1: Upgrade or New Build?Īnswering this question will set you on a narrow path or a broad one.
So, the first big one: Are you upgrading a PC, or building a new one from scratch?Ĭonsideration No. The best way to look at a CPU buy is to take the considerations in a logical order, which will narrow the field as you make your choices. See our laptop processor explainer for the rather different nuances of selecting a CPU in a notebook PC.) (Note: This guide is decidedly about CPUs for desktop PCs. Other concerns-cost, energy consumption, the kinds of roads (read: tasks) you drive every day-matter just as much as out-and-out muscle.
(Spoiler: For consumers, Intel Core i9-10980XE Extreme Edition or AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X, priced at one or four grand respectively.)īut just because these, the processing equivalents of maximum-horsepower V-12 or V-16 engines, exist doesn't make them the right picks for every shopper, or even most shoppers. It's possible to objectively measure CPU performance across a range of applications and usage cases, and if you're not bound by mere mortal concerns such as budget, it's easy enough to get a pretty good idea of what "best" means. Which of the two big chipmakers should you go with: AMD or Intel? Are you trying to maximize speed or value? Does the maximum number of cores matter more, or does clock speed? Are you upgrading, or building a whole new PC? Are you gaming? Not gaming? Still awake?Īll these questions are crucial in landing the right chip, and what that means: No single CPU is the absolute best across the board for all users, assuming money matters. Indeed, buying a desktop processor is akin to a whole forest of decision trees. Trying to figure out the best CPU for your next PC upgrade or DIY build? With apologies to Robert Frost, it's the classic two roads that parted in the wood-if the wood were a shopping-results page at Newegg or Amazon, and the road kept dividing endlessly.
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