Gaming CPU recommendations

Budget Ryzen 5 7500F 6 cores · 32 MB L3 · Zen 4 $149.99 Amazon USA

Often suggested for budget AM5 builds, where the money saved on the CPU goes towards the graphics card. In most games the graphics card limits frame rates more than the CPU, and these 6-core CPUs are considered fast enough for most games.

The lowest-priced of the 7500F, 7600, and 9600X.

Often suggested for gaming-only builds that want 3D V-Cache for less than an 8-core X3D CPU. The extra cache helps most in CPU-heavy games, and games rarely use more than 6 cores.

The lowest-priced of the 7500X3D and 7600X3D.

1440p Ryzen 7 7800X3D 8 cores · 96 MB L3 · Zen 4 $319.20 Ebay USA

Usually considered enough for 1440p gaming with an RTX 5070 Ti or RX 9070 XT class graphics card. At 1440p the graphics card limits frame rates more often, so a faster CPU adds less.

Fastest Ryzen 7 9800X3D 8 cores · 96 MB L3 · Zen 5 $444.00 B&H Photo

The usual pick for the highest frame rates, with the most gain at 1080p and with the fastest graphics cards. The 9850X3D is slightly faster but uses more power and runs hotter.

The lowest-priced of the 9800X3D and 9850X3D.

Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus 24 cores · 36 MB L3 · Arrow Lake $295.99 Ebay USA

Often suggested for buyers who also run multi-threaded work, as its extra cores are faster in tasks such as video editing and compiling code. The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is the lower-priced option.

Often suggested for existing AM4 PCs, as they fit the current motherboard and DDR4 memory. The 5800X3D is faster but usually costs much more.

The lowest-priced of the 5700X3D and 5500X3D.