Fill in any product and let our system do the magic.
If you were interested in buying a gaming laptop or you wanted to assemble your own desktop PC then you would’ve probably only heard the following advice: “Buy the best Intel CPU that your budget can afford”.
After all, it was the best brand money could buy, and its competition AMD was always far behind. However, times have changed. AMD has stepped up their game by releasing a considerable amount of bang-for-buck CPUs in the last few years.
As you can see in the metascores, most of the scores of the CPUs are really close together so to make things easier for you, we will list up the 10 best CPUs you currently can buy. Keep in mind that your personal top 10 could vary on your budget, and changing your current CPU brand will mean that it will also be necessary to buy a new motherboard and thus rising costs slightly.
Made for gaming
Powerful single core performance
Very expensive compared to competition
Not really suitable for steaming
If you’re interested in buying a CPU to maximize your gaming performance and minimize CPU bottleneck, then the Intel Core i9-9900KS is a great choice. This is also the CPU most gamers that have a 240Hz display will buy. It has high single core performance, can be overclocked to the sky, and is.. very expensive. The single core performance of this CPU can also be a huge deal if you're interested in VR gaming. You can check out our article that lists the best VR Headsets you can buy in 2020. The Intel Core i9-9900KS will cost you around 650USD, which is more than double compared to what competition like AMD with similar specs has to offer.
Also keep in mind that the 8 Cores of this CPU may not be suitable enough for streaming your gameplay to platforms such as Twitch.
If you have the money, and don’t really care about the low value you get compared to other CPUs, then this CPU is a no brainer.
Incredible value
Zen 2 architecture
Satisfies all your gaming needs
Not suitable for steaming
Limited overclocking
While this is not the best CPU AMD has to offer, it certainly is the most interesting choice for most gamers. With a price tag of only 180USD with a pretty good cooler included in the box, you can see why the Ryzen 3600 has been praised so much. It does have limited overclocking capabilities compared to Intel, however these differences will only matter a few FPS and thus will only be interesting for gamers who have a 240Hz gaming monitor. Thanks to the Zen 2 architecture, the Ryzen 3600 can now overlock up to 4.2.
Since the Ryzen 3600 is only a 6 Core CPU, it is important to note that this CPU is not recommended for gameplay streaming and productivity. For those kind of requirements you will have to go to our choice below!
12 Core CPU
Great for steaming
Great for productivity software
Great for gaming
Not the cheapest option of AMD
The Ryzen 3900x packs 12 cores, can be overclocked up to 4.3Ghz, and comes with a great RGB cooler. This CPU ticks all of the necessary boxes if you do multiple different tasks on your computer. It gives on-par performance in gaming as the Ryzen 3600, and on top of that gives amazing performance in gameplay streaming, and productivity software.
This is a CPU that you can throw anything at it, and it will handle it like a beast. And did we already tell you that this CPU is also cheaper than the Intel Core i9-9900KS?
Great balanced CPU
High value
Good for streaming
This option is comparable to the Ryzen 3900X, however the biggest and only different is that you lose 4 Cores. Instead of having 12 Cores in the Ryzen 3900x, you will have 8 Cores. 8 Cores is still enough to power your productivity software, and is great for streaming gameplay. The biggest different will obviously be the price as it is 150USD cheaper than the Ryen 3900X
The muscle car of CPUs
Extremely expensive
Last on our list is a CPU for the rich who just want the best of the best that the market has to offer. The Intel Core i9-9980XE delivers so much raw power with its 18 Cores and 4.5Ghz clock speed, that it should almost be measured in horsepower. This CPU will be a massive overkill for any gamer, and even for productive gamers. It currently costs 2400USD and doesn’t even come with a cooler.
