2700X $ 310 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B07B428M7F/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
    Intel Core i9-7980XE $ 1.900 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Intel-Core-i9-7980XE-Skylake-X-18-Core-2-6-GHz-LGA-2066-Desktop-Processor-BX80673I97980X/267995409?affp1=Gf2ssvCIn0M5cClvlZxbzAfXxGbjFWVJaxJnUrYVLKY&affilsrc=api&u1=&oid=223073.7200&wmlspartner=8BacdVP0GFs&sourceid=24923187711495984409&affillinktype=14&veh=aff
    Intel Core i9-7900X $ 1.013 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAA6581U4822&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-ed-Future%20Publishing%20Ltd-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=12920453&PID=8900246&SID=tomshardware-thaus:en_US_18_Review_4312
    Intel Core i7-7700K $ 419 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B01MXSI216/ref=olp_f_new?ie=UTF8&f_new=true
    Intel Core i5-8400 $ 200 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0759FGJ3Q/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new
    AMD Threadripper 2950X $ 930 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B07GFN6CVF/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new
    Intel Core i7-7820X $ 670 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B072NF4BY3/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new
    Intel Core i3-8350K $ 200 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0759FWJDK/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new
    AMD Ryzen 7 2700 $ 260 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B07B41717Z/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
    AMD Threadripper 1900X $ 310 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0754JNQBP/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
    Intel Core i7-7700 $ 340 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B01N0L41N7/ref=olp_f_new?ie=UTF8&f_new=true
    Threadripper 2990WX $ 1.730 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B07G25SD1P/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new
    AMD Ryzen 5 2600 $ 165 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B07B41WS48/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new
    Intel Core i7-7800X $ 400 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117793&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-VigLink2-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=12087162&PID=8167422&SID=js0gcflbe00035wt05278&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-VigLink2&cjevent=05fe1ba92e0c11e98283044d0a24060d
    Intel Core i5-7600K $ 280 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B01MRRPPQS/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
    AMD Threadripper 1950X $ 590 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113447&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-ed-Future%20Publishing%20Ltd-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=12920453&PID=8900246&SID=tomshardware-thaus:en_US_18_Review_4312
    AMD Threadripper 1920X $ 450 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B074CBJHCT/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new
    AMD Ryzen 7 1800X $ 320 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B06W9JXK4G/ref=olp_f_new?ie=UTF8&f_new=true
    Intel Core i5-7600 $ 270 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B01MYTYSMK?tag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=tomshardware-thaus:en_US_18_Review_4312-20
    AMD Ryzen 7 1700X $ 190 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B06X3W9NGG/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
    AMD Ryzen 5 1600X $ 160 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B06XKWT7GD/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
    Intel Core i3-8100 $ 119 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0759FTRZL/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new
    Intel Core i5-7500 $ 242 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B01MZZJ1P0/ref=olp_f_new?ie=UTF8&f_new=true
    Intel Core i5-7400 $ 220 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117731&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-ed-Future%20Publishing%20Ltd-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=12920453&PID=8900246&SID=tomshardware-thaus:en_US_18_Review_4312
    AMD Ryzen 7 1700 $ 170 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B06WP5YCX6/ref=olp_f_new?ie=UTF8&f_new=true
    AMD Ryzen 5 1500X $ 160 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B06XKVNRSM/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new
    Intel Core i3-7350K $ 200 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117772&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-VigLink2-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=12087162&PID=8167422&SID=js0h0apiku0035wt05278&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-VigLink2&cjevent=9d681f5d2e0e11e9809a04500a240614
    AMD Ryzen 5 2400G $ 150 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B079D8FD28/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new
    Intel Core i3-7300 $ 241 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B01N59LL8R?tag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=tomshardware-thaus:en_US_18_Review_4312-20
    Intel Core i3-7100 $ 170 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B01NCESRJX/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
    AMD Ryzen 5 1400 $ 135 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B06XKWT8J4/ref=olp_f_new?tag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=tomshardware-thaus:en_US_18_Review_4312-20&f_new=true
    AMD Ryzen 3 1300X $ 160 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0741DLVL7/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new
    AMD Ryzen 3 2200G $ 95 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B079D3DBNM/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new
    Intel Pentium G4560 $ 110 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117743&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-VigLink2-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=12087162&PID=8167422&SID=js0h9q5vas0035wt05278&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-VigLink2&cjevent=a399b49e2e0f11e9826d04460a24060f
    AMD Ryzen 3 1200 $ 95 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0741DN383/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new
    Reply
  • drawingpin
    The amazon prices showing for the likes of the Ryzen 2600X are inflated as they're displaying the price for a combo deal with a Corsair AIO. Not very helpful as price is a huge factor and the Ryzen CPUs already come with their own cooler.
    Reply