CPU for playing games in 2019

Buying a processor for game rigs is not as difficult as before.

 Now AMD Ryzen and Intel 8 gen CPUs debuted with more performance and core than before, it's hard to buy less well these days - especially since most games prefer graphic firepower than CPUs. But all that is said, there are special chips that stand out from the horde as the best gaming CPU because of their good price, performance or extras.

Whether you have a budget or are willing to pay for the speed of melting faces, this is the best CPU for PC games that you can buy.

Choosing a processor will lock you to a compatible motherboard, which offers a variety of features. Be sure to check the PCWorld guide for AMD Ryzen and Intel 8-gen motherboards after you select the CPU to make sure you are tearing the best hardware for your needs. This article is regularly edited to include the latest information available.

News of the latest gaming CPUs

- Intel launched a limited edition Core i7-8086K processor on June 8, the first chip capable of hitting 5GHz out of the box. That's only when one core is being used. Only 50,000 of these chips were made, but at a cost of $ 425 on Newegg, Amazon, and Best Buy for what is essentially a better Core i7-8700K, only nostalgic computer users and overclocking fans should consider spending an extra $ 75 for a 8086K.

• The best gaming CPU for most people
• Intel Core i5-8400 ($ 180 on Amazon)

Pound for pounds, Intel Core i5-8400 is the best gaming CPU for most people. 

Games love fast CPUs, and the Core i5-8400 relies on single-threaded performance of an Intel 8-gen processor with a fast Turbo Boost clock speed to deliver performance just slightly behind the best in class i7-8700K, per PC Gamer and TechSpot - and 8700K spend more money. Intel crashed the Core i5 chip into six generations of CPU cores, giving the Core i5-8400 plenty of tenacity for multi-threaded games and everyday desktop activities even though it didn't have Hyper-Threading.

The price of the Core i5-8400 is also correct. It costs $ 180 on Amazon and that with bundled CPU CPU cooler. The faster, Unlocked Core i5-8600K is worth $ 245 in Amazon without fan. You can't overclock the Core i5-8400, but that doesn't matter. This is screaming out of the box, and unless you want to run multiple graphics cards, because over-clocked K-series chips mean you might not need to buy an expensive Z370 motherboard, it lets you save more money with the H370 or instead, the motherboard B360.

The Core i5-8400 is fast burning and has tremendous value, but it may not be a chip for you if gaming is not your strong focus. The six CPU cores can handle many tasks, but if you plan to stream, video / image editing, or very heavy multitasking, the Ryzen 5 2600X 2-gen ($ 230 on Amazon) might be a better choice if you don't mind spending extra $ 50. Six cores are multi-threaded, giving you a total of 12 threads, and all Ryzen chips can be overclocked. Ryzen is a more complete chip, but for pure game chips, use Core i5-8400.
The best budget gaming CPU

AMD Ryzen 3 2200G ($ 100 on Amazon)

If you want a game CPU that doesn't damage the bank, look no further than the Ryzen 3 2200G. Continuing AMD's "APU" strategy, this chip combines four Ryzen CPU cores with eight extraordinary Radeon Vega AMD computing units. The end result? A powerful performance chip that can play PC games without the need for a graphics card.

The Ryzen 3 2200G handles e-sports titles like Fortnite, Dota 2, League of Legends, and Rocket League easily and alternately in a surprisingly good frame rate even in AAA games like Destiny 2 and Rise of the Tomb Raider. You might need to change some graphics settings and maybe play the game resolution back to 720p for the best results, but you can get most games that run between 30 and 60 frames per second with some tinkering.

You can enhance the gaming experience by pairing chips with an affordable FreeSync monitor for leveling and thwarting, such as Asus VG245H 1080p ($ 150 on Amazon), and faster memory because the chips use your system RAM to feed Radeon graphics. Ideally, you would want 2,933MHz or 3,200MHz 8GB RAM for the best results, but lower speeds still work. Just make sure you get a two-channel kit with two memory sticks - nukes single channel Ryzen 3 2200G gaming performance. You can also overclock the APU with a compatible AM4 Ryzen motherboard, or (of course) add a discrete graphics card.

Stepping into the Ryzen 5 2400G ($ 170 on Amazon) adds multi-threading simultaneously and three additional Vega counting units for faster performance, but at a much higher cost. Ryzen 3 2200G is the best choice for most people. If you plan to pair your budget CPU with a discrete GPU right away, higher single-threaded performance than the Core i3-8100 quad-core ($ 120 on Amazon) makes it a viable alternative. Avoid if you don't want to invest in a graphics card - Intel's integrated graphics are far worse than AMD and not really ready for the game.
The best high-end gaming CPU

Intel Core i7-8700K ($ 360 on Amazon)

If you really, positively want to push your game as fast as they can, no processor has ever offered Intel Core i7-8700K game performance, it stopped completely. Don't look further if you plan to flush your ultra-fast game monitor for every possible frame, or plan to take enthusiastic class graphics cards like the fierce GeForce GTX 1080 Ti.

As a K-series processor, this chip can be overclocked when paired with an Intel Z370 motherboard, allowing you to push more pedals to the metal. Many chips can penetrate the 5GHz barrier when paired with fat aftermarket coolers. Intel also raised the number of its flagship generation this generation, increasing the Core i7-8700K to six core and twelve threads.

Consider skipping this chip if you don't drive a bloody game performance. Even without overclocking performance and six threads, the Core i5-8400 ($ 180 on Amazon) comes in striking distance from the 8700K out-of-the-box frame rate for almost half the cost, even though it can't be overclocked like 8700K. AMD 2nd-gen Ryzen 7 2700X ($ 330 on Amazon) falls right behind Intel gaming performance while offering eight cores and 16 threads that excel at productivity tasks. Equally important, the Ryzen 7 2700X costs $ 30 less than the Core i7-8700K, and is equipped with an excellent Wraith Prism cooler from AMD. Intel chips are not equipped with coolers; expect to spend $ 30 to $ 60 for comparable models, adding more costs compared to Ryzen 7 2700X.

Overall, we consider the AMD chip to be a better processor. But this is a gaming CPU, and no chip drives a frame as strong as the Core i7-8700K.

• The best CPU for streaming
• AMD 2-gene Ryzen CPU

AMD CPUs may be the main driver of Intel chips in pure gaming performance, but the superiority of their significant number of core gives Ryzen an edge if you plan to stream or record your game. The video task rests on your processor.

8 cores and 16 threads in the Ryzen 7 2700X ($ 330 on Amazon) make it the best gaming CPU for streaming if you play and record on one rig, especially if you are streaming video at high resolution, bitrate, and quality settings. If 2700X is a bit too rich for your blood, the Ryzen 5 2600X six-core ($ 230 on Amazon) also changes in strong streaming performance due to simultaneous multi-threading. Core i5-8600K rivals do not have Hyper-Threading and depend on four physical cores.

Testing by the Tech Report and Nexus Gamers (2600X and 2700X) shows that the Ryzen chip works slower on the streamer side compared to similar Intel CPUs. Experience for better viewers with Ryzen, though, especially because the quality goes up.