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Best CPU 2024: Power your PC with our top tested processors
In This Article
The CPU is often thought of as the brain of your PC. From browsing the web to gaming, almost every workload will depend on the speed of your processor for a smooth and seamless experience. But what is the best CPU you can find?
Our team of experts have thoroughly tested all of the latest desktop processors from AMD and Intel, using benchmark tests to get an accurate gauge of performance. While performance is certainly important, there are plenty of other important factors to consider, so we’ve made sure to also test the likes of power consumption and thermal performance.
Every processor that receives a high score in our review is considered for this list. We’ll also be reviewing plenty more desktop CPUs as they become available, so we’ll be continuously updating this list to keep you up to date.
Can’t find a CPU to your liking? Then make sure to check out ourBest Gaming CPUlist, as well as ourBest Intel Processorguide.
Best CPU at a glance:
How we test
We always review multiple CPUs at once to compare data, using consistent components for fair testing where possible.We use a mix of both synthetic and in-game benchmarks to gauge performance, while also considering additional features and pricing.We also measure the likes of power consumption and peak temperature under stress to get an idea of performance efficiency.
Intel Core i9-14900K
Pros
Cons
According to our tests, theIntel Core i9-14900Kis the most powerful consumer desktop processor you can buy. It excels at both gaming and content creation, making it an excellent all-rounder for any task.
It packs in an astonishing 24 cores, although they are made up of a mix of performance cores and power-efficient cores thanks to Intel’s hybrid design. Nevertheless, this absurd number of cores enables the processor to juggle multiple complex workloads simultaneously, which is especially useful if you’re a professional creator working with animation or 4K video.
Our gaming benchmark tests also saw it consistently beat the competition. It’s admittedly not too much more powerful than the preceding Intel Core i9-13900K since they’re based on the same architecture, but the i9-14900K shares the exact same price point, making it great value for money.
The Intel Core i9-14900K certainly isn’t perfect, as our tests show it to have a high temperature and power draw under stress. But if you’re happy to invest in a top-notch cooler and PSU, then you’ll be treated to the absolute best performance you can get from a consumer CPU.
Reviewer:Zak StoreyFull review:Intel Core i9-14900K review
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Pros
Cons
More than anything the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D proves that you don’t need to spend a ton of money to get a great performing CPU for gaming. With a starting price tag of £439/$449 but available regularly for a rate that far undermines that if you do a bit of bargain hunting beforehand, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is perfect for high-end gamers on a budget.
Even though the 7800 technically sits at the entry level portion of the X3D family of CPUs, we were pleasantly surprised to find that it performed at a much better level than expected. In fact, it actually has a fair amount in common with theRyzen 7 7700Xwhen talking about performance.
When it came to our synthetic tests, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D was able to score 3,656 points in PCMark 10, a solid 14,791 in Geekbench and an impressive 17,938 in Cinebench R23, multi-core mode.
Reviewer:Zak StoreyFull review:AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D review
Intel Core i7-14700K
Pros
Cons
Unless you’re absolutely made of money, the chances are that your gaming PC also gets used for work and productivity during the day. With that in mind, it helps to have a well-rounded CPU that can handle both types of tasks with ease, which is exactly where the Intel Core i7-14700K comes in.
For starters, the CPU’s hardware is somewhat uncommon compared to what you’d usually find in Intel’s 14th generation chipsets. Inside you’ll find 12 Gracemont efficient-cores, each with a single thread, alongside eight Raptor Cove performance-cores, complete with hyperthreading.
What this leads to is a performance output that is so close to the more expensiveIntel Core i9-14900Kalternative that it makes the $180 price difference between them seem quite unnecessary unless you want the absolute best. For example, we recorded an impressively high single-core performance in both Cinebench and Geekbench, reaching 2,039 and 2,836 respectively.
The one key downside to bear in mind is that this CPU can run quite hot when pushing it to its very limits, and it managed to reach 100C several times during our stress tests, so you’ll definitely want to pair it with a sufficient CPU cooler.
