Core 2 gaming cpus

It also serves up a compelling blend of performance in single- and multi-threaded apps, making it our top pick for budget gaming CPUs. If you're looking for the fastest gaming chips on the market, you need to look at our review of the Core iK and Core iK.

The K serves up extra cores and extra boost speed for those looking for the utmost in productivity performance, but the Core iK is a well-rounded chip that provides an impressive blend of pricing and performance in both gaming and applications. We also recently tested the Ryzen 3 G , but that chip remains OEM-exclusive, meaning that you can't buy it at retail.

The Ryzen G could also slot in as a temporary solution for enthusiasts that can't find a graphics card at reasonable pricing during these times of severe GPU shortages. If you're looking for the quick blow-by-blow, you can see all of these chips in dedicated head-to-head comparisons in our recent faceoffs:. So as you can imagine, it won't be long before we have the full scoop on performance.

We also maintain a list of best CPUs for workstations , for those who frequently tackle high-end content creation, or other tasks that benefit from high core counts. Higher-end chips benefit the most from the best thermal paste , so check out our guide if you're shopping for a new processor. But if you're after the best gaming CPU, you're in the right place. If your main goal is gaming, you of course can't forget about the graphics card. So be sure to check out Best Graphics Cards page, as well as our GPU Benchmarks Hierarchy to make sure you have the right card for the level of gaming you're looking to achieve.

You can see some of those numbers in the charts above, including overclocked performance results marked as PBO for AMD processors and benchmark results in Windows 10 and Windows This group of results comprises only the chips that have passed through our newest test suite, while the tables in our CPU benchmark hierarchy include rankings based on past CPU benchmarks, and also include breakdowns of single- and multi-threaded performance across a broad spate of processors.

Finally, the pricing in the charts above represents MSRPs. Coupled with the snappy single-threaded performance, this is the gaming chip to beat. The K comes with six threaded P-cores that operate at 3. That's paired with 20MB of L3 and 9. The chip supports 16 lanes of the leading-edge PCIe 5. Most gamers will enjoy the lower price and comparable performance of DDR4, but you can step up to the more expensive DDR5 if you need access to more memory throughput.

The K comes with a maximum power rating of W, but the chip sucks significantly less power than its prior-gen counterpart while delivering much more performance in gaming. The lowered power consumption allows the chip to work well with a wide variety of standard air and water coolers, but you'll need to make sure your model supports the LGA socket.

Speaking of which, you'll also need a new series motherboard for the processor, and Z models are currently your only option. You can find a wide selection of high-end models that support DDR5 memory, and although you'll only find lower-end and mid-range DDR4 motherboards, there's still plenty of selection available.

Read: Core iK Review. The AMD Ryzen 5 X takes the top spot in the gaming PC market with a solid blend of Intel-beating performance in both gaming and application workloads. The Ryzen 5 X even beats the Intel Core iK at gaming, which is an incredible feat given its price point. Not to mention that it's the most power-efficient desktop PC processor we've ever tested.

That makes the X an incredibly well-rounded chip that can handle any type of gaming, from competitive-class performance with high refresh rate monitors to streaming, while also serving up more than enough performance for day-to-day application workloads. The Ryzen 5 X has a 3. The chip also has a 65W TDP rating, meaning it runs exceptionally cool and quiet given its capabilities the previous-gen model was 95W.

Existing AMD owners with a series motherboard will breathe a sigh of relief as the X drops right into existing series motherboards. You can also drop the chips right into series motherboards.

If you need a new motherboard to support the chip, both and series motherboards are plentiful and relatively affordable, with the B lineup offering the best overall value for this class of chip. The Intel Core iK is the fastest gaming processor on the planet. It's also the uncontested leader in x86 single-threaded performance. The chip comes with eight P-cores that support hyper-threading, and eight single-threaded E-cores for a total of 24 threads.

The P-cores have a 3. Meanwhile, the E-cores have a 2. This K has a W PBP base and W MTP peak power rating, but we recorded considerably lower power consumption than its prior-gen counterpart, and you get industry-leading performance in exchange.

