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Best Gaming CPU: High-end

Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: December 2012
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Best Gaming CPU for £175:

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
The Core i5-3570K is only 300 MHz faster than the Core i5-3450 at stock speeds, but the K-series' unlocked ratio multiplier is a must-have for overclockers looking to unleash significant performance improvements. It is for this reason alone that a gamer should shell out the extra £25 over Intel's slower model. After all, the pricier chip's HD Graphics 4000 is hardly relevant when you plan to use a discrete card anyway.

If you don't plan to overclock, then we think that there's little reason to look past the Core i5-3450.

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

Diminishing Returns Kick In:

CPUs priced over £175 offer rapidly diminishing returns when it comes to game performance. As such, we have a hard time recommending anything more expensive than the Core i5-3570K, 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 an LGA 1155 Core i5-2500K and an LGA 2011 Core i7-3970X, 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-based 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 £175 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 £445: (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 i7-3970X, remove 3 MB of L3 cache, and drop the base clock rate by 300 MHz. What do end up with? Three hundred pounds and change left over, and an Intel Core i7-3930K.

The 300 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 Sandy Bridge-E based CPUs here.

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  • 1 Hide
    sam_p_lay , 12 December 2012 04:35
    'Core i3-3450' on page 2.
  • 4 Hide
    MajinCry , 12 December 2012 17:53
    What? No 'Best gaming CPU for £70'? The 965 BE!
  • 1 Hide
    Blahman11 , 12 December 2012 22:04
    Agree with MajiinCry. The Phenom 965 can be had for £70 now. If not the FX4100 has dropped to that price and I think it's a really good buy at that money. Overclocked it can rival CPUs £30 more (the core i3s)
  • 0 Hide
    Anonymous , 21 December 2012 17:55
    For £150, the fastest CPU you can get is actually the i7-880, which is on the less popular LGA1156 socket. This absolute gem beats an i7-2600k in most benchmarks, despite its lower speed.
  • 0 Hide
    bigirishman , 23 December 2012 06:05
    Whats happened to the 975's. You cant get one anywhere?
  • 1 Hide
    ITFT , 30 December 2012 23:20
    The best gaming CPU for reasonable money is 2500K - and the reason for that is because it has good capabilities for overclocking! The Core i5-3570K is not that good for overclocking as 2500K, therefore not the best.

    However, running the standard clocks then of course 3570K is better, as well as colder with lower TDP.


    Paul
    ITFT Computers
  • 0 Hide
    bigirishman , 17 May 2013 10:30
    Quote:
    The best gaming CPU for reasonable money is 2500K - and the reason for that is because it has good capabilities for overclocking! The Core i5-3570K is not that good for overclocking as 2500K, therefore not the best.

    However, running the standard clocks then of course 3570K is better, as well as colder with lower TDP.


    Paul
    ITFT Computers

    @ 4.8ghz the 3570k is faster than a 2500k @ 5ghz. Most people have no need to go above these clocks so I'd say the Ivy is the better choice. Theres not much in it though and as you stated the ivy don't o/c as good as the sandy. I wouldn't go past 4.8 on ivy
  • 0 Hide
    ITFT , 17 May 2013 14:41
    Quote:
    Quote:
    The best gaming CPU for reasonable money is 2500K - and the reason for that is because it has good capabilities for overclocking! The Core i5-3570K is not that good for overclocking as 2500K, therefore not the best.

    However, running the standard clocks then of course 3570K is better, as well as colder with lower TDP.


    Paul
    ITFT Computers

    @ 4.8ghz the 3570k is faster than a 2500k @ 5ghz. Most people have no need to go above these clocks so I'd say the Ivy is the better choice. Theres not much in it though and as you stated the ivy don't o/c as good as the sandy. I wouldn't go past 4.8 on ivy


    You can push over 5Ghz on Sandy no problem - no point doing that, but it is possible! Ivy as well as new Haswell is a fail for desktop in my opinion, yes they consume less power, but only about 5% faster than Sandy if that!!! Ivy overheats very quickly under overclocking - loads of info about it online.

    For games it wouldn't make any difference anyway - no matter what CPU have you got IVy or Sandy - the i5 - 2500K or any i7...

    Paul
    ITFT Computers
  • 0 Hide
    bigirishman , 17 May 2013 18:31
    Quote:
    Quote:
    Quote:
    The best gaming CPU for reasonable money is 2500K - and the reason for that is because it has good capabilities for overclocking! The Core i5-3570K is not that good for overclocking as 2500K, therefore not the best.

    However, running the standard clocks then of course 3570K is better, as well as colder with lower TDP.


    Paul
    ITFT Computers

    @ 4.8ghz the 3570k is faster than a 2500k @ 5ghz. Most people have no need to go above these clocks so I'd say the Ivy is the better choice. Theres not much in it though and as you stated the ivy don't o/c as good as the sandy. I wouldn't go past 4.8 on ivy


    You can push over 5Ghz on Sandy no problem - no point doing that, but it is possible! Ivy as well as new Haswell is a fail for desktop in my opinion, yes they consume less power, but only about 5% faster than Sandy if that!!! Ivy overheats very quickly under overclocking - loads of info about it online.

    For games it wouldn't make any difference anyway - no matter what CPU have you got IVy or Sandy - the i5 - 2500K or any i7...

    Paul
    ITFT Computers

    My 3570k @ 4.5 max temp on a gaming load is 60c and full load prime test is 65c. I'm only using a Xigmatek Gaia cooler also. I don't get why people say ivy runs hot! It's not that much of an issue until you really push it. 2500k and 3570k are both a good choice for any gamer.