CPU Tier List 2026
The top rated CPUs for gaming — all 129 processors we track, ranked S through F. Scores weight gaming workloads specifically rather than synthetic or productivity benchmarks, because a chip that wins at rendering does not always win at frame rate.
Fastest for gaming AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 100/100 · 8C/16T
Best AMD AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 100/100 · 8 cores
Best Intel Intel Core i9-14900KS 94/100 · 24 cores
S
Tier S
Top of the stack. Will not bottleneck any current graphics card, in any game.
A
Tier A
High end. Pairs comfortably with flagship GPUs at 1440p and above.
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K Intel Core i7-13700K AMD Ryzen 9 9950X Intel Core Ultra 7 265K AMD Ryzen 9 9900X Intel Core i5-14600K AMD Ryzen 9 7950X Intel Core i5-13600K AMD Ryzen 7 9700X AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D Intel Core i9-12900K AMD Ryzen 9 7900X Intel Core Ultra 5 245K AMD Ryzen 5 9600X Intel Core i7-12700K AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Intel Core i7-12700 AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Intel Core i5-12600K AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
B
Tier B
Strong mid-range. The sensible pairing for upper-mid-range graphics cards.
AMD Ryzen 5 7600 AMD Ryzen 5 7500F AMD Ryzen 9 5950X Intel Core i5-14400 AMD Ryzen 9 5900X Intel Core i5-13400 Intel Core i9-11900K AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Intel Core i5-12400 Intel Core i7-11700K Intel Core i9-10900K AMD Ryzen 7 5700X AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Intel Core i7-10700K AMD Ryzen 5 5600 Intel Core i5-11600K Intel Core i9-9900K Intel Core i5-10600K Intel Core i7-9700K AMD Ryzen 9 3950X Intel Core i5-11400
C
Tier C
Mid-range. Fine for 1080p and 1440p gaming with a matched GPU.
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X Intel Core i7-8700K Intel Core i7-9700 AMD Ryzen 7 3800X Intel Core i7-8700 AMD Ryzen 5 5500 AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Intel Core i3-13100 Intel Core i5-9600K Intel Core i5-10400 Intel Core i7-7700K AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Intel Core i3-12100 AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Intel Core i5-8600K Intel Core i7-7700 Intel Core i7-6700K Intel Core i5-9400F Intel Core i5-8400 AMD Ryzen 3 3300X Intel Core i7-6700 AMD Ryzen 7 2700X Intel Core i7-4790K Intel Core i5-7600K AMD Ryzen 5 2600X AMD Ryzen 3 3100 Intel Core i5-6600K Intel Core i7-4770K
D
Tier D
Entry level. Will limit faster graphics cards in CPU-heavy titles.
AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Intel Core i5-7500 AMD Ryzen 7 1800X Intel Core i7-3770K AMD Ryzen 7 1700 Intel Core i5-4690K Intel Core i5-6500 AMD Ryzen 5 1600 Intel Core i7-3770 Intel Core i5-4690 Intel Core i5-4590 Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i5-3570K AMD Ryzen 5 1500X Intel Core i5-4460 Intel Core i5-4430 Intel Core i5-3470 Intel Core i5-2500K Intel Core i3-6100 AMD Ryzen 3 2200G AMD Ryzen 3 1300X Intel Core i5-2400 AMD Ryzen 3 1200 Intel Core i3-4150
F
Tier F
Legacy. Below the 6-core baseline most current releases assume.
