The Best CPU for Gaming in 2024

If you need more heft in heavy workloads, AMD's $489 16-core 32-thread Ryzen 9 7950X3D brings 3D V-Cache-powered gaming performance to a workstation-class processor for the highest-end systems. AMD's 12-core 24-thread $327 Ryzen 7 7900X3D represents the next step down the ladder, but it also delivers on the gaming front. However, we expect AMD to launch 9000 series versions of these chips next year.

The list below is for the best CPUs for gaming, while our list of best CPUs for workstations is for those who frequently tackle high-end content creation or professional work, while the best budget CPUs can help you find a cheap chip. Processors benefit from the best thermal paste, so check out our guide if you're shopping for a new processor. But if you're after the best CPU for gaming, you're in the right place. 

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Overall Best CPU for Gaming

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has eight cores and 16 threads that operate at a 4.7 GHz base and 5.2 GHz boost clock rate. The chip employs AMD's 3D V-Cache tech with a new spin, which places a 3D-stacked SRAM chiplet underneath the die to deliver an incredible 96MB of L3 cache to great effect. AMD moved the L3 cache chiplet from the top to the bottom of the compute die this generation to improve performance in productivity applications, and the end result is a comparatively low-power chip that delivers incredible gaming performance and comparable productivity performance to other eight-core models on the market.

You have to be aware of the tradeoffs with this highly specialized chip — our gaming benchmarks show that the 3D V-Cache doesn't boost performance in all games, though we found that it impacted nearly every title we tested.

The previous-gen Ryzen 7 7800X3D is another alternative, but it uses the aging AM4 platform with less advanced interfaces, like PCIe 4.0 and DDR4 memory. Meanwhile, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D snaps into AM5 motherboards that support the latest connectivity tech, like DDR5 and PCIe 5.0. AMD now allows using the auto-overclocking Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) and Curve Optimizer with the 7800X3D but still doesn’t allow direct frequency overclocking.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has much lower power consumption than the Intel competition, making it a far cooler processor that won't require as expensive accommodations, like a beefy cooler, motherboard, and power supply. That means the 9800X3D delivers top-notch gaming performance and a cooler, quieter, and less expensive system than you'll get with an Ultra 9 or Core i9.

Overall Best CPU for Gaming — Alternate Pick

Intel boosted the Core i7-14700K's core count by adding four more e-cores and tweaked the boost clock rate, but left its recommended pricing the same as the prior-gen model. At $369, the Core i7-14700K thoroughly beats the $399 Ryzen 7 7700X and even unseats the pricey $539 Ryzen 9 7950X, all while delivering essentially the same gaming performance as Intel's own $548 flagship Core i9-14900K — but for significantly less. You can also discard the integrated graphics engine and get the otherwise identical Core i7-14700KF for a stellar $349.

As always, if you aren't after top performance in heavy productivity tasks, the Core i7 model takes the shine off the Core i9. The Core i7-14700K is a great high-performance gaming chip at its price point, offering 97% of the flagship Core i9-14900K's performance for $179 less. Better yet, you can overclock the chip and get basically identical performance to the stock Core i9-14900K.

Our benchmarks show the Core i7-14700K is a much better all-rounder than Ryzen if you're looking for performance in productivity work. The Core i7-14700K has eight P-cores (high-performance) and 12 E-cores (efficiency), for a total of 28 threads. The P-cores run at a 3.4 / 5.6 GHz base/boost, while the E-cores weigh in at 2.5 / 4.3 GHz. In addition, the execution engine is fed by 33MB of L3 cache and 28MB of L2.

The 14700K also supports leading-edge connectivity with support DDR4-3200 or up to DDR5-5600 memory, along with 16 lanes of PCIe 5.0 and an additional four lanes of PCIe 4.0 from the chip for M.2 SSDs. The 14700K has a 125W PBP (base) and 253W MTP (peak) power rating.

You'll need to buy a capable cooler for the chip, and you'll also need a new 700-series or previous-gen 600-series motherboard. You can find a wide selection of high-end motherboards that support DDR5 memory, and although you'll only find lower-end and mid-range DDR4 motherboards, there's still plenty of selection available. Gamers will enjoy the lower price option of selecting DDR4, but it does come with 5 to 8% lower performance in gaming. You can upgrade to the slightly more expensive DDR5 if you need access to more memory throughput.

Value Best CPU for Gaming

The 7600X pairs the Zen 4 architecture with the 5nm TSMC process to deliver a big performance gain over the prior generation. However, the ability to fully overclock the CPU cores provides a decent increase in performance. In contrast, the Core i5-14400/F CPU cores aren't overclockable.

The Ryzen 5 7600X's six cores run at a 4.7 GHz base and 5.3 GHz boost and are fed by 32MB of L3 cache. The chip supports all the standards we expect from a modern processor, including DDR5, PCIe 5.0, and the latest USB connectivity standards. AMD has also added integrated graphics for a basic display output, which is a plus if you need to troubleshoot.

