How to Choose a Processor (CPU)

The processor runs the game's logic, the operating system and everything that is not drawing frames. How much it matters depends far more on what you do with the PC than on any single number in its spec table.

• Gaming: the graphics card usually sets the frame rate, especially at 1440p and 4K. The processor matters more at 1080p with a high refresh rate monitor, and in strategy, simulation and large multiplayer games.
• Gaming and streaming: extra cores help if the processor does the video encoding. Many streamers use the graphics card's built-in encoder instead, which takes most of that load off the processor.
• Video editing, 3D rendering and compiling code: these use every core they can get, so more cores finish the job sooner.
• Office work, browsing and study: almost any current processor is enough. Money spent on a faster SSD or more memory will be noticed more.

Every processor fits one socket, and the socket decides which motherboards and which type of memory you can use. The Socket spec is on every processor and motherboard page here, and choosing parts that work together lists the current sockets and the memory each one takes.

A newer socket usually leaves more room to upgrade the processor later without replacing the motherboard. AMD kept its AM4 socket for several generations, but neither AMD nor Intel promises how long a socket will last, so treat a future upgrade as a bonus rather than a plan.

An older platform can still be good value, particularly if you already own memory for it. Just expect fewer new processors and motherboards for it as time goes on.

Cores are the processor's independent workers. Threads are how many tasks it can juggle at once: on many processors each core runs two threads, so the Threads figure is double the Cores figure. Some recent Intel processors run one thread per core, so the two figures match. That is a design choice, not a fault.

Many Intel processors mix two kinds of core, listed as P-Cores and E-Cores. Performance cores are the fast ones games lean on; efficiency cores are smaller and handle background work and heavily threaded jobs. So a processor with 6 P-Cores and 8 E-Cores is not the same as one with 14 full-size cores, even though both list 14 cores.

Most games today run well on six to eight fast cores. Beyond that, extra cores help games very little but help rendering, encoding and compiling a great deal.

Base Clock and Boost Clock are given in GHz. The boost clock is what the processor reaches when it has the power and cooling to spare, which is most of the time in games and everyday use. The base clock is closer to what the maker guarantees under heavy, sustained load.

L3 Cache is a small amount of very fast memory on the processor itself. The more of a game's working data fits in it, the less the processor waits for the main memory, so a larger cache often helps in games even when the clock speed is lower.

AMD's X3D processors stack extra cache on the chip for exactly this reason, and they are often among the strongest gaming processors of their generation. In rendering and similar work the extra cache helps much less, so they make the most sense in a PC built mainly for games.

TDP, in watts, is a guide to how much heat the cooler has to deal with. Makers define it in different ways, and many processors draw more than their TDP while boosting, so use it as a rough guide and choose a cooler with headroom. Our cooler guide explains how.

• Included cooler: some entry and mid-range processors come with a cooler in the box. Most high-end ones, and many unlocked ones, do not, so budget for one.
• Unlocked processors: Intel models ending in K can be overclocked on a Z-series motherboard, and most Ryzen processors are unlocked too. The gains from overclocking are usually modest, and most people never need it.

The Integrated Graphics spec says whether the processor can drive a screen on its own. Without it, you need a graphics card to see anything at all. Intel models ending in F and AMD models ending in F have none. Most recent Ryzen desktop processors have basic graphics; on older Ryzen generations it was mainly the G models.

• Entry level: a current six-core processor handles gaming with a mid-range graphics card, and everyday work, comfortably.
• Mid-range: eight cores, more cache and higher boost clocks. The sensible target for high refresh rate gaming and for some creative work alongside it.
• High end: twelve or more cores pay off in rendering, video and compiling, and much less in gaming alone. Gaming processors with extra cache are the exception, and are bought for games specifically.

Count the whole platform, not just the processor. The motherboard, memory and cooler all come with it, and a cheaper processor on a more expensive platform can cost more overall. The PC builder shows the running total as you pick each part.

• The processors category can be filtered by Socket, Cores, Threads and Architecture, and shows each processor's price at the shops we track.
• The value pages plot price against an estimated performance score, worked out from the specifications rather than from a benchmark we ran, and pick out the processors nothing cheaper beats.
• Compare puts two processors side by side, spec by spec.
• The PC builder only offers motherboards with a matching socket once you pick a processor, and gives a bottleneck estimate against your graphics card.
• Upgrading an existing PC? The upgrade advisor looks at the parts you have and suggests which upgrade helps most for the money.

Every product page shows the price at each shop we track and its price history, so you can see whether today's price is low for that processor. The bell on the page sets a price alert if you would rather wait for a drop.