12 best processors

The maximum budget chip from AMD, designed for office computers. At the same time, it has 4 computing cores with a bus in the range of 3.1 - 3.8 GHz. It belongs to the "stones" of past generations, therefore it uses the FM2 + socket, which means that you can pick up a good used motherboard that reveals its full potential. In terms of performance, of course, it is inferior to more modern counterparts, but it copes with office software with a bang, but in games it will not show due zeal, although some craftsmen write in the reviews that they managed to overclock the “pebble” to 4.2 GHz, but at the same time there is a large risk of overheating.In any case, you can assemble an inexpensive PC for work purposes on this processor.

Classic office processor from Intel. There are 2 cores on board, but with support for 4 data processing threads, while there is no bus, and the clock frequency is fixed at around 3.8 GHz. We also note that the chip supports no more than 64 GB of RAM, which once again emphasizes its focus not on games. As compensation, a budget price, a very low level of heat dissipation and the presence of an integrated GPU are offered. The socket used is common, i.e. there will be no problems with the selection of the motherboard, plus there is support for ECC functions to protect against RAM errors.Among the technical shortcomings, the lack of a free multiplier stands out, which means that it will be problematic to disperse the “stone”.

Athlon 200GE is an inexpensive model with integrated graphics for building a workable office computer. Cores 2, threads - 4. The base frequency is 3.2 GHz, but in the reviews, users report taking the mark at 3.8 GHz. Temperatures in any mode are low - at moderate load, even with a boxed cooler, they do not exceed 45-47 degrees. The chip is capable of working with DDR4 RAM (max. frequency - 2667 MHz). The integrated video core - Radeon Vega 3 - plays streaming 4K video without problems.The 200GE is also suitable for entry-level gaming systems - paired with a decent video card, you can achieve a high frame rate at low or even medium graphics settings.

An interesting option from Intel, balancing on the border between office chips and entry-level gaming models. The price is quite inexpensive, so it can become the basis for a budget gaming PC without swinging into the latest games with ultra-high quality graphics. I got 4 cores, plus multithreading support and a good bus range from 3.6 GHz to 4.3 GHz. One of the technical features is the L3 cache that has grown up to 6 MB, but, of course, against the background of previous Intel counterparts.Among the shortcomings, user reviews highlight the lack of integrated graphics, plus there are complaints about the use of the LGA 1200 socket - it provides better power, but raises the price of motherboards.

Intel offers an inexpensive chip with 4 physical cores running at 3.6 GHz (TurboBoost up to 4.2 GHz). In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU comes close to the more expensive i5-7600K. It was not possible to achieve such a price-performance ratio without losses. I had to sacrifice the possibility of overclocking and integrated graphics. However, this does not prevent you from creating excellent gaming PCs based on the i3-9100F. Paired with a GeForce RTX 2060 and 16 GB of RAM, the processor produces a stable 60 FPS in all modern games at medium graphics settings. Temperatures are moderate - under normal load with a standard cooler they stay at 40 degrees. Overheating the chip is unlikely to succeed. Note that the processor uses the LGA1151v2 socket and is only compatible with 3xx series chipsets.

The model marked 9700F can be recommended to gamers who love a high-quality picture, but are not chasing the latest trends. Paired with a decent video card in any game at maximum settings, you will get at least 60 fps, and in most cases 90-110 frames. Basic technical characteristics are not amazing. The Core i7-9700F includes 8 cores running at a clock speed of just 3 GHz. But in TurboBoost mode, the figure rises to a decent 4.7 GHz. The L3 cache is 12MB and the maximum supported RAM is 128GB (DDR4-2666). Unfortunately, there is not enough information about the temperature regime, but judging by other processors from the company, we should expect about 32-35 degrees in idle and 55-60 degrees under load.

