The Best CPUs in 2023

What to Look for in a CPU in 2023

The first thing you should focus on is the number of CPU cores. While some say that more cores is always better, that’s not always true. Remember, the power of the individual core is also important. If it weren’t, ten-year-old 12-core Intel Xeon CPUs would still be better than modern six-core processors.

If you’re a gamer, you can freely ignore the efficiency cores —also known as E cores— found in 12th and 13th gen Intel processors; E cores are not made for gaming and are only worth it in productivity workloads.

Instead, when looking for a gaming CPU, our best budget Intel CPU pick is fast enough for an entry-level gaming rig unless you like to multitask when gaming. A modern six-core CPU is an optimal choice for mid-range builds, while high-end gaming rigs should feature CPUs with eight or more cores.

Also, you don’t usually need flagship CPUs—you’ll pay a ton of cash but won’t get a noticeable performance bump. Most games don’t scale well beyond eight cores and prefer strong single-core performance over exemplary multithreaded prowess. In other words, a modern six or eight-core CPU is enough for most gamers.

Another thing gamers should be aware of is avoiding creating a CPU or GPU bottleneck. While you can have a CPU that surpasses your GPU in gaming performance, pairing a graphics card with a processor incapable of following it will lead to drops in frames per second (FPS), and sometimes even stuttering.

If you’re looking for a CPU for productivity tasks such as video editing, the more you pay, the better performance you can expect. Many productivity apps can use extra cores and hyperthreading, and they scale quite nicely even when we enter the flagship territory. With that said, some workloads, such as audio mixing, prefer single-thread performance.

To summarize, don’t chase flagship CPUs if you’re a gamer. Regarding productivity, most workloads scale pretty well up to sixteen or more cores. There are scenarios, however, where you’d rather have a fast single-thread CPU, such as audio mixing, and where a powerful GPU is more important than a high-end CPU, such as rendering or AI-related workloads.

Don’t forget about motherboard compatibility. If you’re upgrading, your future processor has to be compatible with your motherboard. You should also get a quality CPU cooling solution to allow the new processor to fully spread its wings. An inadequate CPU cooler can lead to thermal throttling, where the processor gets too hot to work at its maximum performance, dropping frequency to cool down itself.

RELATED: CPUs Decoded: Understanding Intel’s Microarchitecture Names

Let’s kickstart our best CPU list with the best Intel CPU. While the Intel Core i9-13900K is the flagship, the Intel Core i7-13700K is the sensible choice, both for gamers and users looking for a CPU for productivity tasks.

Eight blazing-fast performance cores are everything one might need for the ultimate gaming performance. The 13700K also features 16 efficiency cores—these don’t matter in games, but when it comes to productivity, they a lot of extra computing power.

For games, the 13700K is as fast as the 13900K while costing $150 less. In productivity tasks, you’re looking at 15%-25% less performance depending on the workload for a 30% lower price; the savings are even higher if we account for the beefier cooler you’d need to cool down the 13900K.

But if you need as much oomph in productivity workloads as possible and don’t care about saving cash, the Core i9-13900K is still a fine choice. On the other hand, gamers should also check the Intel Core i5-13600K, which costs about $100 less than the 13700K while being almost as fast in games. If you’re a gamer, you should also consider our best gaming CPU pick.

Best Intel CPU Overall

Intel Core i7-13700K

The Intel Core i7-13700K is everything you need for gaming and productivity workloads. It’s noticeably more affordable than the Core i9-13900K while being as fast in games and pretty darn close in most productivity apps.

The story with the best Ryzen CPU is similar to that of the best Intel CPU overall; the 16-core AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is the flagship, but the 12-core AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is as fast in games and about 15%-25% slower than the 7950X in productivity workloads while being about 30% more affordable. As an all-in-one solution, the Ryzen 9 7900X is an excellent choice.

If you’re a professional who wants the best Ryzen CPU for productivity and money isn’t an issue, the Ryzen 9 7950X is the logical option. Its 16 cores will give you a fine bump in core-hungry tasks. The 7950X is also the best choice for professionals who don’t want to shell thousands of dollars on a Threadripper CPU.

On the other hand, if you’re a gamer and don’t want to shell out that much cash on a CPU you’re only planning on using for playing games, the best bang-for-buck purchases among the current Ryzen CPU lineup are the six-core AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and the eight-core AMD Ryzen 7 7700. Both of these are 65W parts that use less power and run much cooler than their X variants—the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X—while matching their gaming performance.

Best Ryzen CPU Overall

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is an excellent choice for gamers and professionals. The 7900X has an excellent price, is as fast as any other CPU on the market in games, and is very capable when it comes to productivity workloads.