Intel Core i3-4130 Intel Pentium G4560 AMD FX-9590 Intel Core i3-3225 Intel Core i3-3210 AMD FX-8370 Intel Core i7-950 AMD FX-8350 Intel Core i3-2100 AMD FX-8320 AMD FX-6350 Intel Core i5-750 AMD FX-6300 AMD Athlon 200GE Intel Core i3-530 AMD FX-4300 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 AMD A10-7800 AMD Phenom II X4 965 AMD A8-7600 AMD Phenom II X4 955 Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 AMD Athlon II X4 640 AMD Phenom 9850
Full ranking
| # | Processor | Tier | Score | Cores | Threads | Boost | TDP | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D | S | 100 | 8 | 16 | 5.2 GHz | 120 W | 2024 |
| 2 | AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D | S | 99 | 16 | 32 | 5.7 GHz | 170 W | 2025 |
| 3 | AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D | S | 96 | 12 | 24 | 5.5 GHz | 120 W | 2025 |
| 4 | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D | S | 96 | 16 | 32 | 5.7 GHz | 120 W | 2023 |
| 5 | AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D | S | 95 | 8 | 16 | 5 GHz | 120 W | 2023 |
| 6 | Intel Core i9-14900KS | S | 94 | 24 | 32 | 6.2 GHz | 150 W | 2024 |
| 7 | Intel Core i9-14900K | S | 93 | 24 | 32 | 6 GHz | 125 W | 2023 |
| 8 | Intel Core i9-13900KS | S | 93 | 24 | 32 | 6 GHz | 150 W | 2023 |
| 9 | AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D | S | 92 | 12 | 24 | 5.6 GHz | 120 W | 2023 |
| 10 | Intel Core i9-13900K | S | 92 | 24 | 32 | 5.8 GHz | 125 W | 2022 |
| 11 | Intel Core i7-14700K | S | 90 | 20 | 28 | 5.6 GHz | 125 W | 2023 |
| 12 | Intel Core Ultra 9 285K | A | 89 | 24 | 24 | 5.7 GHz | 125 W | 2024 |
| 13 | Intel Core i7-13700K | A | 89 | 16 | 24 | 5.4 GHz | 125 W | 2022 |
| 14 | AMD Ryzen 9 9950X | A | 88 | 16 | 32 | 5.7 GHz | 170 W | 2024 |
| 15 | Intel Core Ultra 7 265K | A | 87 | 20 | 20 | 5.5 GHz | 125 W | 2024 |
| 16 | AMD Ryzen 9 9900X | A | 86 | 12 | 24 | 5.6 GHz | 120 W | 2024 |
| 17 | Intel Core i5-14600K | A | 86 | 14 | 20 | 5.3 GHz | 125 W | 2023 |
| 18 | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X | A | 85 | 16 | 32 | 5.7 GHz | 170 W | 2022 |
| 19 | Intel Core i5-13600K | A | 85 | 14 | 20 | 5.1 GHz | 125 W | 2022 |
| 20 | AMD Ryzen 7 9700X | A | 84 | 8 | 16 | 5.5 GHz | 65 W | 2024 |
| 21 | AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D | A | 84 | 8 | 16 | 4.5 GHz | 105 W | 2022 |
| 22 | Intel Core i9-12900K | A | 84 | 16 | 24 | 5.2 GHz | 125 W | 2021 |
| 23 | AMD Ryzen 9 7900X | A | 83 | 12 | 24 | 5.6 GHz | 170 W | 2022 |
| 24 | Intel Core Ultra 5 245K | A | 83 | 14 | 14 | 5.2 GHz | 125 W | 2024 |
| 25 | AMD Ryzen 5 9600X | A | 82 | 6 | 12 | 5.4 GHz | 65 W | 2024 |
| 26 | Intel Core i7-12700K | A | 82 | 12 | 20 | 5 GHz | 125 W | 2021 |
| 27 | AMD Ryzen 7 7700X | A | 81 | 8 | 16 | 5.4 GHz | 105 W | 2022 |