A very popular Intel gaming processor from among inexpensive representatives of the Intel Core family 10th generation. I got 6 cores operating at a frequency of 2.9 GHz in the base and up to 4.3 GHz with the bus. There is no integrated graphics, so you will need to buy a good video card. On the other hand, the chip supports RAM with operating frequencies up to 2666 MHz, has received a good amount of cache at all levels, plus it has low heat dissipation. User reviews do not contain any particular complaints, but it must be added that the "stone" is based on the LGA 1200 socket, which provides power supply better than its predecessors, but is used on a smaller number of motherboards available in Russia.

The AMD Ryzen 5 1600 is a mid-range budget option with a good balance of price and performance.In synthetic tests, Ryzen 5 is able to compete on equal terms with Intel's Core i7 counterparts at standard settings. Such power is due to the presence of 6 Summit Ridge cores, made according to the 12 nm process technology. The clock frequency is not a record - 3.2 GHz in the base. The possibility of overclocking is present, but in the reviews, users claim that at frequencies above 4.0 GHz, the processor behaves unstable and gets very hot. At factory settings, idle temperatures are kept at 42-46 degrees when using a standard cooler. The CPU supports the modern DDR4-2667 standard, which allows you to create excellent computers based on this processor for playing at medium settings.

An excellent AMD processor, in terms of price / performance ratio, it easily makes analogues from Intel. You can only find fault with performance in single-threaded tasks - a discipline in which AMD has always lost. In multi-threaded tasks, the advantage is tangible, and in games the situation is highly dependent on the optimization of the entire PC. Speaking in numbers, we have an 8-core processor with a clock speed of 3.7 GHz. Without any problems, you can take the mark of 4.3 GHz, and with some luck - 4.4-4.5 GHz. DDR4 RAM up to 2933 MHz is supported. Cache sizes: 768, 4096 and 16384 KB. Temperatures are slightly higher than those of competitors from Intel - under load, they can reach 75 degrees. We advise you to think about purchasing a high-quality cooling system.

A very powerful processor from AMD, but not without sins. Differs in greater, than competitors, power consumption – in idle time on the average on 20 W. With a complete cooler under load, it heats up to 80 degrees - we recommend that you immediately think about buying high-quality air, and preferably water, CO. Now the numbers. The CPU includes 12 cores (24 threads), made according to the 7 nm process technology. Base clock speed 3.8 GHz. Stable operation can be obtained when overclocked to 4.6 GHz. For more, you need good cooling. L3 cache size - 64 MB! DDR4 RAM 3200 MHz supported. In multi-threaded operations, as expected, it is ahead of its rivals by an order of magnitude. With games, the situation is more complicated - it all depends on the optimization of a particular title. In general, the results are comparable with the "blue" competitors.

By the standards of the market segment, a very budget Intel processor with extremely high performance. Offers 8 cores with clock speeds ranging from 3.8 to 5.1 GHz, plus support for 2933 MHz RAM sticks. Not badly adapted to manual overclocking, got integrated graphics, but at the same time it stands out for its high TDP, i.e. will require the installation of a very efficient cooling system. In addition, the reviews write that the chip is also demanding on motherboards - it does not “start up” well on outdated chipsets and is dependent on the efficiency of power circuits. Unlike many counterparts, Intel received an increased L1 cache, which significantly increases the speed of work in single-threaded calculations. But in multi-threaded it is noticeably inferior to analogues from AMD.

16-core thunderstorm of any complex calculations. This AMD processor is designed to assemble high-performance computers used for fast 3D modeling or rendering of video content in 4K resolutions and higher. Of course, with a huge margin it is also suitable for games that will simply fly at maximum speeds. In addition to a large number of cores and multi-threading, this AMD "stone" also boasts huge amounts of cache memory, a very wide range of auto-overclocking functions, as well as full support for 3200 MHz RAM, which Intel competitors only dream of. At the same time, you should not forget about the need to provide reliable cooling to the chip, because its heat dissipation is not at all a toy, which is often mentioned in customer reviews.