Your CPU has a huge effect on overall performance and, to many, is a computer's most important component. But when it comes time to buy a CPU for your desktop, you'll find a dizzying morass of model numbers and specs from both Intel and AMD. We've listed our the best CPUs for gaming and best processors for applications in other articles, but if you want to know how each chip stacks up against all the others, this CPU Hierarchy is for you.
Below, we've ranked all the consumer Intel 9th, 8th and 7th Gen processors, along with AMD's Ryzen and latest Ryzen 3000 and Threadripper chips. We determined the order based on average gaming performance across our test suite, but we also include an application performance metric in the application score column. We generate this metric via a geometric mean of application performance in compression, decompression, HandBrake, Blender and the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite.
Recent updates to our application testing suite, along with performance-altering updates to a few of our game titles, have forced us to recalculate our scoring metrics. We've left our historical data, in which the most powerful chip gets a 100 and all others are scored relative to it, but we're working to update to the new metric and will include it in a future update. If you want our recommendations, please check out our Best CPUs page.
The biggest news for those in need of lots of cores and threads is the Ryzen 9 3950X. It sports 16 cores and 32 threads, a boost clock of 4.7GHz, and runs $749. Paired with a lower-cost X570 or X470 motherboard, it is even faster than lower-end Threadripper builds a run for their money. It doesn't take the absolute gaming crown, but given the value and its spacious core accommodations, it is better for most than the Core i9-9900K or the Core i9-9900KS. It also delivers a big blow to Intel's Core i9-10980XE, offering more performance in most workloads at a far lower price point.
Speaking of the Core i9-10980XE, Intel's new flagship landed amidst AMD's third-gen Ryzen Threadripper assault, making it appear rather lackluster in terms of sheer threaded power. At 18 cores and 36 threads, it's no challenge to AMD's new behemoths, so it now slots into a lower price point. Overall, the chip trails Threadripper 3000 for overall performance in threaded applications, though it still takes the win in gaming, but is pressured by the Ryzen 9 3950X at its lower price point. This processor is a tough sell for all but those who need quad-channel memory or more PCIe lanes than the 3950X has to offer.
AMD's Threadripper 3970X and 3960X landed to broad acclaim, taking home Editor's Choice awards. These processors set the new benchmark for overall performance as they also create a new upper tier of the HEDT market, one that Intel has no answer for. Instead, these powerful chips have pushed Intel down a price and performance bracket and come with the 7nm process, Zen 2 microartchitecture, and PCIe 4.0 interface. AMD's typical competitive pricing also comes into play, making these the only option for the upper echelons of HEDT performance.
