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The decades-long rivalry between Intel and AMD has continued to make impressive inroads in the x86 CPU industry, which dominates productivity and gaming markets and has resulted in the customers being the primary beneficiaries, as is the case in most cases of competition.
It has also created some perceptions about both CPU competitors that tend to stick around much longer than the products that were responsible for them such as AMD's perceived thermal issues at the higher end and Intel CPUs, irrespective of their current crop of CPUs being superior for gaming in most scenarios.
Likewise, Intel is considered the faster choice and the more bug-free or stable option that does not have thermal throttling issues, despite its highest-end Core i9 CPUs requiring considerably more powerful cooling than their AMD counterparts.
These notions do not hold in 2024, but the perceptions continue to stick and build on user expectations of both silicon juggernauts going up against each other in a variety of demanding benchmarks related to productivity and gaming alike. However, given the ever-evolving market for CPUs and constant upgrades, it is a challenge to broadly declare one particular semiconductor company as being the best one for a particular task, especially since there are moving goalposts in play for performance, efficiency, and value for money.
The Best CPUs in 2024
Intel, AMD, and now even ARM CPU's are competing for the best CPU spot on the mark. How you work and what your budget is will determine this decision.
Updated May 27th, 2024 by Rahim Amir: This time, Game ZXC replaced the Intel Core i9 14900K with the faster Core i9 14900KS CPUs, and added information about newer AMD CPUs and APUs, including those from the 8000 series, ahead of newer CPU launches.
What Are The Current AMD And Intel CPUs On Sale?
Both Intel and AMD have a plethora of CPUs currently available in the market that cater to a multitude of consumer needs with a high clock speeds and core-heavy top ends.
AMD's Current CPU Offerings
AMD currently offers the Ryzen 7000 series to its consumers which works with the new AM5 socket as well as its more gaming-centric refresh of the same, the Ryzen 7000 X3D series of processors that consist of Ryzen 9 and Ryzen 7 processors. While there are rumors of a Ryzen 5-based X3D CPU incoming (Ryzen 5 7600X3D), this has not been substantiated by AMD in any meaningful way. If it does exist, it will only see the light of day when Intel starts pushing a price war at the mid-range gaming segment by offering better value in AMD's Ryzen 5 7600X and Ryzen 5 7600 arguably already excellent positions.
AMD has also released AI-centric 8000 series APUs and F series processors more recently. The former has a dedicated NPU that offers a considerable performance uplift to AI-centric tasks, such as running smaller localized LLMs or other inference use cases. The latter shaves off the integrated GPU that Ryzen 7000 and 8000 series CPUs/APUs generally offer by default this generation for a cheaper price tag.
AMD's AM4-based Ryzen 5000 series processors are also readily available on the market, with the 16-Core Ryzen 9 5950X CPU being the highest-end offering from Team Red in that segment. The more recent, gaming-focused Ryzen 7 5800X3D is also available as an alternative upgrade for users unwilling to pay for a new AM5 socket motherboard and DDR5 memory currently. AMD has additionally pushed newer X3D CPUs, such as the limited-release Ryzen 5 5600X3D and the Ryzen 7 5700X3D, both of which breathe more life into the aging AM4 socket.
Best AMD CPUs For Gaming in 2024
The best AMD CPUs make any gaming experience better, and these are the best AMD CPUs you can buy right now.
Intel's Current CPU Offerings
Intel currently offers the full breadth of the 14th generation Intel CPU lineup with its unlocked products covering 3 major price points with their KF alternatives offering a mild discount while taking the integrated GPU out of the equation. It also offers the full spectrum of its Intel Core processors based on the 13th generation Rocket Lake options, from the Core i3 13100 to the Core i9 13900K, to consumers at discounted price points at multiple retailers.
The 13th and 14th generations are compatible with their own 700 series chipset-based motherboards, as well as Intel's older 600 series (12th generation) motherboards (with a BIOS upgrade), in most cases. Intel has also subsequently released a faster Core i9 14900KS CPU that, much like the 13900KS offers a more cherry-picked version of the Core i9 14900K CPU at a considerable premium.