The Ryzen 5 7600X doesn't come with a cooler, but a wide selection of affordable tower air coolers and AIOs can keep the chip comfortably cool. You'll need a new AM5 motherboard, as the latest Zen 4 processors are not backward compatible. However, the AM5 platform provides forward compatibility with future Ryzen processors, which is a boon if you plan to upgrade in the future. This class of chip is best with a B-series board, but do your research before you pull the trigger. Some bargain-basement options don't provide robust enough power circuitry to upgrade to higher-tier processors in the future.

Value Best CPU for Gaming - Alternate Pick

Intel recently released the newer $199 Core i5-14400, built on the same silicon. However, it delivers slim to non-existent real-world performance increases over the Core i5-13400 and often comes with a higher price tag. Thus, the slightly older 13400 is still the best Core i5 option, though if you need graphics, it can be a tossup based on which model is available for less. However, if you have a discrete GPU the graphics-less $185 Core i5-13400F continues to be the chip to get for this tier of the Intel product stack.

The Core i5-13400 has six P-cores that support hyper-threading and operate at a 2.5 GHz base and 4.6 GHz boost clock. The four e-cores for threaded tasks run up to 3.3 GHz. The 13400 supports solid connectivity with support for DDR4-3200 or up to DDR5-4800 memory, along with 16 lanes of PCIe 5.0 and an additional four lanes of PCIe 4.0 from the chip for M.2 SSDs.

The Core i5-13400 comes with a capable cooler that can handle its 65W/148W base/peak power rating, and you can use a newer 700-series motherboard or an older 600-series model if the BIOS supports the chip. Most gamers will enjoy the lower price and comparable performance of DDR4, but you can upgrade to the slightly more expensive DDR5 if you need access to more memory throughput. 

Value Best CPU for Gaming - Alternate Pick

The Ryzen 7 5700X3D drops into existing socket AM4 motherboards dating back to the 300-series, which debuted in 2017. Thus, it makes a great high-performance drop-in upgrade for Ryzen owners on the AM4 platform.

You have to be aware of the tradeoffs with this highly specialized chip. Our gaming benchmarks show that the 3D V-Cache doesn't boost performance in all games, though we found that it impacted nearly every title we tested. The Ryzen 7 5700X3D is optimized specifically for gaming but isn't as fast as similarly priced chips in productivity applications. Also, the Ryzen 7 5700X3D doesn't support the latest leading-edge connectivity options, like DDR5 and PCIe 5.0.

Highest Performance Best CPU for Gaming

Highest Performance Best CPU for Gaming - Alternate Pick

The chip comes with eight P-cores that support hyper-threading and 16 single-threaded E-cores for a total of 24 threads. The P-cores have a 3.0 GHz base, and peak frequencies reach an amazing 5.8 GHz with Turbo Boost Max 3.0 (this feature is only active on P-cores). Meanwhile, the E-cores have a 2.2 GHz base and stretch up to 4.3 GHz via the standard Turbo Boost 2.0 algorithms. The chip also has 36MB of L3 cache and 32MB of L2.

This 13900K has a 125W PBP (base) and 253W MTP (peak) power rating, but we recorded considerably lower power consumption than its prior-gen counterpart. In exchange, you get exceptional performance. 

Mid-Range Best CPU for Gaming

The 5800X3D drops into existing socket AM4 motherboards dating all the way back to the 300-series that debuted in 2017, so it will make a great high-performance drop-in upgrade for Ryzen owners on the AM4 platform.

You do have to be aware of the tradeoffs with this highly specialized chip — our gaming benchmarks show that the 3D V-Cache doesn't boost performance in all games, though we found that it impacted nearly every title we tested. Additionally, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is optimized specifically for gaming, but it can't keep pace with similarly-priced chips in productivity applications. Also, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D also doesn't support Raptor Lake's leading-edge connectivity options, like DDR5 and PCIe 5.0.

The Ryzen 7 5800X3D has much lower power consumption than the Intel competition, making it a far cooler processor that won't require as expensive accommodations, like a beefy cooler, motherboard, and power supply. That means the 5800X3D delivers top-notch gaming performance along with a cooler, quieter, and less expensive system than you'll get with a Core i9.

If you're willing to accept the lower but still competent performance in desktop PC applications, and also do your homework to make sure the Ryzen 7 5800X3D accelerates the types of games you play frequently, it's hard to go wrong with this chip — especially for upgraders with AMD systems. If you have a taste for higher-end fare and a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is an impressive chip that delivers incredible gaming performance and leaves room for future GPU upgrades.

Mid-Range Best CPU for Gaming — Alternate Pick

The 13600K comes with a maximum power rating of 181W, but the chip sucks significantly less power than its prior-gen counterpart while delivering much more performance in gaming. The lowered power consumption allows the chip to work well with a wide variety of standard air and water coolers, but you'll need to ensure your model supports the LGA 1700 socket.