Most recently, we tested Intel's Core i3-9350KF. While its gaming and single-thread performance are good (the former with a required dedicated GPU), it offers little in the way of substantive features over the previous-generation part it replaces. And given the excellent competition from AMD both above and below it, Intel's latest unlocked Core i3 is tough to recommend.
| Gaming Score | Application Score | CPU | Cores /Threads | Base /Boost | TDP | Buy | |
| Intel Core i9-9900K | ~ | ~ | Coffee Lake-R | 8 / 16 | 3.6 / 5.0 GHz | 95W | |
| Intel Core i9-9900KF | ~ | ~ | Coffee Lake-R | 8 / 16 | 3.6 / 5.0 GHz | 95W | |
| AMD Ryzen 9 3950X | ~ | ~ | Zen 2 | 16 / 32 | 3.5 / 4.7 GHz | 105W | |
| AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | ~ | ~ | Zen 2 | 12 / 24 | 3.8 / 4.6 GHz | 105W | |
| AMD Ryzen 7 3800X | ~ | ~ | Zen 2 | 8 / 16 | 3.9 / 4.5 GHz | 105W | |
| AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | ~ | ~ | Zen 2 | 8 / 16 | 3.6 / 4.4 GHz | 65W | |
| Intel Core i7-9700K | ~ | ~ | Coffee Lake-R | 8 / 8 | 3.6 / 4.9 GHz | 95W | |
| Intel Core i7-8700K | 100 | 70.4 | Coffee Lake | 6 / 12 | 3.7 / 4.7 GHz | 95W | |
| Intel Core i7-8700 | 99.98 | 61.1 | Coffee Lake | 6 / 12 | 3.2 / 4.6 GHz | 65W | |
| Intel Core i9-7960X | 99.97 | 96.9 | Skylake | 16 / 32 | 2.8 / 4.2 GHz | 165W | |
| AMD Ryzen 5 3600X | ~ | ~ | Zen 2 | 6 / 12 | 3.8 / 4.4 GHz | 95W | |
| Intel Core i5-9600K | ~ | ~ | Coffee Lake-R | 6 / 6 | 3.7 / 4.6 GHz | 95W | |
| AMD Ryzen 5 3600 | ~ | ~ | Zen 2 | 6 / 12 | 3.6 / 4.2 | 65W | |
| Intel Core i5-8600K | 99.91 | 56.1 | Coffee Lake | 6 / 6 | 3.6 / 4.3 GHz | 95W | |
| AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | 98.2 | 57.9 | Zen+ | 6 / 12 | 3.6 / 4.2 GHz | 95W | |
| AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | 97.2 | 70 | Zen+ | 8 / 16 | 3.7 / 4.3 GHz | 105W | |
| Intel Xeon W-3175X | ~ | ~ | Skylake | 28 / 56 | 3.1 / 4.3 GHz | 225W | |
| Intel Core i9-10980XE | ~ | ~ | Cascade Lake-X | 18 / 36 | 3.0 / 4.8 | 165W | |
| Intel Core i9-9980XE | ~ | ~ | Skylake | 18 / 36 | 4.4 / 4.5 GHz | 165W | |
| AMD Threadripper 3960X | ~ | ~ | Zen 2 | 24 / 48 | 3.8 / 4.5 GHz | 280W | |
| AMD Threadripper 3970X | ~ | ~ | Zen 2 | 32 / 64 | 3.7 / 4.5 GHz | 280W | |
| Intel Core i9-7980XE | 97 | 99.9 | Skylake | 18 / 36 | 2.6 / 4.2 GHz | 165W | |
| Intel Core i9-7900X | 96 | 75 | Skylake | 10 / 20 | 3.3 / 4.3 GHz | 140W | |
| Intel Core i5-8600 | ~ | ~ | Coffee Lake | 6 / 6 | 3.1 / 4.3 GHz | 65W | |
| Intel Core i7-7700K | 96.6 | 45.4 | Kaby Lake | 4 / 8 | 4.2 / 4.5 GHz | 91W | |
| Intel Core i5-8500 | ~ | ~ | Coffee Lake | 6 / 6 | 3.0 / 4.1 GHz | 65W | |
| Core i5-9400 / i5-9400F | ~ | ~ | Coffee Lake | 6 / 6 | 2.9 / 4.1 GHz | 65W | |
| Intel Core i5-8400 | 95.6 | 45.8 | Coffee Lake | 6 / 6 | 2.8 / 4.0 GHz | 65W | |
| AMD Threadripper 2950X (GM) | 94 | 100 | Zen + | 16 / 32 | 3.5 / 4.4 GHz | 180W | |
| Intel Core i7-7820X | 93.1 | 71.7 | Skylake | 8 / 16 | 3.6 / 4.3 GHz | 140W | |
| Intel Core i3-9350KF | ~ | ~ | Coffee Lake | 4 / 4 | 4.0/4.6 GHz | 91W | |
| Intel Core i3-8350K | 93.0 | 34.3 | Coffee Lake | 4 / 4 | 4.0 / - GHz | 91W | |
| AMD Ryzen 7 2700 | 92.9 | 69 | Zen+ | 8 / 16 | 3.2 / 4.1 GHz | 65W | |
