What kind of processor should i get

Intel also adds a suffix to most of its processors that notes certain functionality or the lack of such functionality. The important ones to remember are F and K for Intel desktop processors. For mobile, HK and U show up the most.

If you want to know how to choose a CPU, you need to consider cores and threads. Cores are like individual processors of their own, all packed together on the same chip. Traditionally, they can perform one task each at a time, meaning that more cores make a processor better at multitasking. Modern software is far better at taking advantage of more cores at once to do the same job, so more cores can make some software run faster, too.

Threads are the number of tasks that a CPU can conduct at any one time. Many modern processors feature simultaneous multithreading called hyperthreading on Intel CPUs , which lets processors leverage spare core performance for additional tasks. Some software can leverage more cores and threads than others, making the number of cores and threads that your CPU has a big indicator of potential performance.

There are benefits to going with a six-core CPU, and some games can be made moderately faster by going for eight cores. For example, the eight-core Ryzen 7 X performs as well as the core Ryzen 9 X in most games and costs around half the price. There are even CPUs with as many as 64 cores out there, but they are inordinately expensive and only worth considering for professionals. Top Boost Frequency: 4. AMD Ryzen 5 X. Specifications Architecture: Zen 3. Socket: AM4. Base Frequency: 4.

Reasons to avoid - Higher gen-on-gen pricing. Top Boost Frequency: 5. AMD Ryzen 9 X. Reasons to avoid - Requires beefy cooling - No bundled cooler - Higher gen-on-gen pricing - No integrated graphics.

Reasons to avoid - No bundled cooler - Higher gen-on-gen pricing - No integrated graphics. Intel Core i Specifications Architecture: Rocket Lake. Base Frequency: 2. Reasons to avoid - Power consumption. AMD Ryzen 3 X. Specifications Architecture: Zen 2. Reasons to avoid - Lackluster bundle cooler. AMD Ryzen 5 G. Reasons to avoid - PCIe 3. Paul Alcorn. Topics CPUs. Tom's Hardware Top Picks. See all comments Why are you actually recommending to buy earlier generation processors?

Going against your own recommendations? I can understand why the i got the 1st place but I can't get it why are you still recommending iK given that the iK is very close in price from the new generation and better. I'm actually curious about the iK too.

Its price seems to be almost identical to the iK. Any reason not to recommend it? I just ordered the K for my new build. While the cost is higher, I feel the K covers all the bases.

I am going to play at xp at hz and hdr with the new acer x35 should I get a k or k and a rtx ti for gaming only, for my upgrade of a fx and gtx I have my disagreements with these ratings.

I'd still think an overclocked I7 K would be the best gaming CPU at the moment for the price and availability, but if I looked at it in a future sense the R7 X would be the best value choice considering how often Intel changes their sockets and leaves their customers high and dry with no upgrade path beyond two CPU generations. If that's the case you may as well go up to the R7 or maybe an Intel I5 K.

Unless you're desperate for the still slightly awkward Intel PCIe 4. This is a rather loaded question. AMD has held the top spot for a long time, with its Zen architecture making for some incredible leaps in performance, but Intel has stolen the crown with its Alder Lake family, specifically the Core i5 K. The fact that it's a completely new kind of Hybrid CPU is almost by the by, it's just a really strongly performing chip. It's worth remembering that most games are GPU-limited, which means the graphics card is the limiting factor in terms of performance, and you would likely see the same essential frame rates with either CPU manufacturer when a discrete graphics card is used.

This is especially true as you up the resolution, with 4K having little between the top chips. The honest answer is: no. Overclocking your processor is not necessarily the risky move it once was, but equally, the benefits of doing so have drastically dropped in recent times. When we're talking about gaming performance, having a slightly higher clocked CPU can make a bit of a difference, but arguably your graphics card will be the part that limits the speed of your system.

There is also the point that overclocked CPUs create more heat, require more intensive and expensive cooling solutions, need those coolers to work harder, and are, therefore, often louder. For us, overclocking your CPU to gain real-world performance benefits is not something we'd recommend most PC gamers do.

CPUs contain caches designated as Level 1, 2, and 3, with L1 being the fastest and smallest and L3 being the slowest and largest. Clock speed - The speed at which a CPU can execute instructions, measured in hertz.

A processor with a 3. Clock speed is one of the most critical factors for determining performance in games and workload functions.

Heat sink - A cooling solution for PCs that utilize fans or liquid cooling active or aluminum radiators passive that rely on convection to regulate a component's temperature. Hyper-Threading SMT - Intel terminology for a tech that allows a processor to handle two sets of instructions 'threads' simultaneously. LGA is used on Intel sockets with pins as part of the socket.

A BGA socket is when the processor is permanently soldered to the motherboard, typically on a laptop.

TDP - Thermal design power, the maximum amount of heat a system or chip can produce that the attendant cooling system is designed to deal with under workload.

This term can apply to PCs as a whole, GPUs, CPUs, or nearly any other performance component that generates heat and is in large part an indicator of how much power a part draws.

Thread - A thread refers to a series of CPU instructions for a specific program. Turbo Boost - Intel technology that allows processors to run at higher clock speeds under demanding loads. AMD also supports turbo or boost clocks, and we use the terms interchangeably regardless of CPU vendor. Alan has been writing about PC tech since before 3D graphics cards existed, and still vividly recalls having to fight with MS-DOS just to get games to load.

He fondly remembers the killer combo of a Matrox Millenium and 3dfx Voodoo, and seeing Lara Croft in 3D for the first time.

He's very glad hardware has advanced as much as it has though, and is particularly happy when putting the latest M. Included in this guide: 1. Intel Core i5 K. Threads: Base Clock: 3. Boost Clock: 4. Overclocking: Yes. L3 Cache: 20 MB. Processor Base Power: W. PCIe 5. Reasons to avoid - Still more power hungry than Ryzen - Doesn't play nice with some games.

Intel Core i9 K. But for the vast majority of gamers and general-purpose computer users, a clock speed ranging from GHz with four to eight cores is plenty. Different processors require different socket types. If you already own a motherboard and don't want to replace it, you'll need to purchase a CPU that matches your board's socket.

Alternatively, you need to make sure that the motherboard you buy is compatible with your new processor. For help choosing a motherboard, see our motherboard buying guide. That means you should, with a BIOS update, be able to put a current-generation Ryzen chip into prvious-generation Ryzen motherboard, and vice versa. Intel, on the other hand, has a tendency in recent years not to support backward compatibility with its new chips and older motherboards, even if the socket is effectively the same.

When choosing a CPU, first ask what you're going to do with it, then see how much you can budget for it after you've figured out how much you're spending on other components.

While reading about specs like clock speed and thread count is helpful, the best measure of a processor's performance comes from objective reviews, like those we write here on Tom's Hardware. Matt Safford. Topics AMD. See all comments How will the new standards affect gamers or are the new standards for production workloads?