The Best CPUs for Gaming in 2026

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(Credit: Michael Justin Allen Sexton)

Best Gaming CPU for Most Buyers (AMD or Intel)

Intel Core i7-14700K

4.0 Excellent

Pros & Cons

• Excellent performance
• Four more E-cores than predecessor
• Increased cache
• No price increase

• Power hungry
• Overheats with 240mm water cooler

Bottom Line

The Core i7-14700K is the best value of Intel's refreshed "Raptor Lake" CPUs, bringing marked improvements at no extra cost. It's an attractive upgrade for older LGA 1700 systems.

Specs & Configurations

Core Count 20

Thread Count 28

Base Clock Frequency 3.4 GHz

Maximum Boost Clock 5.5 GHz

Unlocked Multiplier?

Socket Compatibility Intel LGA 1700

Lithography 7 nm

L3 Cache Amount 33 MB

Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating 254 watts

Integrated Graphics Intel UHD Graphics 770

Integrated Graphics Base Clock 1600 MHz

Bundled Cooler None

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$344 at Amazon $334 at Best Buy

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Intel Core i7-14700K Review

(Credit: Michael Justin Allen Sexton)

Best High-End AMD Gaming CPU

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D

4.5 Outstanding

Pros & Cons

• Potent CPU performance
• Impressive gaming performance
• Reasonably priced
• 128MB L3 cache

• Biggest gains are in niche scenarios
• Not much faster than 9950X in CPU workloads

Bottom Line

AMD's fierce Ryzen 9 9950X3D delivers a small step up from the Ryzen 9 9950X in CPU performance and a bigger leap in certain gaming scenarios. For discriminating gamers, that justifies this 16-core chip's slightly steeper price.

Specs & Configurations

Core Count 16

Thread Count 32

Base Clock Frequency 4.3 GHz

Maximum Boost Clock 5.7 GHz

Unlocked Multiplier?

Socket Compatibility AMD AM5

Lithography 4 nm

L3 Cache Amount 128 MB

Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating 170 watts

Integrated Graphics AMD Radeon Graphics

Integrated Graphics Base Clock 2200 MHz

Bundled Cooler None

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$675 at Amazon $679 at Walmart

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AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Review

(Credit: Michael Justin Allen Sexton)

Best High-End Intel Gaming CPU

Intel Core i9-14900K

3.5 Good

Pros & Cons

• Fast multi-threaded performance, and field-leading single-core performance
• 6GHz peak boost clock speed
• Capable integrated graphics
• Same launch price as Core i9-13900K

• Runs hot under load, at times hitting thermal limit
• Same design as last year's 13900K, with only minor upticks to base and boost clock
• Power-hungry

Bottom Line

Intel's Core i9-14900K processor is essentially the Core i9-13900K with a slight clock boost, but a bit more prone to overheating and throttling. If you can find a 13900K for less money, opt for it, as the 14900K is much the same chip in practice.

Specs & Configurations

Core Count 24

Thread Count 32

Base Clock Frequency 3.2 GHz

Maximum Boost Clock 6 GHz

Unlocked Multiplier?

Socket Compatibility Intel LGA 1700

Lithography 7 nm

L3 Cache Amount 36 MB

Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating 253 watts

Integrated Graphics Intel UHD Graphics 770

Integrated Graphics Base Clock 1650 MHz

Bundled Cooler None

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$468 at Amazon $549 at Walmart $599 at Newegg

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Intel Core i9-14900K Review

(Credit: Michael Justin Allen Sexton)

Best Mainstream AMD Gaming CPU

AMD Ryzen 7 9700X

4.0 Excellent

Pros & Cons

• Significant improvements to efficiency versus Ryzen 7000 series
• Excellent operating temperatures, conducive to air cooling
• Mild performance improvements versus Ryzen 7700X series
• Reduced TDP suits this chip well for compact desktops

• Fewer cores than competing Intel chips
• Lesser multi-threaded performance than competition
• No bundled cooler

Bottom Line

AMD's Ryzen 7 9700X desktop CPU is better than its 7000-series predecessor, mostly on power consumption and heat generation—it's only slightly faster. A lower list price gives it added AM5 appeal.