| 28 | Intel Core i7-12700 | A | 80 | 12 | 20 | 4.9 GHz | 65 W | 2022 |
| 29 | AMD Ryzen 7 7700 | A | 79 | 8 | 16 | 5.3 GHz | 65 W | 2023 |
| 30 | Intel Core i5-12600K | A | 79 | 10 | 16 | 4.9 GHz | 125 W | 2021 |
| 31 | AMD Ryzen 5 7600X | A | 78 | 6 | 12 | 5.3 GHz | 105 W | 2022 |
| 32 | AMD Ryzen 5 7600 | B | 76 | 6 | 12 | 5.1 GHz | 65 W | 2023 |
| 33 | AMD Ryzen 5 7500F | B | 74 | 6 | 12 | 5 GHz | 65 W | 2023 |
| 34 | AMD Ryzen 9 5950X | B | 74 | 16 | 32 | 4.9 GHz | 105 W | 2020 |
| 35 | Intel Core i5-14400 | B | 74 | 10 | 16 | 4.7 GHz | 65 W | 2024 |
| 36 | AMD Ryzen 9 5900X | B | 73 | 12 | 24 | 4.8 GHz | 105 W | 2020 |
| 37 | Intel Core i5-13400 | B | 73 | 10 | 16 | 4.6 GHz | 65 W | 2023 |
| 38 | Intel Core i9-11900K | B | 72 | 8 | 16 | 5.3 GHz | 125 W | 2021 |
| 39 | AMD Ryzen 7 5800X | B | 71 | 8 | 16 | 4.7 GHz | 105 W | 2020 |
| 40 | Intel Core i5-12400 | B | 71 | 6 | 12 | 4.4 GHz | 65 W | 2022 |
| 41 | Intel Core i7-11700K | B | 70 | 8 | 16 | 5 GHz | 125 W | 2021 |
| 42 | Intel Core i9-10900K | B | 70 | 10 | 20 | 5.3 GHz | 125 W | 2020 |
| 43 | AMD Ryzen 7 5700X | B | 69 | 8 | 16 | 4.6 GHz | 65 W | 2022 |
| 44 | AMD Ryzen 5 5600X | B | 68 | 6 | 12 | 4.6 GHz | 65 W | 2020 |
| 45 | Intel Core i7-10700K | B | 68 | 8 | 16 | 5.1 GHz | 125 W | 2020 |
| 46 | AMD Ryzen 5 5600 | B | 67 | 6 | 12 | 4.4 GHz | 65 W | 2022 |
| 47 | Intel Core i5-11600K | B | 67 | 6 | 12 | 4.9 GHz | 125 W | 2021 |
| 48 | Intel Core i9-9900K | B | 66 | 8 | 16 | 5 GHz | 95 W | 2018 |
| 49 | Intel Core i5-10600K | B | 63 | 6 | 12 | 4.8 GHz | 125 W | 2020 |
| 50 | Intel Core i7-9700K | B | 63 | 8 | 8 | 4.9 GHz | 95 W | 2018 |
| 51 | AMD Ryzen 9 3950X | B | 62 | 16 | 32 | 4.7 GHz | 105 W | 2019 |
| 52 | Intel Core i5-11400 | B | 62 | 6 | 12 | 4.4 GHz | 65 W | 2021 |
| 53 | AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | C | 61 | 12 | 24 | 4.6 GHz | 105 W | 2019 |
| 54 | Intel Core i7-8700K | C | 61 | 6 | 12 | 4.7 GHz | 95 W | 2017 |
| 55 | Intel Core i7-9700 | C | 61 | 8 | 8 | 4.7 GHz | 65 W | 2019 |
| 56 | AMD Ryzen 7 3800X | C | 59 | 8 | 16 | 4.5 GHz | 105 W | 2019 |
| 57 | Intel Core i7-8700 | C | 59 | 6 | 12 | 4.6 GHz | 65 W | 2017 |
| 58 | AMD Ryzen 5 5500 | C | 58 | 6 | 12 | 4.2 GHz | 65 W | 2022 |
| 59 | AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | C | 58 | 8 | 16 | 4.4 GHz | 65 W | 2019 |
| 60 | Intel Core i3-13100 | C | 58 | 4 | 8 | 4.5 GHz | 60 W | 2023 |
| 61 | Intel Core i5-9600K | C | 58 | 6 | 6 | 4.6 GHz | 95 W | 2018 |
| 62 | Intel Core i5-10400 | C | 57 | 6 | 12 | 4.3 GHz | 65 W | 2020 |
| 63 | Intel Core i7-7700K | C | 57 | 4 | 8 | 4.5 GHz | 91 W | 2017 |
| 64 | AMD Ryzen 5 3600X | C | 56 | 6 | 12 | 4.4 GHz | 95 W | 2019 |
| 65 | Intel Core i3-12100 | C | 56 | 4 | 8 | 4.3 GHz | 60 W | 2022 |
| 66 | AMD Ryzen 5 3600 | C | 55 | 6 | 12 | 4.2 GHz | 65 W | 2019 |
