Processor

For a long time, Intel has been running monopoly on CPUs. But finally, AMD has stepped up to the plate in recent years with the advent of Ryzen. Now, the CPU market in 2019 is the most vibrant it has been in many a year, with exciting new processors released last weekend from AMD. We will also include those into this list.

If you're looking for a new CPU to buy in 2019 though, it can be confusing to know where to start. The good news is that the performance of most mid-range and high-end processors massively outstrip the demands of today's games. Once you start aiming above the best value threshold, you're really paying for stronger performance in threaded workloads outside of gaming.

It means that, unlike the Best Graphics Cards, your CPU would not have a massive impact on frame rates. As long as it has enough power, you're good to go. Which means that you don't need to spend ton of money on the processor. There are plenty of processors out there with great gaming performance. Obviously, we all still crush for the top-end processors and want that power for ourselves.

Here we've outlined the best CPUs to buy in 2019, ranging from the best CPU on a tight budget all the way up to the best gaming processor that money can buy. We will keep on updating this article as better options at these price points become available, such as the newly launched AMD Ryzen 3000 processors.

Best on a Budget

Ryzen 3 3200G - 4C/4T @ 3.4 GHz / 4.0 GHz

AMD really upset the market lately with its top-notch CPUs at fantastic prices. At $99, the Ryzen 3 3200G is, like the 2200G before it, a bargain, and not the sort you’d find thrown in a bin. To our eyes, the Ryzen 3 3200G is now the ultimate budget CPU in the world today, offering up quad-core performance and discrete Vega graphics which has a damn good stab at playing games at 1080p. It’s the ultimate all-in-one part for those who want to put together a dirt-cheap gaming built quickly.

Intel Core i3-9100f 4-Core 3.6GHz - 4C/4T @ 3.6 GHz / 4.2 GHz 

With a price that doesn't exactly break the bank, the Intel Core i3-9100 offers solid quad-core performance albeit minus hyper-threading support. Dual-core just won't cut it for gaming these days, so quad-core should be viewed as the minimum for a satisfactory gaming experience in modern titles. The Core i3-9100 is modest yet capable, offering a 3.6GHz base clock and 4.2 GHz boost right out of the box. It's not one for performance gamers but if you've got a low to mid-range graphics card then the i3-9100 is a great pairing.

Best Mid-Range

AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 6-Core 3.8GHz - 6C/12T @ 3.8 GHz / 4.4 GHz

Unfortunately for Intel, AMD is in danger of becoming dominant across the entire spectrum of processors right now. Case in point the all-important mid-range, where the Ryzen 5 3600X now comfortably sits as the strongest pairing of price and performance at $220-250 range. 

Performance-wise, the Ryzen 5 3600X is a smidgen faster than the Intel Core i5-9600K, with recent price drops from Intel putting these two on a comparatively level playing field. While enthusiasts can probably eke out more performance from a typical 9600K, the Ryzen 5 3600X offers great all-round CPU performance for both gaming productivity uses.

If you want to make some even bigger savings, you could also opt for a previous-gen Ryzen 5 2600X which is available for knock-down prices right now.

INTEL CORE I5-9600K 6C/6T @ 3.7 GHz / 4.6 GHz

The Intel Core i5-9600K is a little over a year old at this point, but it's still one of the best gaming CPUs you can buy, especially since it has continued to fall in price over the past few months.

This CPU is part of the Coffee Lake family, with 6 cores/6 threads  with no Hyper-Threading, a base clock of 3.6GHz, a boost clock of 4.6GHz, and Intel UHD Graphics 630 built-in. It supports up to 128GB of 2666MHz DDR RAM on two channels, and up to 16 PCIe lanes.

Of course, you'll need to pair it with a FCLGA1151-socket motherboard. Check out our best gaming motherboards roundup for some recommendations, if you don't already have a compatible board. Since this is a K-series part, you'll also need a cooler, so check our best CPU coolers for options.

 

Best High-End Gaming

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8-Core 3.6GHz - 8C / 16T @ 3.6 GHz / 4.4 GHz

AMD has gone on upset the apple cart with this one. The Ryzen 7 3700X is an octa-core monster that can tackle whatever you're going to throw at it both in terms of gaming and productivity. There are faster processors out there in terms of single-core performance but this is double the threads of an Intel Core i7-9700K for a comparatively cheaper price. Top-tier performance from a CPU has seldom come as affordable as the Ryzen 7 3700X.

INTEL CORE I7-9700k 8C / 8T @ 3.0 GHz / 4.7 GHz

Intel's Core i7 line has traditionally been the standard for high-end, high performance PCs, often landing at the top of the best CPU charts. With the advent of the Core i9-9900K, however, it enters new territory as a middle ground between the 'extreme' Core i9 and the 'mainstream' Core i5 lines. With eight full cores but no Hyper-Threading, the Core i7-9700K ends up as a net win over the previous generation Core i7-8700K (and i7-8086K by extension).

INTEL CORE I9-9900K 8C / 16T @ 3.6 GHz / 5.0 GHz

First and most obviously, the 9th Gen Core processors introduce 8-core parts to the mix. Core i9-9900K sits at the top of the stack, with an 8-core/16-thread design thanks to Hyper-Threading. It also comes with a shared 16MB L3 cache, scaling in size directly with the core count. Stepping down is the Core i7-9700K that disables Hyper-Threading, leaving it as an 8-core/8-thread chip.

 

Ultimate High-End CPU

Intel Core i9-9980XE - 18C/36T @ 3.0 GHz / 4.4 GHz

The Intel Core i9-9980XE is total insane option for those who want the absolute best of the best. If your core use of a CPU is intended to be gaming, this is a totally pointless and expensive purchase. Multi-core performance on the i9-9980XE is through the roof, propped up by 18 cores and 36 threads. Generational improvements to frequency and efficiency help the 9980XE to the top of the heap. This will just absolutely rock through multi-threaded applications such as rendering, encoding, and compiling, although gaming applications will enjoy precious few benefits from the eye-watering price tag.

AMD RYZEN 3900X 12C/24T @ 3.8 GHz / 4.6 GHz

With Ryzen 9 3900X, AMD keeps the pressure on, delivering higher clockspeeds and better latency than its previous generation, with a 12-core/24-thread CPU for the same price as Intel's 8-core/16-thread CPU. The 3900X is so good that it makes the Threadripper and Intel LGA2066 processors pointless for most users, especially considering the price premium.