You'll need to buy a capable cooler for the chip, and you'll also need a new series motherboard. You can find a wide selection of high-end motherboards that support DDR5 memory, and although you'll only find lower-end and mid-range DDR4 motherboards, there's still plenty of selection available. High end desktop processors have long offered the ultimate in performance, as long as you were willing to pay the price.

Aside from high MSRPs, the chips also require expensive accommodations, like beefy motherboards and the added cost of fully populating quad-channel memory controllers. Add in the inevitable trade-offs, like reduced performance in lightly-threaded applications and games, and any cost-conscious users who could benefit from the threaded horsepower of a HEDT chip just settle for mainstream offerings. AMD's Ryzen 9 X, with 16 cores and 32 threads, expands on its predecessors' mission of bringing HEDT-class performance to mainstream motherboards, lowering the bar for entry.

We generally don't recommend HEDT processors for enthusiasts that are only interested in gaming. Gamers are best served by mainstream processors with fewer cores and higher clocks that are often faster in games; the Ryzen 9 X also falls into the same category - AMD's lesser series models are a better value for gamers.

However, if you're after a chip and platform that can do serious work seriously fast , but still be nimble enough to deliver high-refresh gameplay at the end of the day, the Ryzen 9 X fits the bill like no other CPU before it.

In threaded work, the Core iK is 2. The Core iK has eight P-cores high-performance and four E-cores Efficiency , for a total of 20 threads. The P-cores run at a 3. Still, we recorded considerably lower power consumption than its prior-gen counterpart, and you get ultra-competitive performance in exchange.

The core thread Ryzen 9 X is rated for a 3. The X offers the ultimate in gaming performance - it is the uncontested gaming chip on the market, but it is a bit overkill if gaming is all you do. However, if you feel the need for speed in productivity workloads, this chip's 12 cores will chew through those workloads with aplomb. The Ryzen 9 X drops into existing series and series motherboards. You'll need to bring your own cooler, and the bigger the better - cooling definitely has an impact on performance with the higher-end Ryzen processors.

However, if you're looking at the no-compromise chip for gaming, this is your chip. The chip comes with six P-cores that support hyper-threading that operate at a 2. The Core i serves up solid performance in all manner of threaded productivity applications, and its snappy single-threaded performance beats even the fastest Ryzen processors.

Additionally, the Core i delivers incredible levels of gaming performance but at a much lower price point than any comparable AMD processor, setting a new bar for budget gaming chips.

Luckily, Intel's partners now have B- and H-series motherboards available, and a B motherboard plus Core i CPU will make a killer gaming combo. Read More: Intel Core i Review. The Ryzen 3 X is a hard chip to find because it is simply such a great deal. The chip unlocks a new level of performance for budget gamers with four cores and eight threads that can push low- to mid-range graphics cards to their fullest.

This new processor wields the Zen 2 architecture paired with the 7nm process to push performance to new heights while enabling new features for low-end processors, like access to the speedy PCIe 4. This can be faster in some tasks, and if that's what you've got an eye on, then buy this and don't give it a second thought.

But if you're mainly looking at gaming, Intel does better and costs less. And that's hard for AMD to get away from. Competition aside, this is still Zen 3 strutting its stuff, and it does that impressively well. Throw in the support for PCIe 4. AMD's APUs are the best processors to drop into your rig if you're not going to use a discrete graphics card, but still want a modicum of gaming performance out of your system. That makes this a chip that's almost up there with the best of the Ryzen series CPUs in processing power, but with the graphical grunt to deliver p gaming on low settings in some seriously demanding titles.

At the same time, you wait for discrete graphics cards to be available and without compromising too heavily on your system performance in the meantime. The issue is that, as the G is a monolithic design rather than chiplet, there are some performance differences compared to the standard Ryzen 7 X, a straight eight-core, thread CPU without graphics. It also lacks PCIe 4. But it's still an excellent all-around AMD processor and a handy option when graphics cards are still so rare.

While gaming resolutions run from p to 4K, we largely test at p. We've also used high-end G. Again, this is to eliminate any potential bottlenecks and let the CPUs reach their maximum performance.