| AMD Threadripper 1900X (GM) | 92.8 | 60 | Zen | 8 / 16 | 3.8 / 4.0 GHz | 180W | |
| Intel Core i7-7700 | 92.7 | 41.6 | Kaby Lake | 4 / 8 | 3.6 / 4.2 GHz | 65W | |
| Threadripper 2990WX (GM) | 92.4 | 99.6 | Zen+ | 32 / 64 | 3.0 / 4.2 GHz | 250W | |
| AMD Ryzen 5 2600 | 91.5 | 50.6 | Zen+ | 6 / 12 | 3.4 / 3.9 GHz | 65W | |
| Intel Core i7-7800X | 88.7 | 70 | Skylake | 6 / 12 | 3.5 / 4.0 GHz | 140W | |
| Intel Core i5-7600K | 87.1 | 40 | Kaby Lake | 4 / 4 | 3.8 / 4.2 GHz | 91W | |
| AMD Threadripper 1950X (GM) | 86.7 | 88 | Zen | 16 / 32 | 3.4 / 4.0 GHz | 180W | |
| AMD Threadripper 1920X (GM) | 86.4 | 77.5 | Zen | 12 / 24 | 3.5 / 4.0 GHz | 180W | |
| AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | 86.1 | 59.2 | Zen | 8 / 16 | 3.6 / 4.0 GHz | 95W | |
| Intel Core i5-7600 | 85.9 | 57 | Kaby Lake | 4 / 4 | 3.5 / 4.1 GHz | 65W | |
| AMD Ryzen 7 1700X | 85.7 | 55 | Zen | 8 / 16 | 3.8 / 3.9 GHz | 95W | |
| AMD Ryzen 5 1600X | 84.8 | 48 | Zen | 6 / 12 | 3.6 / 4.0 GHz | 95W | |
| AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | 82.6 | 46.5 | Zen | 6 / 12 | 3.2 / 3.6 GHz | 65W | |
| Intel Core i3-8300 | ~ | ~ | Coffee Lake | 4 / 4 | 3.7 / - GHz | 62W | |
| Intel Core i3-8100 | 85.7 | 29.9 | Coffee Lake | 4 / 4 | 3.6 / - GHz | 65W | |
| Intel Core i5-7500 | 79.9 | 32 | Kaby Lake | 4 / 4 | 3.4 / 3.8 GHz | 65W | |
| Intel Core i5-7400 | 76.7 | 30.9 | Kaby Lake | 4 / 4 | 3.0 / 3.5 GHz | 65W | |
| AMD Ryzen 7 1700 | 75.9 | 52 | Zen | 8 / 16 | 3.0 / 3.8 GHz | 65W | |
| AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | 75.7 | 35.4 | Zen | 4 / 8 | 3.5 / 3.7 GHz | 65W | |
| Intel Core i3-7350K | 74.2 | 24 | Kaby Lake | 2 / 4 | 4.2 / - GHz | 60W | |
| AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | 72.0 | 34.2 | Zen+ | 4 / 8 | 3.6 / 3.9 GHz | 65W | |
| Intel Core i3-7300 | 69.8 | 23.3 | Kaby Lake | 2 / 4 | 4.0 / - GHz | 51W | |
| Intel Core i3-7100 | 67.5 | 22 | Kaby Lake | 2 / 4 | 3.9 / - GHz | 51W | |
| AMD Ryzen 5 1400 | 67.4 | 31.8 | Zen | 4 / 8 | 3.2 / 3.4 GHz | 65W | |
| AMD Ryzen 3 1300X | 66.7 | 26.4 | Zen | 4 / 4 | 3.5 / 3.7 GHz | 65W | |
| AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | 65.5 | 26.3 | Zen+ | 4 / 4 | 3.5 / 3.7 GHz | 65W | |
| AMD Athlon 240GE | ~ | ~ | Zen | 2 / 4 | 3.5 / - GHz | 35W | |
| AMD Athlon 220GE | ~ | ~ | Zen | 2 / 4 | 3.4 / - GHz | 35W | |
| AMD Athlon 200GE | ~ | ~ | Zen | 2 / 4 | 3.2 / - GHz | 35W | |
| Intel Pentium G5600 | ~ | ~ | Coffee Lake | 2 / 4 | 3.9 / - GHz | 54W | |
| Intel Pentium G5400 | ~ | ~ | Coffee Lake | 2 / 4 | 3.7 / - GHz | 54W | |
| Intel Pentium G4620 | 65.0 | 18.2 | Kaby Lake | 2 / 4 | 3.7 / - GHz | 54W | |
| Intel Pentium G4560 | 61.5 | 17.5 | Kaby Lake | 2 / 4 | 3.5 / - GHz | 54W | |
| AMD Ryzen 3 1200 | 61.1 | 22.7 | Zen | 4 / 4 | 3.1 / 3.2 GHz | 65W |
*GM = gaming mode
You may be surprised to find that some less-expensive chips ranked above their upscale siblings. For example, the AMD Ryzen 5 2600X comes out ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X on this list because it offers better sustained performance, which was enough to help it do better on the overall suite of tests. However, depending on the application, you may see stronger results from the higher-end chip.
