Back in 2017, when Intels Coffee Lake and AMDs Ryzen CPUs made it out in the wild, the long-standing stagnation in the CPU world ceased overnight.
Now, the longstanding competition between these two tech behemoths has been fully reignited, and Intel and AMD are at each others throats, competing for your interest.
Thankfully, out of this competition, the best processors that have ever existed were born, and theres never been a better time to upgrade to one of the best chips on the market.Right now, theres a chance for everyone to get their hands on one of the best processors, no matter their budget.
AMD and Intel both are gearing up to launch a wide range of processors.
AMD with its Ryzen 2nd Generation, and Intel with its Core i9 laptop CPUs and low power Coffee Lake desktop CPUs that will fill in the budget segment.
However, even if you cant get your hands on the latest and greatest processors, there are still plenty of fantastic Kaby Lake processors that can still pack a punch.
Regardless of what you want to do, this innovation and competition means everyone wins.Trust us, we get it.
You pull up Amazon or Newegg, looking for the best processor for gaming, and immediately youre flooded with a wave of confusing model numbers.
This confusion is natural and is an unfortunate side effect of the booming CPU market.
Fortunately, TechRadar has your back weve created this list of the best processors available in 2018.
Every single chip on this list was tested and reviewed by us, so you can be confident that theyll be worth your time and money.
So, sit back, relax and get ready to realize PC performance youve previously only dreamed of.Best CPU: Intel Core i7-8700KOverclockable champion, now with more coresCores: 6 | Threads: 12 | Base clock: 3.7GHz | Boost clock: 4.7GHz | L3 cache: 12MB | TDP: 95WHyper-threading overtakes RyzenLow-impact overclockingOverclocking only on K modelsRequires new motherboardDuring the Coffee Lake-S launch, Intel claimed that itd be giving us its best gaming processor ever; they werent wrong.
This K series chip decimates AMDs flagship in almost every way possible.
Abandoning the companys invisible rule to keep processors sporting over four cores out of the hands of the mainstream, the i7-8700K makes hexa-core the new vogue.Read our full review: Intel Core i7-8700KBest high-end CPU: AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950XRipping threads and breaking recordsCores: 16 | Threads: 32 | Base clock: 3.4GHz | Boost clock: 4.0GHz | L3 cache: 32MB | TDP: 180WReady for the ultimate mega-taskingEasier to install than IntelMore power-hungry than Intels rivalSwitching profiles requires a full restartBack in June 2017, when AMD launched its Zen architecture-based Ryzen chips out into the wild, they were promising a price-to-performance ratio that would finally dethrone Intel.
However, at least with the initial Ryzen chips, AMD fell short of Intel in sheer horsepower until the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X.
This block of silicon wasnt just a better value than Intels Core i9-7900X, but it was also a lot more versatile able to easily be anchored into any x399 motherboard.Read the full review: AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950XBest mid-range CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600XSix cores for less than the price of four-core chipCores: 6 | Threads: 12 | Base clock: 3.6GHz | Boost clock: 4.0GHz | L3 cache: 16MB | TDP: 95WAwesome multi-core performanceCool running chipTricky overclockingIt shouldnt come as a surprise that with its mid-range chip, AMD offers more cores for less money when compared to Intel.
While in years past this has equated to making compromises in other areas to keep the costs low, the Ryzen 5 1600X remains economical without being shown up.
After all, operating with six cores and 12 threads, theres no shame in a 3.6GHz base frequency, not to mention the 4.0GHz boost in addition to overclocking capabilities.Read the full review: AMD Ryzen 5 1600XBest Entry Level CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 2200GIntegrated graphics on a budgetCores: 4 | Threads: 4 | Base clock: 3.5GHz | Boost clock: 3.7GHz | L3 cache: 4MB | TDP: 65WPlayable 1080p gamingVery affordableFinicky driversIf youre looking to put together a gaming PC on the tightest budget, the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G can take you a long way.
While it doesnt feature the hyperthreading capability of its predecessor, the Ryzen 3 1200, the introduction of integrated graphics makes this APU one of the cheapest ways to experience casual PC gaming.
