Processors: Buying Advice, Tips, and News
Choosing the right CPU can have a bigger impact on your PC experience than almost any other component. From gaming and streaming to productivity and creative work, processor performance shapes how your system feels every day. We put every desktop CPU through extensive testing to determine which chips deliver the best mix of value, performance, and efficiency.
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Deep Dive: Understanding Desktop ProcessorsWhether you're upgrading your desktop PC or building a new one, choosing the right processor is the most crucial and complex choice you will make. Let's simplify it! Here's how to make sense of AMD's and Intel's lines, backed by dozens of our deep-dive reviews.
By John Burek
Our Current Top Tested Picks
AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
With performance rivaling the Ryzen 7 5800X at a lower price, AMD's Ryzen 7 5700X is arguably the best value in the Ryzen 7 5000 series, but it can't quite stand up to Intel's new "Alder Lake" processors.
Full AMD Ryzen 7 5700X ReviewPros
- Strong performance
- Better value than Ryzen 7 5800X
- Compatible with most AM4 motherboards
- 65-watt TDP
Cons
- Falls behind the more affordable Core i5-12600K
Pros
- Strong performance
- Better value than Ryzen 7 5800X
- Compatible with most AM4 motherboards
- 65-watt TDP
Cons
- Falls behind the more affordable Core i5-12600K
Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
Intel's Core Ultra 5 250K Plus boosts gaming performance over its "Arrow Lake" predecessor at a price that's hard to pass up. It's not the fastest gaming CPU around, but no other chip goes as hard for so little money.
Full Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus ReviewPros
- Highly competitive pricing for an 18-core CPU
- Exceptional productivity performance for the money
- Improved gaming speeds over original "Arrow Lake" when used with a discrete graphics card
- Potent integrated graphics
Cons
- Gaming performance still lags the competition
Pros
- Highly competitive pricing for an 18-core CPU
- Exceptional productivity performance for the money
- Improved gaming speeds over original "Arrow Lake" when used with a discrete graphics card
- Potent integrated graphics
Cons
- Gaming performance still lags the competition
AMD Ryzen 7 9700X
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
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.
Full AMD Ryzen 7 9700X ReviewPros
- 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
Cons
- Fewer cores than competing Intel chips
- Lesser multi-threaded performance than competition
- No bundled cooler
Pros
- 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
Cons
- Fewer cores than competing Intel chips
- Lesser multi-threaded performance than competition
- No bundled cooler
Intel Core Ultra 7 265K
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
Intel's Core Ultra 7 265K may not be the best processor for gaming, but with blistering-fast CPU performance and impressive integrated graphics, it's a solid contender in its price range.
Full Intel Core Ultra 7 265K ReviewPros
- Potent raw CPU performance
- Speedy integrated graphics
- Competitively priced
- Improved thermal performance versus Intel's 13th and 14th Gen ("Raptor Lake" and "Raptor Lake Refresh") processors
Cons
- Trails competitors in gaming with a traditional GPU
Pros
- Potent raw CPU performance
- Speedy integrated graphics
- Competitively priced
- Improved thermal performance versus Intel's 13th and 14th Gen ("Raptor Lake" and "Raptor Lake Refresh") processors
Cons
- Trails competitors in gaming with a traditional GPU
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
AMD's flagship Ryzen 9 9950X has the 16-core muscle to fight Intel's 14th Gen Core i9 CPUs and win. Plus, it's cheaper than AMD's last-gen equivalent, the 7950X.
Full AMD Ryzen 9 9950X ReviewPros
- 16-core design
- Runs significantly cooler than its 7950X predecessor
- Marked performance gains
- Cheaper than last-generation flagship
Cons
- Power-hungry
- At launch, a little pricier than the Core i9-14900K
Pros
- 16-core design
- Runs significantly cooler than its 7950X predecessor
- Marked performance gains
- Cheaper than last-generation flagship
Cons
- Power-hungry
- At launch, a little pricier than the Core i9-14900K
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
Intel's flagship "Arrow Lake" CPU, the Core Ultra 9 285K, delivers reduced power consumption, dedicated AI silicon, and promising platform improvements. The one big question mark: Its performance is superb in some tasks but subpar in others, though this may improve with software updates.
Full Intel Core Ultra 9 285K ReviewPros
- Major performance increase in some tests
- Reduced power consumption
- Improved integrated graphics
- Dedicated AI silicon
- Worthwhile platform enhancements
Cons
- CPU-centric tests are a mix of wins and losses
- Subpar gaming performance in some titles
Pros
- Major performance increase in some tests
- Reduced power consumption
- Improved integrated graphics
- Dedicated AI silicon
- Worthwhile platform enhancements
Cons
- CPU-centric tests are a mix of wins and losses
- Subpar gaming performance in some titles
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
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.
Full AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D ReviewPros
- Potent CPU performance
- Impressive gaming performance
- Reasonably priced
- 128MB L3 cache
Cons
- Biggest gains are in niche scenarios
- Not much faster than 9950X in CPU workloads
Pros
- Potent CPU performance
- Impressive gaming performance
- Reasonably priced
- 128MB L3 cache
Cons
- Biggest gains are in niche scenarios
- Not much faster than 9950X in CPU workloads
Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
Intel's Core Ultra 7 270K Plus desktop processor improves on "Arrow Lake's" gaming speeds and delivers robust performance across any task, but its best feature is its hyper-competitive price: It can spar with CPUs costing more than twice as much.
Full Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus ReviewPros
- Exceptionally low price for a 24-core CPU
- Potent raw CPU performance
- Boosted gaming speeds versus previous generation, when used with a discrete graphics card
- Powerful integrated graphics
Cons
- Low-resolution/high-frame-rate gaming still lags behind AMD's Ryzen X3D chips
Pros
- Exceptionally low price for a 24-core CPU
- Potent raw CPU performance
- Boosted gaming speeds versus previous generation, when used with a discrete graphics card
- Powerful integrated graphics
Cons
- Low-resolution/high-frame-rate gaming still lags behind AMD's Ryzen X3D chips
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9980X
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
The Ryzen Threadripper 9980X processor is a massive upgrade over AMD's last-generation flagship, with a lusty leap in performance over its predecessor. Is it more chip than you need? Probably, but every PC builder can dream.
Full AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9980X ReviewPros
- Exceptional multithreaded performance
- 64 cores
- Support for 128 threads
- Increased clock speeds over previous Threadripper 7000-series flagship
Cons
- Power-hungry (like all Threadrippers)
- Price places it firmly in the professional class
Pros
- Exceptional multithreaded performance
- 64 cores
- Support for 128 threads
- Increased clock speeds over previous Threadripper 7000-series flagship
Cons
- Power-hungry (like all Threadrippers)
- Price places it firmly in the professional class
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