How We Tested
Unfortunately, the Spectre and Meltdown patches found us updating our testing image after the Ryzen 2000-series launch, which has left us with two distinct groups of test results. We have numerous entries in both databases, but neither is entirely complete (yet). As such, we've combined the test pools based upon relative results to the leading processors.
The numbers above represent gaming performance using eight game titles. We're using a geometric mean of the 99th percentile frame rate data, which we convert to an frames per second (FPS) metric, as our overall measure of gaming performance over the entirety of our gaming test suite. We used the Nvidia GTX 1080 GPU for our tests at HD resolution.
We compare a geometric mean of application performance in compression, decompression, HandBrake, Blender and the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite to generate an application performance score.
We have also included several newer processors that we haven't tested yet, but we've assigned them basic positions in our hierarchy based on their capabilities. Naturally, this list will grow as we add more processors.
Test System and Configuration
| Hardware | |
| AMD Socket AM4 (400-Series) | AMD Ryzen 2000-series processors |
| MSI X470 Gaming M7 AC | |
| 2x 8GB G.Skill FlareX DDR4-3200 @ DDR4-2933 | |
| Intel LGA 1151 (Z370) | Intel Coffee Lake processors |
| MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC | |
| 2x 8GB G.Skill FlareX DDR4-3200 @ DDR4-2400, DDR4-2667 | |
| 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 Kaby Lake processors |
| MSI Z270 Gaming M7 | |
| 2x 8GB G.Skill FlareX DDR4-3200 @ DDR4-2400 | |
| Intel LGA 2066 | Intel Skylake processors |
| MSI X299 Gaming Pro Carbon AC | |
| 4x 8GB G.Skill FlareX DDR4-3200 @ DDR4-2666 | |
| All | EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 FE |
| 1TB Samsung PM863 | |
| SilverStone ST1500-TI, 1500W | |
| Windows 10 Creators Update Version 1703 - All Spectre and Meltdown mitigations | |
| Cooling | Corsair H115i |
Legacy Desktop Processor Hierarchy
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, regardless of the graphics card installed in your PC. 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).
| Intel CPUs | AMD CPUs and APUs |
| Intel Core i7-8700K ($382.00 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Core i9-7900X ($969.00 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Core i9-7960X ($1617.83 On Amazon) | |
| Intel Core i9-7980XE ($1579.99 On Amazon) | |
| Intel Core i7-8700K ($382.00 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Core i7-7740X ($350.00 On Amazon) | |
| Intel Core i7-7700K ($344.61 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Core i7-7820X ($599.99 On Walmart) | AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X ($77.99 On Walmart) |
| Intel Core i7-7700 ($317.07 On Walmart) | AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X ($199.99 On Amazon) |
| Intel Core i5-8400 ($204.29 On Walmart) | AMD Ryzen 7 1800X ($220.79 On Amazon) |
| Intel Core i7-7800X ($389.99 On Newegg) | AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1900X ($549.99 On Newegg) |
| Intel Core i7-7700T ($339.99 On Walmart) | AMD Ryzen 7 1700X ($163.00 On Amazon) |
| Intel Core i7-6950X ($1576.52 On Walmart) | AMD Ryzen 7 1700 ($219.79 On Amazon) |
| Intel Core i7-6900K ($788.00 On Amazon) | AMD Ryzen 5 1600X ($139.95 On Amazon) |
| Intel Core i7-6850K ($492.75 On Amazon) | AMD Ryzen 5 1600 ($103.57 On Amazon) |
| Intel Core i7-6800K ($347.88 On Walmart) | AMD Ryzen 5 1500X ($127.00 On Walmart) |
| Intel Core i7-6700K ($293.19 On Walmart) | AMD Ryzen 5 1400 ($139.99 On Walmart) |
| Intel Core i7 6700 ($317.97 On Walmart) | AMD Ryzen 3 1300X ($66.56 On Amazon) |
| Intel Core i7-5960X ($1,069.95 On Newegg) | Ryzen 5 2400G ($59.99 On Walmart) |
| Intel Core i7-5930K ($386.59 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Core i7-5820K ($350.90 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Core i7-5775C ($1077.88 On Amazon) | |
| Intel i7-4960X ($465.58 On Amazon) | |
| Intel Core i7-4930K | |
| Intel Core i7-4820K | |
| Intel Core i7-4790K | |
| Intel Core i7-4770K | |
| Intel Core i7-4790 | |
| Intel Core i7-4771 | |
| Intel Core i7-4770 | |
| Intel Core i7-3970X | |
| Intel Core i7-3960X | |
| Intel Core i7-3930K | |
