AMD and Intel have fought for supremacy for decades, duking it out to make the best processors you can buy. The competition is fierce, and that's a great thing for PC enthusiasts. In 2022, the list of the best CPUs is larger than ever and packed with options from Team Red and Team Blue.
Similar to last-generation's Core i9-12900K, the Core i9-13900K combines performance cores and efficient cores. Core counts are up this time around, though. You're getting eight P-cores designed on the new Raptor Cove microarchitecture, as well as 16 E-cores using the Gracemont architecture from the previous generation.
AMD lost the flagship battle this generation, but only by a thin margin. It's slightly slower than the Core i9-13900K, and it's about $100 more expensive. There's not denying the raw power of the Ryzen 9 7950X, though, nearly matching the Core i9-13900K in most tests. AMD Ryzen 9 7950X The best AMD processor More AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D The best processor for gaming Read our in-depth review Pros Cons Why you should buy this: It's still a monster of a gaming CPU, even with next-gen options making the rounds.Why we chose the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D:
The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is the best gaming CPU by a long shot, but it takes a backseat in other tasks. If you plan on doing intense video encoding or other productivity tasks, it's better to go with an AMD or Intel chip with a higher core count. It's also occasionally outclassed by the newer Ryzen 7 7700X and Intel Core i5-13600K, though it costs less overall.
It's a monster in gaming performance, as well. In some games, such as Gears Tactics, the Core i5-13600K is actually faster than AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X. In most other games, Intel's chip takes a slight backseat, though it still outpaces the Ryzen 5 7600X by a huge margin. Right now, the Ryzen 5 5600X is somewhere around $160, which is absolutely insane considering the performance it offers. The newer chip offers better gaming performance, but only by a small margin. And the Ryzen 5 7600X doesn't come with a core advantage, packing in six cores just like the Ryzen 5 5600X.
The Core i3-12100F is a quad-core CPU that ranks among the best Intel processors you can buy. It doesn't come with a hybrid architecture, instead opting for four performance cores, but that doesn't hurt performance too much.