Reviewer:Zak StoreyFull review:Intel Core i7-14700K review
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
Pros
Cons
TheAMD Ryzen 9 7900Xis our top recommended processor from AMD. It’s not the fastest option, beaten by the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, but we believe it represents the best balance of performance and affordability. TheRyzen 7000 Seriesruns on AMD’s new Zen 4 architecture that not only brings a performance boost, but also support forDDR5and PCIe 5.0, enabling you to upgrade to the latest and greatest RAM and SSDs.
AMD claims the Ryzen 9 7900X has a max boost clock speed of 5.6GHz. The only part that seemingly hasn’t been upgraded is the amount of cores and threads from the previous gen – there’s still 12 cores and 24 threads.
Those specs didn’t seem to hold back multi-core performance though. In Cinebench R23, a program which simulates CPU-heavy and intensive tasks such as rendering, AMD’s latest flagship chip managed to beat off Intel’s older generation Alder Lake chip (thei9-12900K) by some margin. The AMD chip has since been taken over by the Intel Core i9-14900K in terms of performance, but the Ryzen 9 7900X consumes considerably less power under stress, making it the more efficient option.
In testing, the Ryzen 9 7900X offered outstanding performance for both gaming and intense creative workloads. If you want even more speed, then AMD also offers theRyzen 9 7950Xwhich packs more cores, while the Intel Core i9-14900K tops the charts for all of our benchmark tests.
Reviewer:Ryan JonesFull review:AMD Ryzen 9 7900X review
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
Pros
Cons
If you’re loyal to AMD and want the most powerful chip that the company has to offer, then look no further than theAMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D. This takes the excellent performance power of the precedingAMD Ryzen 9 7950X, and then boosts it with the cleverAMD 3D V-Cachetechnology that further boosts performance for supported applications and games.
In general, the Intel Core i9-14900K saw a faster performance than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D in our benchmark tests. This was the case for both content creations and gaming workloads, although it fared better for the latter scenario thanks to its excellent single-core performance and 5.7GHz max clock speed.
Select games will also be given a great performance boost by the AMD 3D V-Cache technology, potentially even leapfrogging its Intel rival. But this is very dependent on the game, and there’s no easy way to know which games will benefit beforehand.
Arguably the Ryzen’s biggest trump card is its superb power efficiency, as our tests showed that it drew far less power than the Intel Core i9-14900K. It also impressed in terms of thermal performance, remaining relatively cool under stress. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X arguably offers better value, but if you want the fastest possible AMD chip, this is it.
Reviewer:Zak StoreyFull review:AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D review
Intel Core i5-14600K
Pros
Cons
TheIntel Core i5-14600Koffers remarkable value for money, even outperforming more expensive desktop processors such as the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X.
Its single-core performance is especially impressive, with our benchmark results showing it to excel at gaming. This is no one-trick pony either, with its 14 cores and 20 threads ensuring a great performance for multi-threaded workloads such as 3D animation and editing 4K video. It’s still far behind the Intel Core i9-14900K in this regard, but it’s in a league of its own at its price point.
The Intel Core i5-14600K also offers support for DDR5 and PCIe 5.0, which means you’ll be able to team this processor up with the latest and greatest RAM and SSDs to drive up the overall performance ceiling of your PC.
So if you’re looking for a versatile desktop processor that can handle both content creation and gaming at high speeds, but without spending a huge chunk of your savings, then the Intel Core i5-14600K is the current best option.
Reviewer:Zak StoreyFull review:Intel Core i5-14600K review
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FAQs
We recommend having at least 8GB of RAM for general tasks, but if you’re looking to play games or edit video etc, then we suggest upping that to 16GB of RAM and beyond.
It really depends on your workload. Having high frequency speeds is obviously very important, especially for intensive tasks such as gaming and content creation. But it’s also important to have multiple cores to improve the efficiency of multi-tasking, especially when using apps such as Adobe Premiere Pro.
Yes, a more powerful CPU can have a positive impact on your FPS when gaming, but a GPU will be more influential here.
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Full specification
After graduating with an MA in History from University College London and cutting his teeth for several years as a journalist in the film and TV industries, Tom joined the Trusted Reviews team as a Co…
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Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Why trust our journalism?
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