Specs & Configurations

Core Count 8

Thread Count 16

Base Clock Frequency 3.8 GHz

Maximum Boost Clock 5.5 GHz

Unlocked Multiplier?

Socket Compatibility AMD AM5

Lithography 4 nm

L3 Cache Amount 32 MB

Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating 65 watts

Integrated Graphics AMD Radeon Graphics

Integrated Graphics Base Clock 2200 MHz

Bundled Cooler None

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$314 at Amazon $359 at Newegg

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AMD Ryzen 7 9700X Review

(Credit: Michael Justin Allen Sexton)

Best Mainstream Intel Gaming CPU

Intel Core i5-13600K

4.5 Outstanding

Pros & Cons

• Strong performance for a midrange CPU
• Competitively priced
• Generous core count for the money
• Heat stayed in check under stress, albeit with a 240mm water cooler

• Price higher than equivalent last-gen chip
• Power-hungrier than before
• Runs hotter than Core i5-12600K

Bottom Line

Intel's Core i5-13600K is pricier, power-hungrier, and hotter-running than its predecessor, but it's hard to argue with the raw performance this CPU gives you for the money, especially for PC gamers.

Specs & Configurations

Core Count 14

Thread Count 20

Base Clock Frequency 3.5 GHz

Maximum Boost Clock 5.1 GHz

Unlocked Multiplier?

Socket Compatibility Intel LGA 1700

Lithography 7 nm

L3 Cache Amount 24 MB

Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating 181 watts

Integrated Graphics Intel UHD Graphics 770

Integrated Graphics Base Clock 1500 MHz

Bundled Cooler None

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$319 at Amazon $300 at Best Buy

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Intel Core i5-13600K Review

(Photo: Michael Justin Allen Sexton)

Best Budget AMD Gaming CPU

AMD Ryzen 7 5700X

4.0 Excellent

Pros & Cons

• Strong performance
• Better value than Ryzen 7 5800X
• Compatible with most AM4 motherboards
• 65-watt TDP

• Falls behind the more affordable Core i5-12600K

Bottom Line

With performance rivaling the Ryzen 7 5800X, AMD's Ryzen 7 5700X is arguably the best value in the Ryzen 7 5000 series. At its much-reduced price, it's an especially attractive upgrade from an older AM4 chip if you have a compatible AM4 motherboard.

Specs & Configurations

Core Count 8

Thread Count 16

Base Clock Frequency 3.4 GHz

Maximum Boost Clock 3.6 GHz

Unlocked Multiplier?

Socket Compatibility AMD AM4

Lithography 7 nm

L3 Cache Amount 32 MB

Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating 65 watts

Integrated Graphics None

Integrated Graphics Base Clock

Bundled Cooler None

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$215 at Amazon $279 at Walmart

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AMD Ryzen 7 5700X Review

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Best Budget Intel Gaming CPU

Intel Core i5-13400F

3.5 Good

Pros & Cons

• High core count for the money
• Competitive multi-threaded performance

• No integrated graphics in "F" version
• Lackluster single-threaded performance
• Somewhat loud stock fan

Bottom Line

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a well-priced LGA 1700 processor that's a fine fit for a budget gaming PC. It's best paired with a mainstream graphics card, rather than a high-end one.

Specs & Configurations

Core Count 10

Thread Count 16

Base Clock Frequency 2.5 GHz

Maximum Boost Clock 4.6 GHz

Unlocked Multiplier?

