The expensive new graphics card you've been eyeing could actually have a chance to work at its maximum performance potential if you have the best CPU for gaming in your setup.
Particularly now that we're entering a new age of 4K gaming that's affordable. Getting the best CPU will also help you get the most out of any creative work, game creation, editing, or streaming you do on your PC. This eliminates the need for a separate computer to handle the streaming. With more cores than ever before, you won't have to think about multitasking or pushing your gaming PC to its limits with one of these. I have prepared this video guide for the best CPU for gaming 2021. So let's get started.
On number 5 is: Intel Core i5-10600K
The Core i5-10600K is a solid chip with a decent price point for gamers looking for a performance edge, enthusiasts who want to tune their processors without costly supporting parts, or those who simply prefer Intel chips. The 10600K isn't as fast as the Ryzen 5 5600X, but it comes with integrated graphics and is priced competitively, making it a good value choice. Especially while we wait for AMD's Ryzen 5000 stock and pricing to settle. Intel's Core i5-10600K comes with six cores and twelve threads, a doubling of the thread count compared to the previous-gen Core i5-9600K, but slots in at the same $262 price point for the fully-equipped model and $237 for the graphics-less KF variant. The increased thread counts, paired with substantially higher boost frequencies across the board equates too much faster gameplay than the previous-gen Core i5 and generally matches the previous-gen Core i7-9700K. That makes this chip a great deal for gamers who prize high refresh rates, particularly if they plan to move forward to the new AMD or Nvidia graphics cards. In the i5-10600twelve K's threads close the distance between it and rival AMD processors. If in highly threaded workloads you're looking for a chip with a bundled cooler and a lower price point, AMD's Ryzen 5 3600X and Ryzen 5 3600 are viable options. To run the Core i5-10600K, you'll need a new LGA1200 motherboard and a compatible cooling solution (it doesn't come with one, but LGA1151 coolers will suffice). The Core i5-10600K, on the another hand provides excellent gaming performance in its price range, offering previous-generation Core i7 gaming performance at Core i5 prices.
On number 4 is: Intel Core i7-10700K
The Core i7-10700K is a fast chip with plenty of overclocking headroom that nearly matches the gaming efficiency of Intel's flagship Core i9-10900K if all you care about is gaming and you prefer Intel chips. The Core i7-10700K has eight cores and 16 threads, and it costs $375 right now, but we expect prices to drop in the coming weeks as Intel reacts to AMD's faster Ryzen 5000-series processors. It also has integrated graphics, which are not available on AMD's 5000-series processors. The Core i7-10700K comes armed with eight cores and 16 threads that operate at a 3.8 GHz base and 5.1 GHz boost, making them adept at chewing through gaming workloads. However, AMD's Ryzen processors offer more performance and value if you also cherish performance in productivity workloads. You'll need to bring your own cooler for the 10700K, but higher-end watercoolers can unlock quite a bit of overclocking headroom. Intel's next-gen Rocket Lake processors will also, be drop-in compatible with the LGA 1200 the motherboard you'll need for this processor.
On number 3 is: AMD Ryzen 5 3400G
There are a lot of tasty options at the budget end of the CPU continuum. We were going to include the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X here, but it's been sold out since launch, so there's no point (though it's a fantastic chip if you can find it). The Ryzen 5 3400G is a great value-for-money gaming processor. It does, however, come with some fairly powerful integrated graphics. You get the equivalent of a $80 graphics card for $10 cheaper than the 3300X. If you're going to use a dedicated GPU, the 3300X is the way to go because it also restricts the PCIe lanes are available to your discrete graphics card. Compared to Intel's UHD Graphics found in the 8th and 9th Gen CPUs, the 3400G's Vega 11 Graphics is typically 2–3 times faster. Where Intel's UHD 630 often struggles to break 30fps even at 720p and minimum quality, AMD's Vega 11 can legitimately handle 1080p and low to medium quality at playable framerates. Or you can drop to 720p and usually break 60fps. Simply ensure that the motherboard Your purchase has the appropriate HDMI and/or DisplayPort outputs. Since the other Ryzen CPUs lack integrated graphics, many X470/X570 boards miss those ports. An inexpensive B450 board is your best option, as it should have everything you need.
On number 2 is: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
While this is last-gen hardware, AMD's Zen 2 CPUs still have a strong case to make, thanks to their solid performance and reliability. When it comes to gaming and other activities, the Ryzen 5 3600 is marginally behind the 3900X, but the focus is on the word slightly for a reason—the gap is usually less than 5%. Plus, for a midrange CPU, it's doubtful that anyone would pair it with an RTX 3080. A midrange GPU, such as the AMD RX 5700 or even the previous generation RX 590, would be a better option. In any case, the 3600 will not hold you back. You still get a 6-core, 12-thread processor, and outside of games, the 3600 is faster than Intel's 10400F. But then, the Ryzen 5 3600 also costs more. It has Zen 2 architecture, li has other benefits PCIe Gen4, and AMD's CPUs have also had far fewer issues with side-channel attacks like Meltdown, Spectre, Foreshadow, and MDS, giving you some peace of mind as far as security goes. The Ryzen 5 3600X offers a slight performance boost for an additional $40, but the vanilla 3600 will overclock a little better due to a lower starting point, essentially matching its more expensive sibling. Again, with Ryzen CPUs, fast memory with tight timings aids performance.
On number 1 is:AMD Ryzen 7 5800X This would be an awesome chip in a world without the Intel Core i7, and it would have easily made it into our top three recommendations. It's outstanding for gaming, offering the same performance as the 5900X and 5600X. Still, it seems to have found the the sweet spot in terms of configuration, with its eight cores and 16 threads ensuring that it is ready for the future, as the Xbox Series X and Playstation 5 do. Unfortunately for AMD, Intel does exist, and the blue company's Core i7 10700K matches this in plenty of the more important metrics but has this chip beat in one major way—value for money. This is faster in serious tasks, and if that's what you've got an eye on, then buy this and don't give it a second thought. But if you're mainly looking at gaming, Intel does pretty much the same but costs less. And that's hard for AMD to get away from. Regardless of the competition, the Zen 3 is still strutting its things, and it does so admirably. When you add in support for PCIe 4.0, you have a chip that is both forward-thinking and long-lasting.