What CPU would you use for a high end and a med end PC?

[G J]

£500 is not mid range CPU money

If the 13/14 gen Intel should be avoided due to its issues then AsRock AM5 motherboards should also as they suffer pretty much from all the issues Intel CPU's have been and it still continues to this day.

 

[Rroff]

£500 is not mid range CPU money

What even is a mid range CPU these days :s you've got mid range performing parts priced like high end, mid range priced parts that have either less or more performance than you'd expect at mid range, parts that overlap with mid range which have all kinds of caveats like being strong in one area but weak in another, etc. etc. unfortunately you have to do your research really these days and buy the CPU which fits your specific needs and budget most closely.

 

[jigger]

What even is a mid range CPU these days :s you've got mid range performing parts priced like high end, mid range priced parts that have either less or more performance than you'd expect at mid range, parts that overlap with mid range which have all kinds of caveats like being strong in one area but weak in another, etc. etc. unfortunately you have to do your research really these days and buy the CPU which fits your specific needs and budget most closely.

7000, 9000 and even 5000 Zen parts offer very strong performance across the board. Every time I’ve looked to upgrade there has been some offering a significant improvement for less power at sensible price and usually as drop in upgrade into an existing system. You really are out of touch, the CPU market has never been healthier.

 

[Rroff]

7000, 9000 and even 5000 Zen parts offer very strong performance across the board. Every time I’ve looked to upgrade there has been some offering a significant improvement for less power at sensible price and usually as drop in upgrade into an existing system. You really are out of touch, the CPU market has never been healthier.

Fascinating, but I was talking about mid range.

 

[Gray2233]

What even is a mid range CPU these days :s you've got mid range performing parts priced like high end, mid range priced parts that have either less or more performance than you'd expect at mid range, parts that overlap with mid range which have all kinds of caveats like being strong in one area but weak in another, etc. etc. unfortunately you have to do your research really these days and buy the CPU which fits your specific needs and budget most closely.

It's so difficult because there's such a range of performance depending on usage, but I do think there are a couple of options I'd say sort of fit the bill for around the same price.

For gaming: AMD 7600X3D for £270 give or take.
For productivity: Intel 265 variants for £270-290.

Opt for whichever depending on your lean.

It's still messy though, if you primarily program and game Intel and AMD are quite competitive depending on the language and even then there's not usually much between them. For certain media creation software the 9700 (which costs roughly the same as the 7600X3D) of all things tops the charts even ahead of top end CPU's like the 9950 or 285, but should still be a notably better gaming CPU than the 265.

Raptor Lake is still arguably the best "middle ground" with its i5's but it's difficult to recommend because like it or not, there are known degradation issues and I'd not blame anyone for wanting to avoid those.

I don't even remember the last time that CPU choice felt like a lesson in specialisation rather than a quick web search for your budget prior to this.

 

[Rroff]

I don't even remember the last time that CPU choice felt like a lesson in specialisation rather than a quick web search for your budget prior to this.

Yeah it is the crux of the point I'm making.