Intel's 12th-generation CPUs are also available at significant discounts and work with both 12th and 13th-generation motherboards out of the box. They currently trade at deep discounts relative to their MSRPs and are nearly always superseded by their equivalent 13th-generation and 14th-generation offerings when it comes to raw power. That being said, some of their higher-end models do make for appealing performance-centric choices versus their more expensive Raptor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh-based counterparts.
The Best Intel CPUs in 2024
Intel has had a strong year, finishing off with the 14th generation of its processor lineup. But how does it stack against itself in 2024?
Which CPUs to Choose For Performance: Intel Vs AMD
Picking the highest-end performance CPU from Intel is an easy enough task. Because of how performance scales as users move towards the top end of Intel's CPU offerings, the Intel Core i9 14900KS is the obvious performance choice and Intel's king of the hill thanks to its strong multi-threaded and single-core performance relative to most of AMD's and Intel's other CPU choices.
It also removes both the Intel Core i9 13900K and 13900KS from the top of the hill by offering a higher-clocked chip with the same core configuration to enthusiasts and gamers alike, shoring up higher clock speeds than what the 14900K already offers.
Intel's Highest-End Performance CPU In 2024
Intel Core i9 14900KS 24-Core, 32-Thread CPU
A Cherry-Picked Raptor
The Intel Core i9 14900KS 24-core, 32-thread CPU is Intel's special edition CPU take on its flagship 14th generation CPU, the Core i9 14900K.
It is essentially a cherry-picked 14900K SKU that can push higher clocks with up to a minimum of 6.2 GHz on its P-Cores, making it effectively the highest-clocked CPU out of the box to date when it comes to boost clocks from Intel.
It trades at a significant premium as a result and is expected, as a limited-run chip, to be a collectible SKU with high demand from enthusiasts and overclockers in 2024.
- Brand
- Intel
- CPU Model
- Core i9 14900KS
- CPU Socket
- LGA 1700
- Cores
- 24 Cores (8 P-Cores + 16 E-Cores)
- Threads
- 32 Threads
- PCIe 4.0 Support
- Yes
- Architecture
- Raptor Lake Refresh
- Process
- Intel 7
- Transistors
- Unstated
- Base Clock Speed
- 3.2 GHz (2.4 GHz E-Cores)
- Boost Clock Speed
- 6.2 GHz (4.5 GHz E-Cores)
- Cache
- 36 MB L3, 32 MB L2 Cache
- PCIe
- PCI-E 4.0 and 5.0 Support
- Graphics
- Intel® UHD Graphics 770
- TDP
- 150 Base TDP
- Power Draw
- 253 W
With as many as 32 threads handled by a 24-core behemoth, one could argue that size matters even for CPUs in terms of core count. The Intel 14900KS does clock in at an impressive Passmark score average of 63947, with the highest single-thread rating average of 4907. This currently holds the world record for the highest single-thread score on Passmark, with the 14900K and 13900K trailing at 4760 and 4633, respectively.
Intel's top-end CPU does have its stipulations, however. It requires an enormous amount of power to sustain its performance for a CPU that often pushes past 5 GHz on all cores when handling performance-heavy tasks, even as it commands a higher 6.2 GHz single-core clock. It means that users need to pair any 14900KS-centric build to a suitable power supply for adequate power that can handle both the processor and any additional high-end PC hardware users put into their system, such as an RTX 4090 GPU.
One must also account for adequate cooling as most CPU coolers are unable to handle the 14900KS when running at full throttle, making a strong case for some of the more premium AIO liquid coolers to be paired with Intel's finest to ensure thermal throttling is not an ongoing concern.
The Best Motherboards To Pair With Core i9 14900KS
Intel's Core i9 14900KS is the fastest LGA 1700-based CPU out there but it needs a motherboard to match its pace and get the most out of it in 2024!
AMD's Highest-End Performance CPUs In 2024
Choosing an AMD CPU for performance is a much trickier affair than Intel's more straightforward choices. Users see two major CPUs dominant in benchmarks: the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D for gaming, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X for productivity tasks, and the Ryzen 9 7950X3D as a very capable higher-end middle-of-the-road approach for a processor choice from AMD in 2024.