| 67 | Intel Core i5-8600K | C | 55 | 6 | 6 | 4.3 GHz | 95 W | 2017 |
| 68 | Intel Core i7-7700 | C | 54 | 4 | 8 | 4.2 GHz | 65 W | 2017 |
| 69 | Intel Core i7-6700K | C | 53 | 4 | 8 | 4.2 GHz | 91 W | 2015 |
| 70 | Intel Core i5-9400F | C | 52 | 6 | 6 | 4.1 GHz | 65 W | 2019 |
| 71 | Intel Core i5-8400 | C | 51 | 6 | 6 | 4 GHz | 65 W | 2017 |
| 72 | AMD Ryzen 3 3300X | C | 50 | 4 | 8 | 4.3 GHz | 65 W | 2020 |
| 73 | Intel Core i7-6700 | C | 50 | 4 | 8 | 4 GHz | 65 W | 2015 |
| 74 | AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | C | 48 | 8 | 16 | 4.3 GHz | 105 W | 2018 |
| 75 | Intel Core i7-4790K | C | 48 | 4 | 8 | 4.4 GHz | 88 W | 2014 |
| 76 | Intel Core i5-7600K | C | 48 | 4 | 4 | 4.2 GHz | 91 W | 2017 |
| 77 | AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | C | 46 | 6 | 12 | 4.2 GHz | 95 W | 2018 |
| 78 | AMD Ryzen 3 3100 | C | 45 | 4 | 8 | 3.9 GHz | 65 W | 2020 |
| 79 | Intel Core i5-6600K | C | 45 | 4 | 4 | 3.9 GHz | 91 W | 2015 |
| 80 | Intel Core i7-4770K | C | 45 | 4 | 8 | 3.9 GHz | 84 W | 2013 |
| 81 | AMD Ryzen 5 2600 | D | 44 | 6 | 12 | 3.9 GHz | 65 W | 2018 |
| 82 | Intel Core i5-7500 | D | 44 | 4 | 4 | 3.8 GHz | 65 W | 2017 |
| 83 | AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | D | 43 | 8 | 16 | 4 GHz | 95 W | 2017 |
| 84 | Intel Core i7-3770K | D | 42 | 4 | 8 | 3.9 GHz | 77 W | 2012 |
| 85 | AMD Ryzen 7 1700 | D | 41 | 8 | 16 | 3.7 GHz | 65 W | 2017 |
| 86 | Intel Core i5-4690K | D | 41 | 4 | 4 | 3.9 GHz | 88 W | 2014 |
| 87 | Intel Core i5-6500 | D | 41 | 4 | 4 | 3.6 GHz | 65 W | 2015 |
| 88 | AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | D | 40 | 6 | 12 | 3.6 GHz | 65 W | 2017 |
| 89 | Intel Core i7-3770 | D | 40 | 4 | 8 | 3.9 GHz | 77 W | 2012 |
| 90 | Intel Core i5-4690 | D | 40 | 4 | 4 | 3.9 GHz | 84 W | 2014 |
| 91 | Intel Core i5-4590 | D | 38 | 4 | 4 | 3.7 GHz | 84 W | 2014 |
| 92 | Intel Core i7-2600K | D | 38 | 4 | 8 | 3.8 GHz | 95 W | 2011 |
| 93 | Intel Core i3-8100 | D | 38 | 4 | 4 | 3.6 GHz | 65 W | 2017 |
| 94 | Intel Core i5-3570K | D | 37 | 4 | 4 | 3.8 GHz | 77 W | 2012 |
| 95 | AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | D | 36 | 4 | 8 | 3.7 GHz | 65 W | 2017 |
| 96 | Intel Core i5-4460 | D | 36 | 4 | 4 | 3.4 GHz | 84 W | 2014 |
| 97 | Intel Core i5-4430 | D | 34 | 4 | 4 | 3.2 GHz | 84 W | 2013 |
| 98 | Intel Core i5-3470 | D | 34 | 4 | 4 | 3.6 GHz | 77 W | 2012 |
| 99 | Intel Core i5-2500K | D | 34 | 4 | 4 | 3.7 GHz | 95 W | 2011 |
| 100 | Intel Core i3-6100 | D | 33 | 2 | 4 | 3.7 GHz | 51 W | 2015 |
| 101 | AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | D | 33 | 4 | 4 | 3.7 GHz | 65 W | 2018 |
| 102 | AMD Ryzen 3 1300X | D | 32 | 4 | 4 | 3.7 GHz | 65 W | 2017 |
| 103 | Intel Core i5-2400 | D | 31 | 4 | 4 | 3.4 GHz | 95 W | 2011 |