| Intel Core i7-3820 | |
| Intel Core i7-3770K | |
| Intel Core i7-3770 | |
| Intel Core i5-7640X ($243.00 On Amazon) | |
| Intel Core i5-7600K ($10.73 On Amazon) | |
| Intel Core i5-7600 ($269.99 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Core i5-7500 ($216.62 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Core i5-7400 ($201.30 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Core i5 6600k ($248.73 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Core i5-6600 ($210.66 On Amazon) | |
| Intel Core i5-6500 ($210.04 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Core i5 6402P ($488.00 On Amazon) | |
| Intel Core i5-6400 ($182.99 On Newegg) | |
| Intel Core i5-5675C | |
| Intel Core i5-4690K ($250.58 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Core i5-4670K | |
| Intel Core i5-4590 | |
| Intel Core i5-4670 | |
| Intel Core i5-4570 | |
| Intel BX80646I54460 ($215.17 On Amazon) | |
| Intel Core i5-4440 | |
| Intel Core i5-4430 | |
| Intel Core i5-3570K | |
| Intel Core i5-3570 | |
| Intel Core i5-3550 | |
| Intel CPUs | AMD CPUs and APUs |
| Intel Core i7-990X Extreme | |
| Intel Core i7-980X Extreme | |
| Intel Core i7-975 Extreme | |
| Intel Core i7-2600K | |
| Intel Core i7-2600 | |
| Intel Core i7-965 | |
| Intel Core i5-3470 | |
| Intel Core i5-3450P | Intel Core i7-7700 ($317.07 On Walmart) |
| Intel Core i5-3450 | AMD FX-9370 ($232.17 On Walmart) |
| Intel Core i5-3350P | AMD FX-8370 ($220.00 On Amazon) |
| Intel Core i5-3330 | AMD FX-8350 w/Wraith ($159.99 On Amazon) |
| Intel Core i5-2550K | AMD FX-8320 ($124.99 On Amazon) |
| Intel Core i5-2500K | AMD FX-8300 ($99.99 On Amazon) |
| Intel Core i5-2500 | AMD FX-8150 |
| Intel Core i5-2450P | |
| Intel Core i5-2400 | |
| Intel Core i5-2380P | |
| Intel Core i5-2320 | |
| Intel Core i5-2310 | |
| Intel Core i5-2300 | |
| Intel Core i3-7350K ($167.99 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Core i3-7320 ($295.22 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Core i3-7300 ($169.89 On B&H) | |
| Intel Core i3-7100 ($131.99 On B&H) | |
| Intel CPUs | AMD CPUs and APUs |
| Intel Core i7-980 | |
| Intel Core i7-970 | |
| Intel Core i7-960 | |
| Intel Core i7-875K | |
| Intel Core i7-870 | |
| Intel Core i3 6320 ($218.52 On Amazon) | |
| Intel Core i3 6300 ($130.00 On Amazon) | |
| Intel Core i3-6100 ($130.34 On Walmart) | AMD FX-6350 w/Wraith ($134.99 On Amazon) |
| Intel Core i3 6100T ($136.99 On Tiger Direct) | AMD FX-4350 ($716.00 On Walmart) |
| Intel Core i3-6098P ($372.00 On Amazon) | AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition |
| Intel Core i3-4360 | AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition |
| Intel Core i3-4350 | AMD Phenom II X4 Black Edition 980 |
| Intel Core i3-4340 | AMD Phenom II X4 Black Edition 975 |
| Intel Core i3-4170 | |
| Intel Core i3-4160 | |
| Intel Core i3-4150 | |
| Intel Core i3-4130 | |
| Intel Core i3-3250 | |
| Intel Core i3-3245 | |
| Intel Core i3-3240 | |
| Intel Core i3-3225 | |
| Intel Core i3-3220 | |
| Intel Core i3-3210 | |
| Intel Core i3-2130 | |
| Intel Core i3-2025 | |
| Intel Core i3-2120 | |
| Intel Core i3-2105 | |
| Intel Core i3-2100 | |
| Intel Pentium G4620 ($143.92 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Pentium G4600 ($126.42 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Pentium G4560 ($79.99 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Pentium G4500 ($74.86 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Pentium G4400 ($62.24 On Walmart) | |
| Intel CPUs | AMD CPUs and APUs |
| AMD FX-8370E ($310.09 On Amazon) | |
| AMD FX-8320 ($149.01 On Amazon) | |
| AMD FX-8120 | |
| AMD FX-6300 ($89.98 On Amazon) | |
| AMD FX-6200 | |
| AMD FX-4300 ($99.95 On Amazon) | |
| AMD FX-4170 | |
| AMD Phenom II X6 1075T | |
| Intel Core i7-950 | AMD Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition |
| Intel Core i7-940 | AMD Phenom II X4 965 |
| Intel Core i7-930 | AMD Phenom II X4 955 |
| Intel Core i7-920 | AMD A10-7890K APU ($411.00 On Amazon) |
| Intel Core i7-860 | Intel A10-7870K ($34.99 On Walmart) |
| Intel Core i5-3220T | AMD A10-7860K ($42.90 On Walmart) |
| Intel Core i5-2405S | AMD A10-7850K |
| Intel Core i5-2400S | AMD A10-7800 |
| Intel Core i5-760 | AMD A10-7700K |
| Intel Core i5-750 | AMD A10-6800K |
| Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9775 | AMD A10-6790K |
| Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770 | AMD A10-6700 |
| Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 | AMD A10-5800K |
| Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 | AMD A10-5700 |
| Intel A8-7650K ($105.99 On Amazon) | |
| AMD A8-7600 ($17.99 On eBay) | |
| AMD A8-6600K | |
| AMD A8-5600K | |
| AMD A8-3870K | |
| AMD A8-3870 | |
| AMD A8-3850 | |
| AMD Athlon X4 880K ($74.90 On Amazon) | |
| Intel Athlon X4 870K (4th quarter) ($35.79 On Walmart) | |
| Intel A10-7870K ($34.99 On Walmart) | |
| AMD Athlon X4 750K | |
| AMD Athlon X4 740 | |
| AMD Athlon X4 651K | |
| AMD Athlon X4 645 | |
| AMD Athlon X4 641 | |
| AMD Athlon X4 640 | |
| Intel CPUs | AMD CPUs and APUs |
| AMD FX-6100 | |
| AMD FX-4130 | |
| AMD FX-4100 | |
| Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850 | AMD Phenom II X6 1055T |
| Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6800 | AMD Phenom II X6 1045T |
| Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 | AMD Phenom II X4 945 |
| Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 | AMD Phenom II X4 940 |
| Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 | AMD Phenom II X4 920 |
| Intel Core i5-680 | AMD Phenom II X3 740 |
| Intel Core i5-670 | AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition |
| Intel Core i5-661 | AMD A8-6500 |
| Intel Core i5-660 | AMD A8-5500 |
| Intel Core i5-655K | AMD A6 ($75.55 On Walmart) |
| Intel Core i5-650 | AMD A6 ($75.55 On Walmart) |
| Intel Core i3-2120T | AMD A6-3670K |
| Intel Core i3-2100T | AMD A6-3650 |
| AMD Athlon II X4 635 | |
| AMD Athlon II X4 630 | |
| Intel CPUs | AMD CPUs and APUs |
| Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 | |
| Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 | |
| Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 | |
| Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 | |
| Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 | |
| Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 | |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 | |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 | AMD Phenom II X4 910 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 | AMD Phenom II X4 910e |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E7600 | AMD Phenom II X4 810 |
| Intel Core i3-550 | AMD Athlon II X4 631 |
| Intel Core i3-540 | AMD Athlon II X4 620 |
| Intel Core i3-530 | AMD Athlon II X3 460 |
| Intel Pentium G3470 | |
| Intel Pentium G3460 | |
| Intel Pentium G3450 | |
| Intel Pentium G3440 | |
| Intel Pentium G3430 | |
| Intel Pentium G3420 | |
| Intel Pentium G3260 ($106.67 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Pentium G3258 ($67.00 On eBay) | |
| Intel Pentium G3250 | |
| Intel Pentium G3220 | |
| Intel Pentium G2130 | |
| Intel Pentium G2120 | |
| Intel Pentium G2020 | |
| Intel Pentium G2010 | |
| Intel Pentium G870 | |
| Intel Pentium G860 | |
| Intel Pentium G850 | |
| Intel Pentium G840 | |
| Intel Pentium G645 | |
| Intel Pentium G640 | |
| Intel Pentium G630 | |
| Intel CPUs | AMD CPUs and APUs |
| Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 | |
| Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 | |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E8300 | AMD Phenom II X4 905e |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 | AMD Phenom II X4 805 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E8190 | AMD Phenom II X3 710 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 | AMD Phenom II X3 705e |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 | AMD Phenom II X2 565 Black Edition |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 | AMD Phenom II X2 560 Black Edition |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 | AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition |
| Intel Pentium G620 | AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition |
| Intel Celeron G1630 | AMD Phenom II X2 545 |
| Intel Celeron G1620 | AMD Phenom X4 9950 |
| Intel Celeron G1610 | AMD Athlon II X3 455 |
| Intel Celeron G555 | AMD Athlon II X3 450 |
| Intel Celeron G550 | AMD Athlon II X3 445 |
| Intel Celeron G540 | AMD Athlon II X3 440 |
| Intel Celeron G530 | AMD Athlon II X3 435 |
| Intel Celeron G3950 ($65.35 On Amazon) | AMD Athlon II X3 425 |
| Intel Celeron G3930 ($61.10 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Celeron G3930 ($61.10 On Walmart) | |