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Gaming Centric Performance Galore
The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is AMD's latest and greatest CPU when it comes to gaming. With an excellent and highly efficient gaming performance that tops the charts currently, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is here to stay and has a crown to claim thanks to its 3D V-Cache-enabled prowess when it comes to gaming on a PC.
The octa-core CPU currently happens to be the fastest in the business for gaming even as it leads efficiency charts at the top, making it a very sought-after gaming upgrade.
- Brand
- AMD
- CPU Model
- Ryzen 7 7800X3D
- CPU Socket
- AM5
- Cores
- 8
- Threads
- 16
- PCIe 4.0 Support
- Yes, Supports up to PCI-E 5.0
- Architecture
- Zen 4
- Process
- 5nm
- Base Clock Speed
- 4.2GHz
- Boost Clock Speed
- 5.0GHz
- Cache
- 8MB L2 + 96MB L3
- TDP
- 120W
- iGPU
- Yes, Integrated Radeon 2 Core
The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is an excellent CPU that is geared particularly towards gamers as it leverages its larger L3 Cache to deliver excellent gaming performance even if it somewhat underperforms AMD's Ryzen 7 7700X in performance-centric benchmarks thanks to its limited boost clock potential.
The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D does have its limitations when it comes to productivity-centric performance, considering its multicore Passmark score of 34358 and a single-core performance rating of 3756. However, the latter rating belies its extremely potent gaming performance, as it doesn't account for its 3D V-Cache advantage that propels it to the top of the charts.
It is one of the most efficient gaming CPUs on the market in terms of performance per watt while also commanding a significant lead in most gaming benchmarks which makes it an easy choice for most users looking for a gaming PC even in 2024.
The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a capable CPU for gamers that decimates its competition across the board across the plethora of games even as it offers middling productivity-related performance. It does so while regularly being on sale at as much as $100 below MSRP thanks to AMD gearing up for Zen 5-based CPUs in the future.
The Best GPUs For Gaming On The AMD Ryzen 7800X3D
AMD Ryzen 7800X3D Is the fastest gaming CPU on offer for gamers to date. Here are some of the best GPUs that you can pair to get the most out of it.
AMD Ryzen™ 9 7950X 16-Core, 32-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor
The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is the flagship processor of AMD's Ryzen 7000 series. It can boost up to 5.7Ghz and delivers unheard-of efficiency while taking the multi-threading performance crown for a 16-core processor.
- Socket
- AMD AM5
- Brand
- AMD
- TDP
- 170W
- Cores
- 16
- Threads
- 32
- iGPU
- Yes, RDNA2
- L3 Cache
- 64MB
- Base Clock
- 4.5Ghz
- Boost Clock
- 5.7Ghz
If games are not a primary concern and raw power centering around high single-core clocks and multicore or multi-threaded performance is a key metric, AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X is an excellent CPU to pick up in 2024. With 16 cores handling 2 threads each for a total of 32 threads on the AM5-based processor, AMD's offering goes neck and neck in many multicore benchmarks with Intel's 14900K while consuming considerably less power than its competition.
The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X also targets a higher temp to ensure it performs up to its peak potential, pushing to as much as 95 degrees Celsius, a temperature that the chipmaker says is perfectly safe to operate at for the Zen 4-based CPU. This means that AMD's CPUs directly benefit from better cooling even if they do generate less heat than their Intel equivalents. The Ryzen 9 7950X clocks an impressive score of 62912 on Passmark multicore but a somewhat lackluster single-core score of 4287 that sees Intel score a resounding win in terms of gaming potential thanks to its impressive single-core offerings.
AMD Ryzen™ 9 7950X3D 16-Core, 32-Thread Desktop Processor
An Excellent Balancing Act
The 16-core, 32-thread desktop AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor is AMD's answer to a resurgent Intel 13th generation processor lineup as it attempts to wrest back the gaming crown with the same technology that made the last generation 5800X3D such a powerful CPU.