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The Intel Core i3-12100F is the best CPU you can get for $100 or less, period. This Intel CPU is a four-core processor, but its four cores are fast and are enough to run even the most demanding AAA games at 60fps.

Multiplayer games will work at triple-digit frame rates without issues—provided your GPU can handle it. This CPU is also very power efficient, and the included box cooler is enough to cool it down, meaning extra savings since you won’t have to get an aftermarket CPU cooler.

Regarding cons, the Core i3-12100F isn’t the most future-proof choice. Its four-core/eight-thread design can run current AAA titles at 60fps, but future AAA games might struggle to run at or above 60 frames per second. Also, if you have a multi-monitor setup and like having YouTube or Twitch running in the background while gaming, the four cores inside the 12100F won’t be enough to provide a stutter-free gaming experience in some CPU-heavy titles.

If you can’t spend more than $100 on the CPU, get the Core i3-12100F—the F label on Intel CPUs means lack of an integrated graphics card (iGPU) solution, which is fine for gamers since they’ll get a dedicated GPU anyway. If you don’t need a dedicated GPU and are fine with an iGPU, you can get the Core i3-12100.

Gamers who multitask and those with a higher budget looking for something more powerful should check the six-core Intel Core i5-12400F or its 12400 variant with an iGPU. The Core i5-12400F is a great gaming CPU with enough performance for years to come. It offers a considerable performance bump over the 12100F, costing only about $150.

Best Budget Intel CPU

Intel Core I3-12100F

The Intel Core I3-12100F is an amazing CPU for $100 or less. It’s perfect for any home PC and more than a decent choice for an entry-level gaming PC.

The six-core AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is the best budget Ryzen CPU you can buy. For $200, the Ryzen 5 5600 offers lots of gaming and productivity performance. Similarly to our best budget Intel CPU pick, the 5600 is extremely power efficient, and the included Wraith Stealth cooler is good enough to keep the temperature under control.

The Ryzen 5 5600 is based on the older AM4 CPU socket, which is a bummer since you won’t be able to upgrade to a newer Ryzen CPU in the future. If you’re on a budget but want to jump on a modern AMD CPU platform that will allow you to upgrade to a faster CPU in the future, get the AM5-based AMD Ryzen 5 7600. It’s pricier than the 5600 at about $230 and requires more expensive DDR5 RAM, but the Ryzen 7600 is much faster in games and more power-efficient.

Best Budget Ryzen CPU

AMD Ryzen 5 5600

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 packs tons of gaming performance inside its six cores and is the best budget Ryzen CPU on the market. Its multithreaded performance won’t impress anyone but for the price, it’s more than a decent peformer.

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The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the best gaming CPU on the market. The 7800X3D is faster than more expensive offerings from AMD and Intel—including the 13900K, the 13900KS, the 7950X, and the 7950X3D—while costing only $450.

The secret sauce inside this eight-core CPU is 96MB of L3 cache, placed on top of the chiplet containing the eight CPU cores thanks to AMD’s 3D V-cache technology—3D V-cache is a tech that allows AMD to place extra cache above the CPU die. Games love when a CPU has loads of cache memory, and the 7800X3D packs tons of it.

The CPU is also extremely power efficient and much easier to cool down than the flagship beasts from Intel and AMD, allowing you to save extra on the since a quality mid-range CPU cooler will do the job.

The 7800X3D isn’t the only Ryzen CPU with AMD’s 3D V-cache solution. You also have the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and the Ryzen 9 7900X3D. Those two, however, cost much more than the 7800X3D while being slightly slower in games, which is why we don’t recommend them over the 7800X3D.

If you’re looking for the best gaming performance in an Intel CPU, the Core i9-13900KS, a version of the 13900K with higher boost clocks and a higher price, is technically the fastest gaming CPU Intel offers. If you ask us, the Core i7-13700K, even the Core i5-13600K, are much better choices since they cost a lot less while having almost the same gaming performance as the 13900KS and being much easier to cool down.

If you’re still rocking a motherboard with the AM4 CPU socket and are considering upgrading to a faster gaming CPU, don’t jump on the 7800X3D bandwagon immediately. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D, the first CPU featuring the 3D V-cache tech, offers similar performance as the Ryzen 7000 and Intel 13th-gen CPUs while costing only about $300 and not requiring a new motherboard and DDR5 memory.

Best CPU for Gaming

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

If you’re a gamer and want the fastest gaming CPU on the market, get the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, you won’t regret it. Those in need of a CPU for productivity workloads should look elsewhere.

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