If you’re on the fence about picking team blue or team red for your next build, this guide is here to help you make a choice.
As stated in the title this topic includes CPU’s from Intel’s 8th Generation(Coffee Lake) and AMD’s Ryzen 2000 series (Zen/Zen+) which is the latest offerings from both manufacturers as of this writing.
The guide will focus on different price categories based on MSRP in USD (Retail prices may vary).
Not every CPU in the lineups from Intel or AMD will be included due to the simple fact that many models don’t make sense at their given price points.
The CPU’s must be paired with a motherboard using any of the follwing chipsets.
Intel LGA1151: Z370 - H370 - B360 - H310
AMD AM4: X470 - X370 - B450 - B350 - A320
-Sub $70 Ultra budget
Intel Celeron G4900 - 2C/2T 3.1GHz $42
This CPU is only for the buyers on a extremely strict budget and whom don’t plan to spend more than 350$ on their build with a discrete graphics card.
For lightly threaded tasks this CPU will preform well and if paired with a GT1030/RX550 or GTX1050/RX560 it can play games like Rocket League, Counter-Strike:GO, Dota , World of Warcraft and Overwatch.
Intel Pentium G5400 - 2C/4T 3.7GHz $64
For an extra 22$ this CPU is a well worth upgrade over the Celeron G4900 as it adds two more threads, 2MB cache and a 600MHz clockspeed uplift.
Normally this is the lowest end CPU system-builders will recommend and it offers excellent value for money. Here you can do light to medium mulitasking and you can have good gaming performance at 1080p in many titles if you pair it with a GTX1050/RX560 or a GTX1050Ti.
-$100 Ballpark
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G - 4C/4T 3.5/3.7GHz $99
An excellent entry level CPU that preforms well in both gaming and multitasking.
On top of that is has an integrated GPU that can be used to play games such as Rocket League, Counter-Strike:GO, Dota , World of Warcraft and Overwatch with the correct quality settings.
Matched with a GTX1050Ti, RX570/580 or GTX1060 you’ll have a solid gaming rig.
The CPU is overclock able if you wish to extract more performance.
Intel Core i3 8100 - 4C/4T 3.6GHz $117
This CPU will preform very similar to the Ryzen 2200G except it has a weak integrated GPU that is not adequate for most games. Due to the fact that it is more expensive, the Ryzen 2200G is usually the recommended buy.
-The sweet spot
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G - 4C/8T 3.6/3.9GHz $169
A bit of an outlier in this category, this CPU is a higher end version of the 2200G and adds 4 Threads, slightly higher clocks and a stronger integrated GPU. This CPU is usually only recommended if you’re gonna take advantage of the on board graphics. If you’re gonna have a discrete graphics card in your system the i5 8400 or R5 2600 is a better fit.
Intel Core i5 8400 - 6C/6T 2.8/4.0GHz $182
The best mid-tier CPU from Intel, it will preform excellent as a gaming CPU and can be matched with the highest end GPU’s without being much of a bottleneck. You get high single threaded performance and decent multitasking capabilities with this processor.
AMD Ryzen 5 2600 - 6C/12T 3.4/3.9GHz $199
This is arguably the best value for money CPU on the market. With stellar multi-threaded performance, and gaming performance just slightly below the i5 8400 out of the box, this is what most people would say is the best balanced processor you can get for a desktop build at the moment. It has no integrated graphics and must therefore be paired with a discrete GPU.
Overclocking is available to extract even more performance.
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X - 6C/12T 3.6/4.2GHz $229
A higher clocked version of the R5 2600 and also includes a better cooler.
-King of the Hill
AMD Ryzen 7 2700 - 8C/16T 3.2/4.1GHz $299
Video production, gaming, multitasking and more, this CPU will handle anything you throw at it.
On the top end of the spectrum there is no other processor to match the multi-threaded capabilities the 2700 offers at this price point.
It has no integrated graphics and must therefore be paired with a discrete GPU.
Overclocking is available.
Intel Core i7 8700 - 6C/12T 3.2/4.6GHz $303
Top of the line single threaded performance and excellent multi-threaded capabilities.
This is one of the best gaming CPU’s on the market, if it’s a pure gaming rig you’re after this will serve you well. It has weaker multi-threaded capabilities than the Ryzen 7 2700, but outperforms it in single threaded tasks and gaming.
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X - 8C/16T 3.7/4.3GHz $329
The very best AMD has to offer on the AM4 platform, it adds higher clockspeeds than the R7 2700 and comes with a much better cooler.
Intel Core i7 8700K - 6C/12T 3.7/4.7GHz $359
The undisputed gaming champion and Intels highest end on the LGA1151 platform.
Including higher clock speeds over the i7 8700 this CPU also allows for overclocking. It does not come with a cooler so that must be supplied.
Benchmarks:
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G vs Intel Pentium G5400
AMD Ryzen 5 2600 vs Intel Core i5 8400 gaming benchmarks
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X + AMD Ryzen 7 2700X + Intel Core i5 8400 + Intel Core i7 8700K benchmarks
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X vs Intel Core i7 8700K streaming benchmarks