Liquid cooling was used on all CPUs, though for stock performance, we saw zero difference between that and the box coolers on those parts that included cooling.

Alder Lake is the most recent platform to be released, and currently we only have a few Z motherboards, which appear to be on the pricey side. Unless you're desperate for the still slightly awkward Intel PCIe 4. This is a rather loaded question.

AMD has held the top spot for a long time, with its Zen architecture making for some incredible leaps in performance, but Intel has stolen the crown with its Alder Lake family, specifically the Core i5 K. The fact that it's a completely new kind of Hybrid CPU is almost by the by, it's just a really strongly performing chip. It's worth remembering that most games are GPU-limited, which means the graphics card is the limiting factor in terms of performance, and you would likely see the same essential frame rates with either CPU manufacturer when a discrete graphics card is used.

This is especially true as you up the resolution, with 4K having little between the top chips. The honest answer is: no. Overclocking your processor is not necessarily the risky move it once was, but equally, the benefits of doing so have drastically dropped in recent times. When we're talking about gaming performance, having a slightly higher clocked CPU can make a bit of a difference, but arguably your graphics card will be the part that limits the speed of your system.

There is also the point that overclocked CPUs create more heat, require more intensive and expensive cooling solutions, need those coolers to work harder, and are, therefore, often louder. For us, overclocking your CPU to gain real-world performance benefits is not something we'd recommend most PC gamers do.

CPUs contain caches designated as Level 1, 2, and 3, with L1 being the fastest and smallest and L3 being the slowest and largest. Clock speed - The speed at which a CPU can execute instructions, measured in hertz. A processor with a 3. Clock speed is one of the most critical factors for determining performance in games and workload functions. Heat sink - A cooling solution for PCs that utilize fans or liquid cooling active or aluminum radiators passive that rely on convection to regulate a component's temperature.

Hyper-Threading SMT - Intel terminology for a tech that allows a processor to handle two sets of instructions 'threads' simultaneously. LGA is used on Intel sockets with pins as part of the socket. A BGA socket is when the processor is permanently soldered to the motherboard, typically on a laptop. TDP - Thermal design power, the maximum amount of heat a system or chip can produce that the attendant cooling system is designed to deal with under workload.

This term can apply to PCs as a whole, GPUs, CPUs, or nearly any other performance component that generates heat and is in large part an indicator of how much power a part draws. Thread - A thread refers to a series of CPU instructions for a specific program. Turbo Boost - Intel technology that allows processors to run at higher clock speeds under demanding loads.

AMD also supports turbo or boost clocks, and we use the terms interchangeably regardless of CPU vendor. Alan has been writing about PC tech since before 3D graphics cards existed, and still vividly recalls having to fight with MS-DOS just to get games to load.

He fondly remembers the killer combo of a Matrox Millenium and 3dfx Voodoo, and seeing Lara Croft in 3D for the first time. He's very glad hardware has advanced as much as it has though, and is particularly happy when putting the latest M.

Included in this guide: 1. AMD Ryzen 9 X. View Deal. Intel Core iK. Intel Core i5 K. Threads: Base Clock: 3.

Boost Clock: 4. Overclocking: Yes. L3 Cache: 20 MB. Processor Base Power: W. PCIe 5. Reasons to avoid - Still more power hungry than Ryzen - Doesn't play nice with some games. Intel Core i9 K. Boost Clock: 5. L3 Cache: 30 MB. Reasons to avoid - Some games don't play nicely with Alder Lake yet - High power consumption - Potentially high platform costs at launch. AMD Ryzen 5 X. Specifications Cores: 6. L3 Cache: 32 MB.

PCIe 4. Specifications Cores: L3 Cache: 64 MB. Reasons to avoid - Needs a proper 3rd-party cooler. Base clock: 3. Turbo clock: 4. Overclocking: Yes, 4. L3 cache: 12 MB. Reasons to avoid - iGPU is still quite weak. Intel Core i5 F. Base Clock: 2. Turbo Clock: 4. Overclocking: No. L3 Cache: 12 MB. PCIe 3. Reasons to avoid - Doesn't support overclocking. AMD Ryzen 7 X. Specifications Cores: 8.