We were even able to play Overwatch at 4K Ultra-HD resolution at Epic settings.Read the full review:AMD Ryzen 3 2200GBest gaming CPU: Intel Core i5-7600KK series Core processing at an i5 costCores: 4 | Threads: 4 | Base clock: 3.8GHz | Boost clock: 4.2GHz | L3 cache: 6MB | TDP: 91WEasy to overclockOC approaches i7-6700K stock speedsNegligible upgrade over SkylakeLike the 7700K that preceded it on this list, the Intel Core i5-7600K is an unlocked, overclockable quad-core processor from Intel.
However, it also suffers from the same integral shortcoming; that is that its barely an upgrade over the i5-6600K.
Be that as it may, squeezing out only 300MHz over its precursor brings it nearly in line with the last-gen Core i7-6700K when overclocked.
All the while, it wont put too much of a dent in your budget either.Best VR CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 1800XRyzen to the occasion and VR-ready to rumble Cores: 8 | Threads: 16 | Base clock: 3.6GHz | Boost clock: 4GHz | L3 cache: 16MB | TDP: 95WStunning multi-core performanceInsane priceOverclocking is touch and goTemperatures are uniqueThe primary contender to Intels Core i7-7700K, the AMD Ryzen 7 1800X poses a convincing threat to Intels flagship.
While its unfortunately more expensive than the 7700K, uncharacteristic for the oft value-focused Red Team, the Ryzen 7 1800X most certainly keeps up with some of Intels older chips.
Plus, unlike the Core i7-5960X and -6700K it most intimately rivals, the AMD Ryzen 7 1800X is much more qualified for VR now and into the future.Read the full review: AMD Ryzen 7 1800XBest video editing CPU: Intel Core i7-7820XCores: 8 | Threads: 16 | Base clock: 3.6GHz | Boost clock: 4.3GHz | L3 cache: 11MB | TDP: 140WSolid multi-core performanceBest value for an eight-core Intel chipLittle benefit over cheaper Ryzen 1800XThreadripper is cheaperThe naming convention is confusing, given that the Intel Core i7-7820X is part of Intels Skylake-X series rather than the X-class chips built on the 14nm Kaby Lake node, but semantics matter very little when you get to go hands-on with an Intel CPU boasting this many cores.
Although the fact that youll need a new motherboard to use this octa-core monster might be enough to scare some users off to Ryzen, Intel loyalists shant mind the upgrade.Best performance processor: Intel Core i9-7980XEThis 18-core processor dominates allCores: 18 | Threads: 36 | Base clock: 2.6GHz | Boost clock: 4.4GHz | L3 cache: 24.75MB | TDP: 165WExceptional performanceSingle-core results are incrediblePrice, price, priceMonstrous overclocking power drawIntel's 18-core processor is all about brute force.
With the ability to kick up all of its cores to 4.8GHz (by our testing at least), this monstrous CPU brings performance to a new level of insanity.
The only caveats are this processor power draw and price are equally beastly.Read the full review: Intel Core i9-7980XEBest budget CPU: Intel Pentium G4560Intel Core i3 power at a Pentium price tagCores: 2 | Threads: 4 | Base clock: 3.5GHz | L3 cache: 3MB | TDP: 54WClosely tails Core i3-7100Supports hyper-threadingLimited to DDR4-2400 memoryInferior performance to Intel Pentium G4560With the amount of money youll save by purchasing the Intel Pentium G4560 over a Core i3 chip, we promise you wont mind the ever-so-slight loss in performance you can expect from this hardy value chip.
As the first Pentium processor in quite some time to feature hyper-threading, the G4560 goes out of its way to show us all what weve been missing.
And, in benchmarks, it proves itself eerily adjacent to the more expensive Intel Core i3-7100.Best HTPC CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2400GRyzen and Vega finally meetCores: 4 | Threads: 8 | Base clock: 3.6GHz | Boost clock: 3.9GHz | L2 cache: 2MBImpressive integrated graphicsMassive valueLimited PCI-E lanesOne of the only things that we were left wanting when AMDs Ryzen CPUs blew up is that they didnt support integrated graphics, limiting their appeal to PC enthusiasts.
However, with the Ryzen 5 2400G, thats all changed.
Featuring impressive Vega graphics, its a great APU that anyone looking to build a HTPC will love.
And, now that AMD has slashed the price, you can get in on this 4K action cheaper than ever.Read the full review:AMD Ryzen 5 2400GReady to up the ante on your display The best monitor is here5a081a7a1d2c5ea63ef11b04a795ef20.jpg#