Speaking of which, you'll also need a new 700-series or previous-gen 600-series motherboard for the processor (with 600-series, make sure the BIOS supports the chip). You can find a wide selection of high-end models that support DDR5 memory, and although you'll find fewer lower-end and mid-range DDR4 motherboards, there's still plenty of selection available.

Best $85-$100 Budget CPU Pick

The Core i3-13100 has six p-cores and 12 threads operating at a 3.4 GHz base and 4.5 GHz boost clock rate. However, unlike the Core i5 models, it doesn't have e-cores for background tasks. It also has 12 MB of L3 cache.

The 13100 has 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes and four PCIe 4.0 lanes and supports up to DDR4-3200 and DDR5-4800 MT/s (caveats apply to DDR5 support). Intel's non-K models don't allow overclocking of the CPU cores, but they do support memory overclocking.

The Core i3-13100F also comes with Intel's new improved cooler, saving you some cash. Like the non-F model, it has a 60W PBP (base) and 89W MTP (peak) power rating, so it's easy to cool with the included cooler.

Intel's Raptor Lake drops into Socket 1700 motherboards from the 600-series or 700-series, including the Z-, H- and, B-series boards (B- and H-series boards are the best fit). The Core i3-12100 is a locked chip, meaning it isn't overclockable. However, Intel supports memory overclocking on Z-, B-, and H-series motherboards (Z-Series doesn't make sense for this class of chip, though).

Budget Best CPU for Gaming - Alternative

If you're fine sticking with the previous-gen AM4 motherboard, the Ryzen 5 5600 makes a great budget build. The primary trade-off for the AM4 platform is that you're limited to DDR4 (a good thing given DDR5 pricing) and you don't have access to PCIe 5.0 (GPUs don't need it), but this isn't a problem at this price point. The Ryzen 5 5600 also makes an absolutely unbeatable deal if you're updating an AM4 first-gen Ryzen system with a standard non-X3D chip.

The 5600 unseats the Ryzen 5 5600X, a long-time favorite. The 5600X is only ~1% faster in gaming and multi-threaded PC work than the Ryzen 5 5600 but maintains a 4% advantage in single-threaded work. That said, the practical differences between the two chips will be almost imperceptible to the overwhelming majority of users, but the Ryzen 5 5600X costs $30 more. As such, consider the Ryzen 5 5600 the 5600X-killer.

You can find the six-core 12-thread Ryzen 5 5600 at $120, a deep discount brought on by competitive pressure from Intel. In fact, our testing shows that the Ryzen 5 5600 generally matches the gaming performance of its more expensive sibling, the ~$190 Ryzen 7 5800X. That makes the 5600 an incredibly well-rounded chip that can handle any type of gaming, from competitive-class performance with high refresh rate monitors to streaming, while also serving up more than enough performance for day-to-day application workloads. As with all AMD CPUs for gaming, you can fully overclock the CPU.

The Ryzen 5 5600 has a 3.7 GHz base and 4.6 GHz boost clock, but with the right cooling and motherboard, you can expect higher short-term boosts. The chip also has a 65W TDP rating, meaning it runs exceptionally cool and quiet, given its capabilities. Existing AMD owners with a 500-series motherboard will breathe a sigh of relief as the 5600X drops right into existing 500-, 400-, and 300-series motherboards. If you need a new motherboard to support the chip, AMD's AM4 motherboards are plentiful and relatively affordable, with the B-series lineup offering the best overall value for this class of chip. 

AMD Ryzen 5 8600G

Entry-Level Best CPU for Gaming

Entry-Level Best CPU for Gaming — Alternative

The Ryzen 5 5600G steps into the arena as the value champ for APUs, which are chips with strong enough integrated graphics that they don't require a discrete GPU for light gaming—just be sure you're willing to accept lowered quality settings.

At $120, the Ryzen 5 5600G gives you 96% of the gaming performance on integrated graphics than its more expensive sibling, the $180 Ryzen 7 5700G, but for 25% less cash. Our testing shows that its level of performance makes it the best value APU on the market. As long as you're willing to sacrifice fidelity and resolution and keep your expectations in check, the Ryzen 5 5600G's Vega graphics have surprisingly good performance in gaming. 

The 5600G's Vega graphics served up comparatively great 1280x720 gaming across numerous titles in our tests, but options become more restricted at 1080p. Of course, you can get away with 1080p gaming, but you'll need to severely limit the fidelity settings with most titles.

With eight cores and 16 threads that operate at a 3.9 GHz base and boost up to 4.4 GHz, the Ryzen 5 5600G also offers solid performance for its price point in standard desktop PC applications. The chip also comes with a bundled Wraith Stealth cooler, sweetening the value prop, and drops into existing 500-series and some 400-series motherboards, though support on the latter will vary by vendor.

If your budget is tight and you're looking to build a system for modest gaming, you should check out our Best Cheap CPU feature. Some of those chips can deliver passable gaming performance without a graphics card, and their prices start at just $55 (£40). 

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.