For most of 2022, we recommended the Core i5 12600K as the best gaming CPU and the Core i5 12400 as the best gaming CPU on a budget. Last year, the Core i5 13600K took over the top spot.

Your choice of processor will fundamentally affect your PC’s frame rates, so you want to make sure you buy the very best gaming CPU you can afford when you’re speccing up a new rig.

What is the best CPU for gaming? Great question, and just to be annoying, I'm going to say that depending on you, your gaming aspirations, and your budget, the answer will be totally unique.

As a result, the 7600X is now a much more viable choice than it was in 2022 and 20223 ... it is a no-brainer for our best-budget gaming processor. It should meet most video game requirements ...

To maximize your AMD setup, pair one of the best AMD CPUs with the best graphics card and CPU cooler, and you'll be gaming at your best in 2025. John Loeffler is the Components Editor here at ...

It's also a decent entry-level gaming processor, but don't expect high frame rates without stuttering. For under a hundred bucks, this is the best budget option on the list. An earlier i7 that ...

Overall, this is one of the best LGA 1150 CPU and if you wisely put together your build with a good RAM and SSD, this CPU should deliver decent gaming and overall performance. If you were on the hunt ...

It's too bad the Ryzen Z series is affected by the same technological mix-and-match game that AMD plays with its laptop processors, continuing to rebrand old silicon and reserving the most significant ...

The NZXT Streaming Pro PC packs an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X with eight capable and powerful cores that make it one of the best gaming CPUs for playing games and running a stream simultaneously.

For gamers with limited funds, considering the exorbitant cost of graphics cards, finding the best budget CPU for gaming becomes an even more difficult task requiring research and deciding on ...