Intel

For gaming the i7-14700K lands within 3-6% of the pricier i9-14900K, usually a few frames. The i9 only pulls ahead about 14% in heavy multi-threaded rendering. Here's which to buy, and when a gaming-first build should look at neither.

For a pure gaming PC the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the faster chip, costs about $200 less, and draws a fraction of the power. The Core i9-14900K only pulls ahead in heavy multi-core work. Here's how to choose.

For 1080p gaming the Ryzen 5 7600X is the faster chip and AM5 is the platform with a future, but the Core i5-14400F is a few dollars cheaper and ships with a cooler. Here's which budget CPU to actually buy.

The newer Core Ultra 7 265 wins on power and heat, but the older i7-14700K still holds its own in games. Here's which Intel chip to actually buy for gaming.

The 7800X3D wins gaming benchmarks, but at 1440p your GPU does most of the work and a CPU less than half the price often lands within a few frames. Here's what to actually buy.

Explore the best budget CPUs of 2025, focusing on Intel Core i5 and AMD Ryzen 5 for performance and value in gaming.