Socket Compatibility Intel LGA 1700

Lithography 10 nm

L3 Cache Amount 20 MB

Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating 148 watts

Integrated Graphics None

Integrated Graphics Base Clock

Bundled Cooler Intel Laminar RM1

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$283 at Amazon $299 at Walmart $165 at Best Buy

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Intel Core i5-13400F Review

Best Processor for Gaming on Integrated Graphics (AMD or Intel)

AMD Ryzen 7 8700G

3.5 Good

Pros & Cons

• Exceptional integrated graphics performance
• Decent CPU speeds
• Low power consumption

• Overpriced
• Just 16MB of L3 cache
• Stability issues

Bottom Line

AMD's Ryzen 7 8700G is an excellent single-chip gaming solution, especially for small PCs that can't house a graphics card, but it just can't beat a conventional CPU and GPU combination on price/performance.

Specs & Configurations

Core Count 8

Thread Count 16

Base Clock Frequency 4.2 GHz

Maximum Boost Clock 5.1 GHz

Unlocked Multiplier?

Socket Compatibility AMD AM5

Lithography 4 nm

L3 Cache Amount 16 MB

Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating 65 watts

Integrated Graphics AMD Radeon 780M

Integrated Graphics Base Clock 2900 MHz

Bundled Cooler AMD Wraith Spire

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$329 at B&H Photo Video

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AMD Ryzen 7 8700G Review

(Credit: Michael Justin Allen Sexton)

Best Budget Processor for Gaming on Integrated Graphics (AMD or Intel)

AMD Ryzen 5 8600G

4.0 Excellent

Pros & Cons

• Powerful integrated graphics
• Six Zen 4 CPU Cores
• Low power draw
• Budget price

• Lackluster CPU productivity performance
• Runs a bit hot

Bottom Line

AMD's Ryzen 5 8600G isn't the most muscular CPU you can buy, but it drives competitive integrated-graphics performance for its price. It's an ideal chip for extreme-budget gaming PCs.

Specs & Configurations

Core Count 6

Thread Count 12

Base Clock Frequency 4.3 GHz

Maximum Boost Clock 5 GHz

Unlocked Multiplier?

Socket Compatibility AMD AM5

Lithography 4 nm

L3 Cache Amount 16 MB

Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating 65 watts

Integrated Graphics AMD Radeon 760M

Integrated Graphics Base Clock 2800 MHz

Bundled Cooler AMD Wraith Stealth

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$187 at Amazon $188 at Walmart $189 at Best Buy

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AMD Ryzen 5 8600G Review

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Before continuing, if you are relatively new to PC building and aren't familiar with the specifics of what makes up a processor, we'd recommend you first read our general-purpose best CPUs article. We will proceed from here under the assumption that you understand the basics of processors.

When it comes to gaming, you'll see lots of debate online about what is most important in a processor to help you get the best performance. Some argue that clock speed is everything, and the highest-clocked CPU will invariably perform best. (Occasionally, that is correct.) Others argue that having more cores will net you a greater advantage. (Sometimes that helps, too.) You also find a fair bit of consideration around the cache being all-important. (Again: Sometimes yes, sometimes no.)

Like with many things in life, none of these more extreme viewpoints is wholly accurate. Having a balanced mix of cores, clock speed, and cache will get you the best results in the widest sense. Beyond that, the results you get can vary quite a bit from game to game, or from game genre to game genre. You'll find no magic-bullet solution that will work for all users, all budgets, and all games. Let's get into why below.

Clock Speed Is Not Everything for Games

As everyone knows, higher clock speeds enable a processor to perform better...if everything else is equal. But everything seldom is, and so "clock speed" as a single number or overarching concept is far too simplistic to make decisions on alone, especially due to the influence of different microarchitectures. To help with understanding this concept, imagine a processor as an engine in a car. The clock speed, in this case, would not be the speed the car is traveling at, but the speed of the engine, or how many revolutions per minute (RPMs) that the engine is turning at. Just like how different engines deliver different amounts of horsepower at the same RPM, different processors will give you different amounts of performance at the same clock speed unless they share the same architecture (and all else is equal, too).

