The current best value-for-money CPU? Which CPU is the ceiling for online games and 3A games? Recommended for the highest value-for-money CPU in September.
Intel i3-12100F
First, there’s the Intel i3-12100F, priced at around 500 yuan, which is the first to use a 10-nanometer process, featuring a quad-core, eight-thread design with a level-three cache. Compared to the previous generation, its performance has doubled, reaching a single-core score of 690, which is only about 5% lower than the i5-12400F’s 700 points. It’s definitely the best value-for-money CPU. However, it only supports memory with a frequency of 3200, making it unsuitable for players of large online games. It’s a great choice for budget-conscious 3A gamers. But be aware, that unscrupulous computer sellers often label the i3-12100F’s single-core benchmark score as less than 530, creating a false impression that it lags far behind the i5-12400F’s 700 points to deceive novice buyers.
AMD R5-5600
The second option is the AMD R5 5600, priced at around 700 yuan. It boasts a single-core benchmark score of approximately 640, offering performance similar to the 12100F. However, it utilizes a 7-nanometer design with 6 cores and 12 threads, which nearly doubles its multi-core performance compared to the 12100F. It also comes with a level-three cache that’s nearly twice as large. Furthermore, it supports memory with frequencies above 3600, and it’s capable of CPU overclocking. It can be considered the best value-for-money CPU for competitive online gaming currently available. It outperforms the 12400F in online gaming frame rates, and in scenarios where graphics settings are maxed out, the frame rates are competitive.
Intel i5-12400F
The third option is the Intel platform’s i5-12400F. Its main advantage lies in its stronger single-core performance, making it suitable for playing 3A games. However, since it only supports memory with a frequency of 3200, it falls short compared to the 5600 when it comes to playing demanding online games like PUBG. It’s primarily recommended for novice buyers with a sufficient budget.
AMD R5-7500F
The fourth option is the AMD R5-7500F, the first CPU in the Ryzen 7000 series without integrated graphics. It’s currently the top choice in the sub-thousand-yuan category. Firstly, it can be used with motherboards that support 6th-generation CPUs. Secondly, it’s built using a 5-nanometer manufacturing process, achieving an impressive single-core benchmark score of 737. With a maximum boost clock of 5.05 GHz and a 32-megabyte level-three cache, it easily outperforms the i5-13400F and i5-12600KF, despite being priced at just over 1000 yuan. Its gaming performance is on par with the i5-13600KF.
Here, it’s essential to mention the ‘IQ tax.’ Avoid buying the i5-13400 and i5-13490, as both of them struggle to maintain stable frequencies above 3600 in G1 mode, yet they are priced 400 yuan higher. Their gaming performance doesn’t significantly differ from the 12400F.
AMD R5-7600X
The fifth option is the AMD R5-7600X. While it’s priced similarly to Intel’s i5-13400F and i5-12600KF, the R5-7600X offers multi-core performance and gaming frame rates on par with the i5-13600KF. It boasts a full-core boost clock of 5.3 GHz, making it capable of effortlessly outperforming the i5-12600KF, which relies on a big.LITTLE core design, in both online gaming and 3A titles.
Intel i5-12600KF
The sixth option is the i5-12600KF, which is priced only about 150 yuan higher than the i5-13400F that some unscrupulous sellers might recommend. While it doesn’t offer a significant single-core performance boost, the i5-12600KF comes with Intel’s official automatic overclocking technology, resulting in a 0.3 GHz higher maximum boost clock. Additionally, it supports memory with frequencies above 3600. When compared to the paper specs of the i5-13400, it’s a clear winner. Not to mention, the i5-12600KF also allows for manual overclocking of both the CPU and memory.
Those who spend over 1000 yuan on an Intel CPU, typically aim for improved performance in games like PUBG and Eternal, where the frame rates noticeably increase. However, if you end up with the i5-13400, which can’t stably support memory frequencies above 3600, it’s essentially an ‘IQ tax,’ as I’ve been saying. Due to CPU bottlenecks, the i5-12600KF is currently the benchmark for gaming performance and value for money. In online gaming, the frame rates are roughly 5% higher on average than the i9-13900KF. By allocating the extra money to your graphics card, you can instantly achieve a frame rate increase of 30% to 60% or more.
Intel i5-13600KF
The seventh option is Intel’s i5-13600KF, featuring a 14-core, 20-thread design. It’s suitable for high-budget novice gamers, as well as those with productivity and game streaming needs. Intel doesn’t show significant improvements in online gaming frame rates compared to its lower-tier counterparts.
The eighth option is the gaming ceiling, AMD’s 7800X 3D, equipped with a massive 96-megabyte cache. Whether it’s a AAA title or competitive online gaming, it outperforms Intel’s i9-13900KF. Coupled with its low power consumption, it can be adequately cooled even with a budget heatsink. Additionally, AMD’s frequencies now reach up to 8000, and it’s compatible with 6th-generation motherboards, making it an absolute value-for-money champion.
AMD R7-7900X
Finally, we have the top-tier CPU for productivity and gaming. Its performance is outstanding. The discounted R9-7900X, featuring 12 cores and 24 threads, along with a massive 64-megabyte level-three cache, is designed purely for high performance. It doesn’t face the issue of big.LITTLE core score discrepancies. Currently, it’s the best value-for-money choice for gamers with a budget. Share your setup, and in the next issue, we’ll provide graphics card recommendations.
Finally, here’s Tom’s Hardware’s latest CPU tier list for your reference.
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