CPU Hierarchy 2018: Intel and AMD Processors Ranked

Your CPU has a huge effect on overall performance and, to many, is a computer's most important component. However, 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. Which is faster: the Intel Core i7-9700K or a Intel Core i9-7960X. And where does AMD's Ryzen 7 2700X fit in?

To help you pick a processor, we've ranked all the consumer Intel 9th, 8th and 7th Gen processors, along with AMD's Ryzen and Ryzen 2 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.

Unfortunately, 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 the next update. If you want our recommendations, please check out our Best CPUs page.

Also, if you're planning to buy a processor anytime soon, take a look at the best CPU deals for the holidays, which we're tracking. Some of our current favorites include an an Ryzen 5 2400G for $150 and an AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX for $1,699.

The Intel Core i9-9900K has taken the throne as the fastest gaming chip on the market, but it comes at an eye-watering price. The Intel Core i7-9700K offer similar gaming performance, slotting in as the second-fastest option, but for a much lower price point. We also think the Core i5-9600K looks like an excellent choice for gaming, and while we already have test results for the processor in our Core i7-9700K review, we're also working on a dedicated review with overclocking testing, as well.

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 & Configuration

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).