In 2017, when Intel's Coffee Lake processor and AMD's Ryzen CPUs survived, the long-standing stalemate in the CPU world ceased overnight. Now, the longstanding competition between these two technological giants has been fully revived, and Intel and AMD are in the other's throat, competing for their interest. Fortunately, out of this competition, the best processors that never existed were born, and there has never been a better time to upgrade to one of the best chips in the market.
At this time, there is a possibility for everyone to get their hands on one of the best processors, regardless of their budget. AMD and Intel are preparing to launch a wide range of processors. AMD with its Ryzen 2nd Generation and Intel with its CPUs for Core i9 laptops and low power Coffee Lake desktop CPUs that will fill the budget segment. However, even if you can not get the latest and greatest processors in your hands, there are still many fantastic Kaby Lake processors that can still take a hit. Regardless of what you want to do, this innovation and competition means that everyone wins.
Trust us, we got it. You access Amazon or Newegg, in search of the best gaming processor, and you're immediately inundated by a wave of confusing model numbers. This confusion is natural and is an unfortunate side effect of the burgeoning CPU market. Fortunately, TechRadar is at your disposal; We have created this list of the best processors available in 2018. Every chip on this list was tested and reviewed by us, so you can be sure it will be worth your time and money. So, sit back, relax and get ready to perform a PC performance that you had only dreamed of before.
Best CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Cores: 8 | Subjects: 16 | Base clock: 3.7GHz | Pulse clock: 4.3GHz | Cache L3: 16 MB | TDP: 105W
Dramatic performance improvement
Reasonable price
High energy consumption
For a long time, AMD has played the second violin against Intel in many categories but value. Those days are over. With Ryzen 7 2700X and Ryzen 2nd Generation in general, AMD introduces the first 12nm CPUs and performance supports that, beating Intel in single-core or multi-core workloads for the first time in recent history. If you are looking for a high performance CPU at a reasonable price, trust us, look no further.
Read the full review: AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Best high-end CPU: AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
Ripping threads and breaking records
Cores: 16 | Subjects: 32 | Base clock: 3.4GHz | Pulse clock: 4.0 GHz | Cache L3: 32 MB | TDP: 180W
Prepared for the final mega-task
Easier to install than Intel
More eager to power than the rival of Intel
Changing profiles requires a full reboot
Back in June 2017, when AMD launched its Ryzen chips based on the Zen architecture, they promised a price / performance ratio that would eventually dethrone Intel. However, at least with the initial Ryzen chips, AMD did not hit Intel in pure power, until the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X. This silicon block not only had a better value than the Intel Core i9-7900X, but it was also much more versatile: it could easily be anchored on any x399 motherboard.
Read the full review: AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
Best midrange CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Superior performance on a budget
Cores: 6 | Subjects: 12 | Base clock: 3.6 GHz | Impulse clock: 4.32GHz | Cache L3: 16 MB | TDP: 95W
Faster single-core performance
Better gaming performance
Slightly higher price
If you're looking for an affordable CPU for creating content, do not look more, AMD Ryzen 5 2600X. With 6 cores and 12 threads and a base clock of 3.6 GHz, you'll get much better performance than the more expensive Intel Core i5-8600K, with an included RPE CPU cooler. Of course, the increase in the performance of the game compared to the blue team is marginal, but when you start doing multiple tasks and who does not like to have 100 Chrome tabs open while you play, the value starts to show in spades.
Read the full review: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Best entry level CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
Integrated charts with a budget
Cores: 4 | Threads: 4 | Base clock: 3.5 GHz | Pulse clock: 3.7 GHz | Cache L3: 4MB | TDP: 65W
Playable Games 1080p
Very Affordable
Fussy Drivers
If you're looking to build a PC for games with the best budget, the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G can take you long way. While it does not have the hyperthreading capability of its predecessor, the Ryzen 3 1200, the introduction of integrated graphics makes this APU one of the cheapest ways to experience casual PC games. We were even able to play Overwatch with 4K Ultra-HD resolution in Epic & # 39; configurations.