Clock speed, like RPMs, goes up and down as the CPU or engine calls upon more work. Performance and power consumption rise and fall in concert with clock speed, which is a universal truth. However, we should never rely solely on clock speed to make a decision on processors, though we can say the exact same thing about core count.

Core Count: More Cores Aren't Always Better

Just as we cannot rely entirely on clock speed to make a decision, we also cannot rely simply on core count. The architecture on which the processor cores are built has a huge impact on performance here, too, but we also sometimes see processors with more cores running at slower clock speeds than processors with fewer cores. This slowdown is often a necessity for running large numbers of cores, as you'll have only so much power to go around. Also, more cores typically generate more heat, forcing the processor to have lower clock speeds to stay within the power and thermal limits (again, all else being equal).

We have also seen many debates over the years about just how many processor cores you need for PC gaming. It's often been argued that games, especially older ones, aren't capable of using more than just a few cores and that having additional cores delivers no benefit. These arguments are flawed, however, as they fail to take into consideration two key factors. First, they fail to consider that even if some games are able to use only a few cores, other games, especially newer ones, tend to make use of far more cores.

The second major factor is that a PC is never doing just one thing. Having more cores beyond what a game can use can still improve performance by offloading background tasks to the extra cores. The benefits from this only increase if you like to watch videos on a second monitor while gaming, stream your games while playing, or record game footage for later use. These factors make the argument against extra cores, at the very least, shortsighted.

It Takes Both!

We could continue to discuss the merits of different processor attributes for gaming at length and the ongoing debates around them, but instead, let's get down to the key points. It's best not to lean too much to any one side of this performance equation between clock speed and cores. Don't overly focus on having the most cores or the very highest clock speed; instead, look for a chip that is strong in both regards.

Testing data suggests that the current benefits of having more cores diminish as you add even more cores. Most graphics cards are able to operate at close to their full potential with a CPU at the level of an Intel Core i5 or an AMD Ryzen 5; beyond that, most graphics cards only gain a modest benefit from having faster CPUs if they benefit at all. The very highest-end graphics cards (like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090) unequivocally do benefit from faster processors, though, especially at lower resolutions, and it's likely that newer games will benefit from faster processors down the road, as well.

Taken together, we get a clear picture that the absolute best gaming processor we can buy today and tomorrow will likely be the one with the most cores and the highest clock speed. This is a decent generalization to proceed with, but most folks' budgets are limited, and there is a point of diminishing returns. To determine which CPU will be the best for your specific gaming PC, we need to dive into your specific system goals.

First, a Word About Cache

Ordinarily, we wouldn't delve into processor cache in an overview article like this, as it's a topic a bit deep in the weeds. However, it's also been known for decades that game performance tends to increase with the size of a processor's cache. We mean cache in general, be it L1, L2, L3, or some other form of last-level cache (LLC). AMD has brought this aspect of processors front and center in recent years with its 3D V-Cache processors.

Though large pools of cache can be beneficial to gaming, cache requires a lot of transistors and a relatively large amount of space on a processor die. This makes it relatively expensive to implement, and the addition of excess cache can drive up costs quickly. Cache is also relatively power-hungry and generates a considerable amount of heat. The use of too much cache, therefore, can adversely affect battery performance (in laptops) or power consumption (in desktops), and the added heat can force the rest of the chip to be clocked lower so as to keep the CPU cores from overheating.

With these drawbacks, you might start to wonder if not having cache would be beneficial, but cache is absolutely essential. Without cache, modern processors would be far slower, and adding extra cache, at times, has brought about major performance gains in the past. How much cache a processor needs again comes down to a balancing act, which is why AMD and Intel typically provide about the same amount of cache per each CPU core.

The notable modern exceptions to this are AMD's processors with 3D V-Cache, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D. Each of these processors has an extra element inside that's comprised entirely of 64MB of cache. On each of these processors, this is counted as part of the L3 cache, but it's really an LLC that's physically separate, with slightly different performance characteristics from the L3.