| 104 | AMD Ryzen 3 1200 | D | 30 | 4 | 4 | 3.4 GHz | 65 W | 2017 |
| 105 | Intel Core i3-4150 | D | 28 | 2 | 4 | 3.5 GHz | 54 W | 2014 |
| 106 | Intel Core i3-4130 | F | 27 | 2 | 4 | 3.4 GHz | 54 W | 2013 |
| 107 | Intel Pentium G4560 | F | 26 | 2 | 4 | 3.5 GHz | 54 W | 2017 |
| 108 | AMD FX-9590 | F | 24 | 8 | 8 | 5 GHz | 220 W | 2013 |
| 109 | Intel Core i3-3225 | F | 24 | 2 | 4 | 3.3 GHz | 55 W | 2012 |
| 110 | Intel Core i3-3210 | F | 23 | 2 | 4 | 3.2 GHz | 55 W | 2012 |
| 111 | AMD FX-8370 | F | 22 | 8 | 8 | 4.3 GHz | 125 W | 2014 |
| 112 | Intel Core i7-950 | F | 22 | 4 | 8 | 3.3 GHz | 130 W | 2009 |
| 113 | AMD FX-8350 | F | 21 | 8 | 8 | 4.2 GHz | 125 W | 2012 |
| 114 | Intel Core i3-2100 | F | 21 | 2 | 4 | 3.1 GHz | 65 W | 2011 |
| 115 | AMD FX-8320 | F | 20 | 8 | 8 | 4 GHz | 125 W | 2012 |
| 116 | AMD FX-6350 | F | 18 | 6 | 6 | 4.2 GHz | 125 W | 2013 |
| 117 | Intel Core i5-750 | F | 18 | 4 | 4 | 3.2 GHz | 95 W | 2009 |
| 118 | AMD FX-6300 | F | 17 | 6 | 6 | 4.1 GHz | 95 W | 2012 |
| 119 | AMD Athlon 200GE | F | 16 | 2 | 4 | 3.2 GHz | 35 W | 2018 |
| 120 | Intel Core i3-530 | F | 15 | 2 | 4 | 2.9 GHz | 73 W | 2010 |
| 121 | AMD FX-4300 | F | 14 | 4 | 4 | 4 GHz | 95 W | 2012 |
| 122 | Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 | F | 14 | 4 | 4 | 2.4 GHz | 105 W | 2007 |
| 123 | AMD A10-7800 | F | 13 | 4 | 4 | 3.9 GHz | 65 W | 2014 |
| 124 | AMD Phenom II X4 965 | F | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3.4 GHz | 125 W | 2009 |
| 125 | AMD A8-7600 | F | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3.8 GHz | 65 W | 2014 |
| 126 | AMD Phenom II X4 955 | F | 10 | 4 | 4 | 3.2 GHz | 125 W | 2009 |
| 127 | Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 | F | 10 | 2 | 2 | 3 GHz | 65 W | 2008 |
| 128 | AMD Athlon II X4 640 | F | 8 | 4 | 4 | 3 GHz | 95 W | 2010 |
| 129 | AMD Phenom 9850 | F | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2.5 GHz | 125 W | 2008 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best gaming CPU in 2026?
The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D leads at 100/100, with 8 cores and 16 threads boosting to 5.2 GHz.
How many cores do I need for gaming?
Six is the practical baseline for current releases; eight is the comfortable target. Beyond that, extra cores help with streaming, compiling and background work more than with frame rate itself.
Does the CPU really matter for gaming?
It sets a ceiling your graphics card cannot exceed. That bites hardest at 1080p and in simulation and strategy titles; at 4K the GPU is usually the limit. Check a specific pairing with the bottleneck calculator.
AMD or Intel?
Both are competitive. AMD's 3D V-Cache parts tend to lead specifically in gaming; Intel is often stronger in mixed productivity work. Put two side by side on the CPU comparison tool.