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Best Gaming CPU: High-end

Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: June 2012
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Best Gaming CPU for £170:

Core i5-2500K

Core i5-2500K
Codename: Sandy Bridge
Process: 32 nm
CPU Cores/Threads: 4
Clock Speed (Max. Turbo): 3.3 GHz (3.7 GHz)
Socket: LGA 1155
L2 Cache: 4 x 256 KB
L3 Cache: 6 MB
Thermal Envelope:
95 W

From the standpoint of raw compute power, Core i5-2500K offers very little over the cheaper Core i5-3470. It does hold three distinctions, however: it runs, by default, a few hundred megahertz faster, it has the faster HD 3000 graphics engine, and it has an unlocked CPU multiplier.

The 200 MHz advantage held over the Core i5-3470 is quantifiable, but arguably not very significant (particularly since the -2500K's Sandy Bridge architecture is a little slower than Ivy Bridge). And gamers with discrete graphics cards care little about the integrated graphics engine. But the unlocked CPU multiplier is a must for overclockers using any Sandy Bridge-based CPU. The Core i5-2500K is an obvious choice for enthusiasts looking for the best combination of overclocking headroom and gaming potential.

Read our review of the Sandy Bridge-based CPUs here.

Best Gaming CPU for £180: None

Honorable Mention:
Core i5-3570K

Core i5-3570K
Codename: Ivy Bridge
Process: 22 nm
CPU Cores/Threads: 4
Clock Speed (Max. Turbo): 3.4 GHz (3.8 GHz)
Socket: LGA 1155
L2 Cache: 4 x 256 KB
L3 Cache: 6 MB
Thermal Envelope:
77 W

As a gamer there's little reason to pay more money for Intel's Core i5-3570K instead of the i5-2500K. However, it is worth noting that the third-gen Core processor features a lower TDP and includes 16 lanes of PCI Express 3.0 connectivity. If you're buying a 7-series motherboard and Radeon HD 7000- or GeForce GTX 600-series graphics card anyway, enabling a faster connection between the CPU and GPU might be an important check-list feature (even if it isn't currently an important performance consideration).

As far as overclocking is concerned, you should be able to hit similar clock rates on the Core i5-3570K as Sandy Bridge-based CPUs, though you may need to live with higher temperatures, as Ivy Bridge runs notoriously warmer.

Read our review of the Ivy Bridge-based CPUs here.

Past the Point of Reason:

CPUs priced over £`80 offer rapidly diminishing returns when it comes to game performance. As such, we have a hard time recommending anything more expensive than the Core i5-2500K, especially since this multiplier-unlocked processor can be overclocked to great effect if more performance is desired. Even at stock clocks, it meets or beats the £800 Core i7-990X Extreme Edition when it comes to gaming.

But now that LGA 2011 is here, there's certainly an argument to be made for it as the ultimate gaming platform. LGA 2011-based CPUs have more available cache and as many as two more execution cores than the flagship LGA 1155 models. Additionally, more bandwidth is delivered through a quad-channel memory controller. And with 40 lanes of third-gen PCIe connectivity available from Sandy Bridge-E-based processors, the platform natively supports two x16 and one x8 slot, or one x16 and three x8 slots, alleviating potential bottlenecks in three- and four-way CrossFire or SLI configurations.

Although they sound impressive, those advantages don't necessarily translate into significant performance gains in modern titles. Our tests demonstrate fairly little difference between a £170 LGA 1155 Core i5-2500K and an £800 LGA 2011 Core i7-3960X, even when three-way graphics card configurations are involved. It turns out that memory bandwidth and PCIe throughput don't hold back the performance of existing Sandy Bridge machines.

Where we do see the potential for Sandy Bridge-E to drive additional performance is in processor-bound games like World of Warcraft or the multiplayer component of Battlefield 3. If you're running a three- or four-way array of graphics cards already, there's a good chance that you already own more than enough rendering muscle. An overclocked Core i7-3960X or -3930K could help the rest of your platform catch up to an insanely powerful arrangement of GPUs.

To summarize, while we generally recommend against purchasing any gaming CPU that retails for more than £180 from a value point of view (sink that money into graphics and the motherboard instead), there are those of you who have no trouble throwing down serious money on the best of the best, and who require the fastest possible performance available. If this describes your goals, the following CPU is for you:

Best Gaming CPU for £450: (or for any price)
Core i7-3930K

Core i7-3930K
Codename: Sandy Bridge-E
Process: 32 nm
CPU Cores/Threads: 6/12
Clock Speed (Max. Turbo): 3.2 GHz (3.8 GHz)
Socket: LGA 2011
L2 Cache:   6x 256 KB
L3 Cache: 12 MB
Thermal Envelope:
130 W

Take the £800 Core i7-3960X, remove 3 MB of L3 cache, and drop the base clock rate by 100 MHz. What do end up with? Three hundred and fifty pounds left over, and an Intel Core i7-3930K.

The 100 MHz difference in clock rate is hardly relevant, given unlocked multiplier ratios benefiting both CPUs. And you'd be hard-pressed to quantify the advantage of 15 MB of shared L3 cache over 12 MB. Moreover, a greater-than-£300 savings lets you buy a nice motherboard and cooler, while still getting the same four-channel memory subsystem and 40-lane PCI Express 3.0-capable controller.

Read our review of the new Sandy Bridge-E based CPUs here.

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  • 2 Hide
    MrSiko , 20 June 2012 04:36
    A year later and my 2500K is still recommended. I haven't had this much performance and value out of a processor before, and I was AMD all the way. Still holds its 4.4 overclock stably, and shreds everything I throw at it from BF3 to video-editing. Rare to get such value these days, and it feels a bit warm and fuzzy. Or that might be the cider...
  • 3 Hide
    Thomas_89 , 21 June 2012 00:47
    Hope the 3570K will give me that same performance and value :) 
  • 0 Hide
    mrs featherbottom , 10 July 2012 17:09
    I'm making up a new build with a 2500k and a Geforce GTX670. Which motherboard type should I go for to give me the maximum overlock potential? 68? 77?