Read the full review: AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
Best game CPU: Intel Core i5-7600K [19659012] "K" Series Core processing at a cost of i5
Cores : 4 | Threads: 4 | Base clock: 3.8GHz | Pulse clock: 4.2GHz | Cache L3: 6MB | TDP: 91W
Easy overclock
OC approaches stock speeds i7-6700K
Improper upgrade in Skylake
Like the 7700K that preceded it in this list, the Intel Core i5-7600K is an unlocked and overclockable quad-core processor from Intel. However, it also suffers from the same integral deficiency; that's just an update on the i5-6600K. Anyway, squeezing only 300MHz on its predecessor brings it close to the level of the next generation Core i7-6700K when overclocked. Meanwhile, it will not affect your budget too much.
Best virtual reality CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
Ryzen for the occasion and ready to resonate with virtual reality
Cores: 8 | Subjects: 16 | Base clock: 3.6 GHz | Impulse clock: 4GHz | Cache L3: 16 MB | TDP: 95W
Impressive multi-core performance
Insane price
Over-acceleration is tactile and passes
Temperatures are unique & # 39;
The main competitor to Intel's Core i7-7700K, the AMD Ryzen 7 1800X represents a compelling threat to Intel's flagship. While unfortunately it is more expensive than the 7700K, which is not characteristic for the Red Team focused on the values, the Ryzen 7 1800X undoubtedly remains with some of Intel's oldest chips. In addition, unlike the Core i7-5960X and -6700K, its most intimate rivals, the AMD Ryzen 7 1800X is much more qualified for virtual reality now and in the future.
Read the full review:
Best video editing CPU: Intel Core i7-7820X cores
: 8 | Subjects: 16 | Base clock: 3.6 GHz | Pulse clock: 4.3GHz | Cache L3: 11 MB | TDP: 140W
Solid multi-core performance
Best value for an eight-core Intel chip
Little benefit over the cheaper Ryzen 1800X
The Threadripper is cheaper
The naming convention is confusing, given that the Intel Core i7-7820X is part of the Intel "Skylake-X" series instead of the X-class chips built on the 14nm Kaby Lake node, but semantics matters very little when You have to put to work an Intel CPU that has many cores. Although the fact that you'll need a new motherboard to use this octa-core monster might be enough to scare some Ryzen users, Intel loyalists will not care about the update.
Best performance processor: Intel Core i9-7980XE
This 18-core processor dominates all cores
: 18 | Subjects: 36 | Base clock: 2.6GHz | Pulse clock: 4.4GHz | Cache L3: 24.75MB | TDP: 165W
Exceptional performance
The results of a single core are incredible
Price, price, price
Extraordinary overclocking power
The 18-core Intel processor it is brute force. With the ability to increase all its cores to 4.8GHz (at least for our tests), this monstrous CPU takes performance to a new level of madness. The only caveats are this processor power and the price are equally bestial.
Read the full review: Intel Core i9-7980XE
Best budget CPU: Intel Pentium G4560
Intel Core i3 power at Pentium price
Cores: 2 | Threads: 4 | Base clock: 3
.5 GHz | L3 Cache: 3MB | TDP: 54W
Closes closely Core i3-7100
Supports hyper-threading
Limited to DDR4-2400 memory
Performance less than Intel Pentium G4560
With the amount of The money you'll save when you buy the Intel Pentium G4560 on a Core i3 chip, we promise you will not mind the slight performance loss you might expect from this robust chip value. As the first Pentium processor in a long time that has Hyper-Threading, the G4560 does everything possible to show us everything we have missed. And, in the benchmarks, it is disquietingly adjacent to the more expensive Intel Core i3-7100.
Best CPU HTPC: AMD Ryzen 5 2400G
Ryzen and Vega finally join
Cores: 4 | Subjects: 8 | Base clock: 3.6 GHz | Pulse clock: 3.9GHz | Cache L2: 2MB
Impressive integrated graphics
Massive value
Limited PCI-E lanes
One of the only things that we lacked when AMD Ryzen CPUs exploded is that they supported integrated graphics, which limits their appeal to PC enthusiasts. However, with the Ryzen 5 2400G, everything has changed. With impressive Vega graphics, it is a great APU that will delight anyone looking to build an HTPC. And, now that AMD has reduced the price, you can get this 4K action cheaper than ever.
Read the full review: AMD Ryzen 5 2400G
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