The Best CPU for Gaming

Check your board has the latest BIOS for Intel's stability microcode. It matches the Core Ultra 9 285K on L3 cache (36MB). On boost clock it leads this guide at 6GHz, ahead of the Ryzen 9 9950X (5.7GHz).

On core count it ties with the Core Ultra 9 285K at 24 cores. It is the only pick here with an LGA1700 socket; the Ryzen 9 9950X has an AM5 socket instead. No other pick in this guide offers DDR4 or DDR5 memory; compare the Ryzen 9 7900X, which has DDR5 memory.

You also get 8 performance and 16 efficient cores. It fits LGA1700 boards (600 and 700 series) with either DDR4 or DDR5, depending on the board; 600-series boards may need a BIOS update for 14th-gen chips. When we checked, only the Ryzen 9 7900X and cheaper picks cost less, and the Ryzen 9 9950X cost more.

It is the better buy when CPU encoding and editing matter more than the last few frames per second. It matches the Ryzen 9 7900X on L3 cache (64MB). It matches the Core Ultra 9 285K on boost clock (5.7GHz).

On core count it sits mid-pack at 16 cores: the Core i9-14900K offers 24 cores, and the Ryzen 5 9600X comes in at 6 cores. On rated power it ties with the Ryzen 9 7900X at 170W. Like the Ryzen 9 7900X and Ryzen 5 9600X, it has an AM5 socket, while the Core i9-14900K uses an LGA1700 socket.

It also comes with AMD's recommendation of a liquid cooler. When we checked, only the Core i9-14900K and cheaper picks cost less, and the Core Ultra 9 285K cost more.

It suits competitive players who also stream from the same machine. On L3 cache it ties with the Core i9-14900K at 36MB. On boost clock it ties with the Ryzen 9 9950X at 5.7GHz.

It matches the Core i9-14900K on rated power (125W). An LGA1851 socket is unique to it among these picks, while the Ryzen 9 9950X uses an AM5 socket. You also get 8 performance and 16 efficient cores and a built-in NPU for AI features.

It needs an LGA1851 board (Intel 800-series chipset) and DDR5 memory; LGA1700 boards and coolers without an LGA1851 mounting kit will not fit. Budget for a dual-tower air cooler or a 240mm-plus AIO, since none is included. It was the highest-priced of the 5 picks at the time of writing, so the case for it rests on what it adds over the Ryzen 9 9950X and the rest.

It is a cheaper way to the same thread count as the 9900X, at a higher power rating. It matches the Ryzen 9 9950X on L3 cache (64MB). Its 5.6GHz boost clock ranks fourth of 5 here, behind the Core i9-14900K (6GHz) and ahead of the Ryzen 5 9600X (5.4GHz).

On core count it sits mid-pack at 12 cores: the Core i9-14900K offers 24 cores, and the Ryzen 5 9600X comes in at 6 cores. On rated power it ties with the Ryzen 9 9950X at 170W. Like the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 5 9600X, it has an AM5 socket, while the Core i9-14900K uses an LGA1700 socket.

It also comes with the Zen 4 architecture, a 5nm process and PCIe 5.0 support on AM5. It was priced above the Ryzen 5 9600X and below the Core i9-14900K at the time of writing. It gives ground on rated power, where the Ryzen 5 9600X offers 65W.

It suits a budget build now that can take an X3D chip later without changing boards. On L3 cache it trails the group at 32MB, while the Ryzen 9 9950X offers 64MB. On boost clock it trails the group at 5.4GHz, while the Core i9-14900K offers 6GHz.

Its 6 cores core count is the lowest in this group; the Core i9-14900K leads at 24 cores. Nothing else here matches its 65W rated power; the Core i9-14900K comes closest at 125W. It shares an AM5 socket with the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 7900X; the Core Ultra 9 285K goes with an LGA1851 socket.

It needs an AM5 board (A620, B650, B850, X670 or X870 series) and DDR5 memory; a 600-series board may need a BIOS update first, so check the maker's CPU support list for the minimum version. It undercut the Ryzen 9 7900X and every other pick on price at the time of writing.