Ah the processors ! There are things to say when we talk about CPUs, even more so with the recent launches both at AMD that at Intel. Indeed, on one side or the other, the performance in gaming use is more or less disappointing. On the AMD side with the Ryzen 9000 codenamed Granite Ridge there is nothing exceptional, and on the Intel side with its Core Ultra 200S Arrow Lake is downright disappointing. Apart from the Ryzen 9000X3D range, not much interesting to get our teeth into and we will stay on old CPUs! Here is our buying guide which aims for the best 2024 gaming CPUs to buy at the end of 2024.
Top 1: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the best gaming CPU 2024!
How not to talk about the model par excellence for gamers with theAMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D. This model simply represents the best choice time for a use gaming. Moreover, in addition to its performance in gaming use, it is also good in applications. With its 8 cores and 16 threads, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D operates at a base frequency of 4.7 GHz and reaches a Boost of 5.2 GHz. Its flagship feature lies in its 104 MB of cache optimized by 3D V-Cache, technology which promises high gaming performance and improved thermal management, all with a TDP of 120 W. In addition, unlike its predecessor, this The latter is fully unlocked and can therefore be OC to get even better performance. Moreover, we are still on the AM5 socket and the 9800X3D can therefore be installed on many motherboards, thus optimizing the cost of an upgrade. Unfortunately, it consumes more power than the R7 7800X3D, but still less than its Intel competitor. In application use, it will generally be placed at the level of an i7-13700K or a Ryzen 9 7900.
For all these reasons, AMD’s R7 9800X3D can only be in first place in any buying guide presenting the best gaming CPUs of 2024!
Top 2 : AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
We therefore had the R7 9800X3D in first position, the Ryzen 9000 and Core Ultra 200S having not really shaken things up in the gaming sector, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D still remains a particularly interesting choice despite its recent rise in price following the abandonment of the R7 5800X3D. Under AMD’s Zen 4 architecture, which is therefore not the latest, this CPU has 8 cores and 16 threads at a base frequency of 4.2 GHz with a Boost to 5 GHz. With its compatibility with the AMD AM5 socket, this CPU can be installed on many cards with B550, X570, B450 chipsets or even the X670E and latest X870E.
In addition to having excellent performance in gaming use, this processor also offers one of the best ratios in terms of performance per Watt. Clearly, it’s a good CPU for gaming AND not exploding your electricity bill! In this category, AMD CPUs are much superior to what Intel offers.
Top 3 : Intel Core i9-14900K
If we move on to Intel now, very efficient in gaming (but still less than the two CPUs seen above) it will however also excel in application use. Unfortunately, it will also excel at drawing so much power that it will skyrocket electric bills. In terms of pricing, it is now at the level of the 7800X3D since these two models can be found on Amazon for around 495 euros. We would have added the 13900K to this guide, but seeing its average price higher than this 14900K, why do it, it is no longer of much interest. Regardless, if you do a lot of gaming AND applications, like video editing, Premiere Pro, After Effects or streaming in addition to gaming, etc., this i9-14900K is an excellent choice.
Top 4 : AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D
Another CPU in the AMD category with 3D V-Cache technology: the Ryzen 7 5700X3D. In the category of CPUs with a good performance/price ratio, it represents a very good choice for gamers. Indeed, with its 8 cores and 16 threads with Base frequencies of 3.1 GHz and 4.1 GHz in Boost. This processor has no less than 100 MB of cache in total, notably helped by 3D V-Cache technology. With a TDP of 105W, this processor is placed slightly behind an R7 5800X3D, while offering a lower price which makes it particularly interesting. Indeed, we are talking about a processor that is more efficient in gaming than an Intel Core i5-14600K for a lower price.
Top 5 : Intel Core i7-14700K
To finish this buying guide for the best gaming processors, let’s talk about theIntel Core i7-4700K which is generally placed just below the i9-13900K, but for much more attractive pricing. Indeed, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, this processor presents good performance for lower gaming consumption of around -22% than the very greedy 14900K, all this for around 2% less performance, a quite a difference! Concretely, it’s difficult to feel a difference in use, but the difference will be felt on the EDF bills when they arrive! Let’s put it into perspective, in this area the 7800X3D beats everything, it’s not for nothing that it is at the top of this guide!
Conclusion: how to choose the best gaming CPU according to your needs in 2024?
You will notice that we ultimately have quite a few latest generation CPUs in this buying guide for the best gaming CPU to buy in 2024. The reason is quite simple, between the disappointing performance and the higher prices than previous generation models, ultimately. the performance/price ratios are more interesting on the CPUs that we have presented here. The latest Intel Arrow Lake may consume less energy and be efficient in applications, but in this guide we are talking about use in gaming, and they clearly have no place here. Models with 3D V-Cache memory will always be, for the moment in any case, the best choice to make for a gaming PC with an exceptional performance/price ratio.
The Intel-AMD war is unnecessary in our opinion. From one generation to another, we may prefer one model to another according to our needs and the use we make of it, all this depending on the size of our wallet, but also our desires in terms of energy consumption. If on Intel’s side the CPUs are generally superior in terms of application performance, they are also much more energy intensive. On the AMD side, the performance/price/Watts ratio is generally better. So even if sometimes when we are young we tell ourselves that electricity consumption has little or no importance because we do not yet pay our EDF bills, the ecological impact is more or less important depending on each person, and when we pay our bills, we suddenly become much more picky as energy has become expensive over the years.
If your wallet is big and you are not thrifty at heart, you are free to spend 200 euros more to go from 190 FPS in game to 200 FPS, you will not see the difference in use, but you will have the best possible performance. Of course, this is figurative, it’s just to say that having the best CPU at all costs is not necessarily useful if you don’t have particular needs. If the games you play are not ultra demanding and the FPS easily rises quite high, having the most powerful CPU is of very little interest, the important thing is to have the CPU which suits you best.
This is especially true since an i9-14900K will need to be better cooled than a Ryzen 7 7800X3D and will therefore require a more efficient, and therefore more expensive, cooling system. Just like diet which will have to be taken into consideration. Indeed, where the R7 7800X3D consumes an average of 46W over a set of 13 games, the i9-14900K is at 149W. 100W difference in play, can make the difference on the best choice of power for your power supply. If we stay with this comparison of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D VS Intel Core i9-14900K, the AMD model is even better in terms of images per second, therefore completely crushing the Intel in terms of performance per Watts ratio.
Little fun fact, it may be the last few years or such a guide will not yet present CPUs from Qualcomm or even NVIDIA. Indeed, the next few years will see the arrival of major players in the desktop CPU sector via ARM.