| Intel Celeron G3900 ($47.49 On Amazon) | |
| Intel CPUs | AMD CPUs and APUs |
| AMD Phenom X4 9850 | |
| AMD Phenom X4 9750 | |
| AMD Phenom X4 9650 | |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 | AMD Phenom X4 9600 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 | AMD Phenom X3 8850 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 | AMD Phenom X3 8750 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 | AMD Athlon II X2 370K |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E6540 | AMD Athlon II X2 265 |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6700 | AMD Athlon II X2 260 |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6600 | AMD Athlon II X2 255 |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core E650 | AMD A6-5500K |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6300 | AMD A6 ($75.55 On Walmart) |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5800 | AMD A4-7300 ($112.00 On Amazon) |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5700 | AMD A4-6400K |
| Intel Pentium G9650 | AMD A4-6300 ($229.99 On eBay) |
| AMD A4-5400K | |
| AMD A4-5300 | |
| AMD A4-4400 | |
| AMD A4-4000 | |
| AMD A4-3400 | |
| AMD A4-3300 | |
| AMD Sempron 2650 ($40.33 On Walmart) | |
| AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ | |
| Intel CPUs | AMD CPUs and APUs |
| AMD Phenom X4 9550 | |
| AMD Phenom X4 9500 | |
| AMD Phenom X4 9450e | |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 | AMD Phenom X4 9350e |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 | AMD Phenom X3 8650 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E4700 | AMD Phenom X3 8600 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 | AMD Phenom X3 8550 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 | AMD Phenom X3 8450e |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5400 | AMD Phenom X3 8450 |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5300 | AMD Phenom X3 8400 |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 | AMD Phenom X3 8250e |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core G620T | AMD Athlon II X2 250 |
| AMD Athlon II X2 245 | |
| AMD Athlon II X2 240 | |
| AMD Athlon X2 7850 | |
| AMD Athlon X2 7750 | |
| AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ | |
| AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ | |
| Intel CPUs | AMD CPUs and APUs |
| AMD Phenom X4 9150e | |
| AMD Phenom X4 9100e | |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 | AMD Athlon X2 7550 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 | AMD Athlon X2 7450 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 | AMD Athlon X2 5050e |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 | AMD Athlon X2 4850e/b |
| Intel Celeron E3300 | AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ |
| AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ | |
| AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ | |
| AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ | |
| Intel CPUs | AMD CPUs and APUs |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 | AMD Athlon X2 6550 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E5500 | AMD Athlon X2 6500 |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2220 | AMD Athlon X2 4450e/b |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2200 | AMD Athlon X2 4600+ |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2210 | AMD Athlon X2 4400+ |
| Intel Celeron E3200 | AMD Athlon X2 4200+ |
| AMD Athlon X2 BE-2400 | |
| Intel CPUs | AMD CPUs and APUs |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2180 | AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ |
| Intel Celeron 1600 | AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ |
| Intel Celeron G440 | AMD Athlon X2 4050e |
| AMD Athlon X2 2300 Black Edition | |
| Intel CPUs | AMD CPUs and APUs |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2160 | |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2140 | |
| Intel Celeron E1500 | |
| Intel Celeron E1400 | |
| Intel Celeron E1200 |
MORE: Best CPUs
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.
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).
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.
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