With AMD's first-generation 3D V-Cache technology, this added cache chip was placed on top of the CPU cores, which mandated some compromises. These chips have reduced clock speeds to deal with the extra heat produced by the cache chip. As a result, their peak raw CPU performance is typically lower in most applications than their near-identical counterparts that lack the 3D V-Cache. These processors do have a slight edge in games, but this advantage is mostly seen in games running with lower graphics settings and at lower resolutions, like 1080p or 1200p. The advantage disappears in many games at higher resolutions, where the limits of frame rates are bound to the graphics card.

AMD's second-gen 3D V-Cache technology improves upon the original design by placing the cache underneath the CPU cores instead of on top. This helps maintain higher clock speeds and reduces heating issues. It was first introduced with the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, but it is also used in other Ryzen 9000-series processors with 3D V-Cache.

There is an aspect of future-proofing here: These V-Cache-equipped CPUs may well be good for use with high-end graphics cards that have not yet been released. But, generally speaking, we think the ideal pairing among AMD's 3D V-Cache processors is using the best one, the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, together with a high-end graphics card like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090. To get the most out of this processor from a gaming perspective, you also need to game mostly at 1080p, reaching for extreme frame rates for competitive play on a high-refresh gaming monitor. Otherwise, at higher resolutions, the GPU tends to set the ceiling on performance. We would consider different processors for gaming at higher resolutions, especially as many faster equivalent-class processors are also priced lower.

Performance Goals and Long-Term Goals

To determine exactly what processor is best for you and your new gaming PC, you'll need to answer a few questions about what you want from the system. Based on your goals, you'll most likely fall into one of a handful of groups, which enables us to make recommendations relatively easily.

Advice for 4K Gamers

If you want to game at 4K resolution, likely your best option is to buy a midrange processor such as an AMD Ryzen 5, an Intel Core i5, a Ryzen 7, or a Core i7 if you're looking for lots of cores for CPU-intensive work when you are not gaming. Gaming at 4K can actually be "easier," in a sense, than gaming at 1080p, as the graphics card is more likely to reach the limit of its frame-pushing power before the CPU is the component holding it back.

This is especially true in light of the fact that most people gaming at 4K today are aiming to run at 60 frames per second (fps), which has long been considered the ideal baseline refresh rate for gaming when the hardware going gets tough. Enjoying 4K gaming is still a bit of a rarified level for most shoppers; plus, high-refresh-rate monitors (above 60Hz) with 4K native resolution aren't casual purchases. If you happen to buy a monitor that's able to output a 4K signal above 60fps, and you are also buying a top-tier graphics card, such as an AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT or an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080, you may want to consider stepping up the processor to an AMD Ryzen 9 or an Intel Core i9 just to be safe and to avoid any potential bottlenecks.

Advice for High-Refresh-Rate 1080p Gamers

If you want to run games with exceptionally fast refresh rates, you'll want to opt for the absolute best processor that you can afford, so long as it doesn't cut into your GPU budget. When you are gaming at 1080p, the processor is far more likely to create a bottleneck and hold back the graphics card from achieving its peak performance. This is especially true if you have a high-end graphics card, so the graphics card you own or intend to buy has a significant impact on your CPU choice here.

More widely used, older mainstream graphics cards, like the AMD Radeon RX 6600 or the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, should be adequately fed by a modern AMD Ryzen 5 or Intel Core i5 processor. These mainstream processor solutions are quite capable, and the newer AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and Intel Core i5-14600K are able to stand toe-to-toe with faster processors on gaming, at least until you get past cards on the level of an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080. At that point, these chips fall slightly behind their faster kin in some game tests. With an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti or better, it would be wiser to opt for an AMD Ryzen 7 or Intel Core i7 to avoid any bottlenecking.

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Even an AMD Ryzen 9 or Intel Core i9 isn't totally out of the realm of practicality for high-refresh gaming at 1080p, though you'll likely only need to opt for such a high-end chip if you are purchasing an AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT or 7900 XTX or an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 or better.