With 128MB of L3 cache on offer, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D leverages its 3D V-Cache muscle in gaming as well as its powerful new Zen 4-based cores in productivity to make for a potent enthusiast-grade CPU in the offing.
- Socket
- AMD AM5
- Brand
- AMD
- TDP
- 120W
- Cores
- 16
- Threads
- 32
- iGPU
- Yes, RDNA 2
- L3 Cache
- 128MB
- Base Clock
- 4.2 GHz
- Boost Clock
- 5.7 GHz
Also in contention is AMD's more recent Ryzen 9 7950X3D, an excellent 16-core, 32-thread CPU that combines the core advantage of the 7950X with the X3D moniker's penchant for a larger L3 cache, offering excellent multicore performance that is just a shade below AMD's 7950X while offering vastly improved gaming performance thanks to the stacked 3D V-Cache on offer by the processor AMD states is for creators and enthusiasts.
While the 7950X3D is beaten in raw performance in most productivity tasks by the 7950X and in gaming by the octa-core 7800X3D, both of these are near misses for the top slot in various benchmarks. The 7950X3D is currently AMD's most premium consumer-grade CPU bar none for a very simple reason. It doesn't win outright in most benchmarks. Still, it does tend to come a very respectable or close 2nd in many of them, making it a viable all-rounder that is priced accordingly with a significant margin over the 7950X at most retailers currently.
The Best Motherboards For AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPUs
The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D is the new king of the hill for gaming CPUs, but what is the best motherboard to pair it with as part of an upgrade?
CPU Budget Restrictions & Value Considerations: Intel vs AMD
While both Intel and AMD's fastest CPUs trade blows in a price range of about $500-600, we see much better value of late in the mid-range offerings of both Team Red and Team Blue. This has resulted in both AMD and Intel offering price cuts, game bundles, and cheaper chipsets to woo gamers and budget-conscious customers with increasingly potent CPUs on offer in tow.
-
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
$205 $299 Save $94Gamers interested in upgrading to a newer CPU from Team Red will find the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X to be of spectacular value thanks to its high single-core performance, efficient hexacore architecture, and compatibility with newer technology such as PCI-E 5.0 and DDR5 memory. It also abandons AMD's AM4 design, going for a pin-less processor offering by moving them to the motherboard instead.
- Brand
- AMD
- CPU Model
- Ryzen 5 7600X
- CPU Socket
- AMD AM5
- Cores
- 6
- Threads
- 12
- Base Clock Speed
- 4.7 GHz
- Boost Clock Speed
- 5.3 GHz
- Cache
- 6MB L2 + 32MB L3 Cache
- TDP
- 105W
- iGPU
- 2-Core AMD Radeon Graphics
-
Intel Core i5-14400F
Intel Core i5-14400F is a revised edition of the i5 13400F that brings higher clock speeds for the same price. The Raptor Lake Refresh architecture helps it improve in overall performance while retaining its power efficiency. The i5 14400F brings 6 performance and 4 efficient cores, resulting in a total of 16 threads.
- Brand
- Intel
- CPU Model
- Core i5 14400F
- CPU Socket
- LGA 1700
- Cores
- 6+4
- Threads
- 16
- Base Clock Speed
- 1.8GHz, 2.5GHz
- Boost Clock Speed
- 2.5GHz, 4.7GHz
- Cache
- L2: 9.5MB, L3: 20MB
- TDP
- 148W
- iGPU
- N/A
Two of their more popular budget-centric CPUs are the AM5-based Ryzen 5 7600X and the newly-released LGA 1700-based Core i5 14400F which offer excellent value for money at price points that make them compelling upgrade considerations.
AMD's Ryzen 5 7600X is an unlocked hexacore CPU that offers 6 cores with 12 threads and superior single-core performance than Intel's locked 14400F CPU which concentrates on offering significantly better multicore performance instead, even as it discounts an integrated graphics solution as a result.
It must be noted that the Ryzen 5 7600X does not come with a stock cooler, unlike Intel's offering, which does make it a slightly more expensive proposition. That being said, socket AM4 coolers work with AM5 motherboards easily, making it relatively easy to find a cooler on a budget.
