Best CPU for Gaming in 2021

[mickyflinn]

Agree or Disagree ?

Overall Best CPU for Gaming: Intel Core i5-12600K
Alternate: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

High Performance Value Best CPU for Gaming: Intel Core i9-12900K
Alternate: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X

Overall Value Best CPU for Gaming: Intel Core i7-12700K
Alternate: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X

Mid-Range Best CPU for Gaming: Intel Core i5-11400

Budget Best CPU for Gaming: AMD Ryzen 3 3300X

Entry-Level Best CPU for Gaming: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G

Article.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-cpus,3986.html

 

[Ayahuasca]

Pretty much, it would have been nice to see the 12400 this year.

 

[mickyflinn]

Pretty much, it would have been nice to see the 12400 this year.

Yes i agree , don't think we will see the 12400 until b660 motherboards are released.

 

[Poneros]

Just need a £100 mobo for the 12600k and that'd be perfect value for gaming.

 

[uksoldierboy]

Just need a £100 mobo for the 12600k and that'd be perfect value for gaming.

I've recently moved from my 8700K @5.0 to a 12600K build, the performance uplift has been far more than I expected, I did go for a more expensive board in the Asus Strix D4.

Using the broken mess that is BF2042 purely as an example, with the same clocks on my Toxic 6900xt, my fps have increased to around 120fps on avg (1440p, ultra settings) that's around 20fps more than I was getting on the 8700k, my gpu is constantly over 90% now too.
It's been a very worthwhile upgrade.

 

[Journey]

Agree or Disagree ?

Have to take motherboard cost into account right now really, since a decent B550 can be had for well under £100, and the cheapest Z690-DDR4 is ~£190, that £90+ is enough to buy 32GB of RAM. If shopping at the high end then it is hard to beat the 12700KF if gaming and the 5950X if doing actual work.

 

[jigger]

Seems the best gaming CPU is one paired with a RX 6900XTXH.

 

[HangTime]

Disagree, don't see how 12600K (5600X) can be best CPU for gaming and then 12700K (5900X) is best value CPU for gaming. If you have a separate 'value' category then surely it should be impossible for a cheaper CPU to win the "best CPU" award, otherwise by definition that should be the best value? In other words if 12600K is the best cpu then how can a more expensive 12700K be a better value cpu?

It would at least make sense if they were the other way around. I'm not looking to debate whether or not the 12600K/12700K should be considered the best [value] cpu, but it just seems a complete nonsense to have categories like that. Smells more like an excuse to just provide affiliate links to as many different cpus as possible

 

[Manbatius]

I disagree with best budget cpu. 3300x if you can find one is silly money. Theoretically it’s the best.

Also don’t understand best value thing as above.