Advice for 1440p (2K) Gamers

If you play games at 1440p or 1600p (aka, 2K), you likely reside somewhere between the two aforementioned camps. Gaming at 2K will be more demanding on your GPU than gaming at 1080p, but at the same time, many 2K monitors support higher refresh rates, with 120Hz and 144Hz models becoming increasingly common. Here again, higher refresh rates put more strain on the processor, as it needs to work faster to keep the GPU fed with data to generate those higher frame rates.

Realistically, we consider AMD's Ryzen 7 and Intel's Core i7 processors the ideal options for 2K gaming. They have the extra oomph to run higher refresh rates without costing nearly as much as the Ryzen 9 and Core i9 options.

Advice for Budget Gamers

Gamers on a truly tight budget realistically don't need to worry as much about what processor they buy. Buying a capable graphics card is far more important, and even an AMD Ryzen 3 or Intel Core i3 can handle many mainstream GPUs reasonably well. If you can fit an AMD Ryzen 5 or an Intel Core i5 into your budget, though, that would be ideal, even if it's a last-gen model like a Ryzen 5 5000-series or an Intel Core i5 11th (LGA 1200) or 12th Gen (LGA 1700) chip. But, if opting for the likes of a Ryzen 3 or Core i3 lets you get even a slightly better graphics card, that's the better option.

Advice for Intel Arrow Lake Processors

One last thing we should mention is that Intel's new Arrow Lake processors are not ideal solutions for gaming at this time. They can run games just fine, but performance does lag a bit, in several areas, versus equivalent Ryzen 9000-series chips while gaming. If you are building a PC and want an Arrow Lake processor for its strong CPU performance in other applications, and want to do a bit of gaming on the side, you still can without issue. But, if you're building a PC primarily for gaming, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K and Intel Core Ultra 9 285K just aren't today's best options. The same is likely true for the Core Ultra 7 265K, but we have not yet reviewed it.

Notes for All Levels of Buyer and Later Upgrades

Regardless of which of these groups you fit into, if you're building, upgrading, or buying a PC for serious gaming, always prioritize buying the best graphics card you can over buying the absolute best processor you can. Except in extreme-mismatch scenarios, or unless you game at 1080p with exceedingly high refresh rates, you are more likely to have your graphics card hit its performance limit before your CPU does. This doesn't hold up, say, if you paired an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 with an Intel Core i3. But in most reasonably well-built systems, with most games, the graphics card hits its limit first while gaming.

Now, that is not to say that you should toss all your money into a graphics card and forget about the CPU. But you would be better off, for example, with a Core i5-14600K and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 than you would be with an Intel Core i7-14700K and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti. Our key takeaway here is to prioritize the GPU selection first and get the best or most appropriate processor to go with it, with what budget you have left.

We should also make it clear that while we may recommend an AMD Ryzen 5 or an Intel Core i5 as sufficient for gaming above 1080p, we see no harm in buying a faster processor for your gaming PC so long as it doesn't cut into your GPU budget. Buying a faster processor can be beneficial in many scenarios outside of gaming; it will enhance your PC's multitasking ability, and getting a faster processor now could keep the door open to a GPU upgrade in a couple of years without having to build a whole new PC. We know of many gamers who do just this and opt for a reasonably fast CPU beyond what they strictly need at the moment. Then they use this processor and motherboard throughout the life of two GPUs before doing another full system upgrade or rebuild.

That's also a valid strategy if you have the budget to "pay now to enjoy later." But know that chip prices fall over time, and it's possible if you don't buy the highest-end chip for the platform today, you might be able to upgrade in a few years' time—say, to a Core i7 from a Core i5 for a lot less than the initial cost of the i7 today.

To sum up, we've mapped out our top gaming CPUs with detailed specs above. If you're building a new system from scratch, you'll also want to take a look at our recommendations for the best M.2 SSDs and PC tower cases. Or, if you'd rather buy a balanced off-the-shelf model, you can check out our favorite gaming desktops, too.