All in all, the CPU market is much more competitive now than it was a few years ago and both Intel and AMD offer excellent value at different price points. We do, however, find AMD's AM5 motherboard offerings are somewhat more expensive than Intel's base models even as the more recent A620 chipset-based motherboards remove some of our concerns when it comes to entry-level motherboards.
The Best Budget CPUs in 2024
Looking to upgrade your CPU on a budget? Here are our picks for the best budget CPUs you can buy right now!
Efficiency & Power Consumption: Intel vs AMD
This is an interesting topic given that AMD was historically considered to 'run hotter' and by inference, consume more power than its Intel counterparts, pointing to lower efficiency. AMD's push for better efficiency thanks to a smaller manufacturing process and outsourcing its fabrication needs have resulted in it making smaller, more energy-efficient cores than the competition even as they compete in the same performance bracket.
Intel's 12th generation CPUs did run hot and the 14th (and by proxy, 13th) generation ups the ante. This means they run considerably hotter and consume a lot more power to get to their ideal performance levels than the competition making them relatively inefficient when users consider power draw.
AMD has however upped the ante in terms of both power draw and heat generation with its higher-end Ryzen 7000 series chips aiming for an operating temperature of 95 degrees sustained for which the chip 'intelligently' determines its clock speeds when under load.
This allows for higher performance than last-generation AMD CPUs with the IPC uplift of Zen 4 chips making them excellent contenders for most multitasking workloads even as efficiency remains significantly better than their Intel counterparts in 2024.
AMD does enjoy even more efficiency specific to gaming when users throw in the newest X3D chips with the Ryzen 7 7800X3D pushing just 50W of power on most games while offering excellent performance to boot.
Picking The Right Processor: Intel Vs AMD
What used to be a clear-cut race in the past with one of the two chipmakers having a significant lead over the other in terms of performance or value for money is now a much more nuanced race with each side winning rounds in different categories.
Intel tends to be excellent at gaming across the board due to higher clock speeds and single-core performance while only AMD's X3D variants take the crown from both its chips and Intel's in gaming for example.
Intel does step up heavily in the multicore performance offerings at both the mid-range and the high-end tier thanks to its big.LITTLE approach to CPUs since the 12th generation, packing in a mix of performance and efficiency cores versus AMD's one-size-fits-all approach to Zen 3 and 4 CPU cores.
In terms of raw efficiency, AMD does currently have a significant edge over Intel's offerings because of their relatively higher power draw for similar performance in most comparable scenarios. Intel does however end up offering better value in the mid-range than AMD more often than not, making it a compelling upgrade case for most users, many of which are invested in its 12th-generation CPUs in some cases with both subsequent generations compatible with the same motherboards.
All in all, there is no clear-cut winner or loser when it comes to Intel and AMD processors. Both contenders have products that cover their target markets even if their approaches are a bit different, relative to each other. Currently, both offer excellent performance, competitive pricing, and value for money. Even if AMD edges out Intel in all meaningful ways in terms of efficiency and cooling requirements, it does take a beating in productivity tests in terms of value-for-money and single core counts due to Intel's ability to offer significantly higher clocks across more cores than the competition on its 14th generation CPUs.
Intel Core i9 14900K Vs AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D: Is The Refresh Enough?
How does Intel's fastest CPU to date stack up against AMD's best gaming CPU post-launch?
FAQ
Q: What is the fastest CPU for gaming in 2023?
The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the fastest CPU for gaming in 2023. It combines the new Zen 4 cores with a large stacked 3D cache to deliver excellent, efficient performance that makes it one of the fastest CPUs out of the box for modern gaming needs.
Q: When Did Intel's 14th Generation CPUs Launch?
The 14th generation Core CPUs, also known as Raptor Lake Refresh launched on the 17th of October 2023 with 3 product classes (Intel Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9) on offer with 6 products in total. Intel is expected to slowly unveil both, its lower end 14th-gen CPUs as well as 14th gen laptop CPUs in the coming weeks.