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Gaming CPU Hierarchy Chart

Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: September 2014
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What about this other CPU that’s not on the list? How do I know if it’s a good deal or not?

This will happen. In fact, it’s guaranteed to happen because availability and prices change quickly. So how do you know if that CPU you have your eye on is a good buy in its price range?

Here is a resource to help you judge if a CPU is a reasonable value or not: the gaming CPU hierarchy chart, which groups CPUs with similar overall gaming performance levels into tiers. The top tier contains the highest-performing gaming CPUs available and gaming performance decreases as you go down the tiers from there.

This hierarchy was originally based on the average performance each CPU achieved in our test suite. We have since incorporated new game data into our criteria, but it should be known that any specific game title will likely perform differently depending on its unique programming. Some games, for example, will be severely graphics subsystem-limited, while others may react positively to more CPU cores, larger amounts of CPU cache, or even a specific architecture. We also did not have access to every CPU on the market, so some of the CPU performance estimates are based on the numbers similar architectures deliver. Indeed, this hierarchy chart is useful as a general guideline, but certainly not as a one-size-fits-all CPU comparison resource. For that, we recommend you check out our CPU Performance Charts.

You can use this hierarchy to compare the pricing between two processors, to see which one is a better deal, and also to determine if an upgrade is worthwhile. I don’t recommend upgrading your CPU unless the potential replacement is at least three tiers higher. Otherwise, the upgrade is somewhat parallel and you may not notice a worthwhile difference in game performance.

IntelAMD
Core i7-2600, -2600K, -2700K, -3770, -3770K, -3820, -3930K, -3960X, -3970X, -4770, -4770K, -4790K
Core i7-965, -975 Extreme, -980X Extreme, -990X Extreme
Core i5-4690K, 4670K, 4670, 4570, 4430, 3570K, -3570, -3550, -3470, -3450P, -3450, -3350P, -3330, 2550K, -2500K, -2500, -2450P, -2400, -2380P, -2320, -2310, -2300
                                                              
Core i7-980, -970, -960
Core i7-870, -875K
Core i3-3250, -3245, -3240, -3225, -3220, -3210, -2100, -2105, -2120, -2125, -2130
FX-9590, 9370, 8350, 8320, 8150, 6350, 4350
Phenom II X6 1100T BE, 1090T BE
Phenom II X4 Black Edition 980, 975
Core i7-860, -920, -930, -940, -950
Core i5-3220T, -750, -760, -2405S, -2400S
Core 2 Extreme QX9775, QX9770, QX9650
Core 2 Quad Q9650
FX-8120, 6200, 6300, 4170, 4300
Phenom II X6 1075T
Phenom II X4 Black Edition 970, 965, 955
A10-6800K, 6790K, 6700, 5800K, -5700
A8-3850, -3870K, -5600K, 6600K
Athlon X4 651K, 645, 641, 640, 740, 750K
Core 2 Extreme QX6850, QX6800
Core 2 Quad Q9550, Q9450, Q9400
Core i5-650, -655K, -660, -661, -670, -680
Core i3-2100T, -2120T
FX-6100, -4100, -4130
Phenom II X6 1055T, 1045T
Phenom II X4 945, 940, 920
Phenom II X3 Black Edition 720, 740
A8-5500, 6500
A6-3650, -3670K
Athlon II X4 635, 630
Core 2 Extreme QX6700
Core 2 Quad Q6700, Q9300, Q8400, Q6600, Q8300
Core 2 Duo E8600, E8500, E8400, E7600
Core i3 -530, -540, -550
Pentium G3258, G3220, G3420, G3430, G2130, G2120, G2020, G2010, G870, G860, G850, G840, G645, G640, G630
Phenom II X4 910, 910e, 810
Athlon II X4 620, 631
Athlon II X3 460
Core 2 Extreme X6800
Core 2 Quad Q8200
Core 2 Duo E8300, E8200, E8190, E7500, E7400, E6850, E6750
Pentium G620
Celeron G1630, G1620, G1610, G555, G550, G540, G530
Phenom II X4 905e, 805
Phenom II X3 710, 705e
Phenom II X2 565 BE, 560 BE, 555 BE, 550 BE, 545
Phenom X4 9950
Athlon II X3 455, 450, 445, 440, 435, 425
Core 2 Duo E7200, E6550, E7300, E6540, E6700
Pentium Dual-Core E5700, E5800, E6300, E6500, E6600, E6700
Pentium G9650
Phenom X4 9850, 9750, 9650, 9600
Phenom X3 8850, 8750
Athlon II X2 265, 260, 255, 370K
A6-5500K
A4-6400K, 6300, 5400K, 5300, 4400, 4000, 3400, 3300
Athlon 64 X2 6400+
Core 2 Duo E4700, E4600, E6600, E4500, E6420
Pentium Dual-Core E5400, E5300, E5200, G620T
Phenom X4 9500, 9550, 9450e, 9350e
Phenom X3 8650, 8600, 8550, 8450e, 8450, 8400, 8250e
Athlon II X2 240, 245, 250
Athlon X2 7850, 7750
Athlon 64 X2 6000+, 5600+
Core 2 Duo E4400, E4300, E6400, E6320
Celeron E3300
Phenom X4 9150e, 9100e
Athlon X2 7550, 7450, 5050e, 4850e/b
Athlon 64 X2 5400+, 5200+, 5000+, 4800+
Core 2 Duo E5500, E6300
Pentium Dual-Core E2220, E2200, E2210
Celeron E3200
Athlon X2 6550, 6500, 4450e/b,
Athlon X2 4600+, 4400+, 4200+, BE-2400
Pentium Dual-Core E2180
Celeron E1600, G440
Athlon 64 X2 4000+, 3800+
Athlon X2 4050e, BE-2300
Pentium Dual-Core E2160, E2140
Celeron E1500, E1400, E1200

Summary

There you have it folks: the best gaming CPUs for the money this month. Now all that’s left to do is compare their performance to your budget before you decide which one is right for you. We even put in the work to help find the best prices.

Also remember that the stores don’t follow this list. Things will change over the course of the month and you’ll probably have to adapt your buying strategy to deal with fluctuating prices. Good luck!

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  • 3 Hide
    ruban71 , 8 March 2014 09:36
    For consistency with the Best Graphics Cards For The Money: March 2014 you should give the A10-7770/7850k mention alongside the entry level. Whilst it's not a cost effective chip to pair up with a high end GPU it is a consideration for anyone looking for modest gaming. Specifically if you look at both round ups and conclude that a x4 750k and R7 240 is what you need.

    Article is looking a little out of date in places. i5-3350 could be replaced with the i5 4440 which is actually cheaper in the UK
  • 1 Hide
    Nicku , 8 March 2014 21:51
    On page: 4. Best High-End Gaming Processors, the Core i7-4930K is definitely a Ivy Bridge-E processor manufactured at 22nm. It also has a 3.4GHz base core and a 3.9GHz turbo (see the table). Getting lazy?!?
  • 0 Hide
    Nicku , 8 March 2014 21:53
    And there's no edit button? Above I meant 3.4GHz base "frequency", not core. Sorry!
  • 0 Hide
    victordrake , 20 March 2014 12:21
    Let people know: I have just composed this rig: Intel I7-4930K, MSI Big-bang Xpower II, G.skill F3-19200CL10Q-32GBZHD (4*8gB sticks), Sapphire R 290 Tri-X OC, 840 pro 512 Gbsize, WD 4tb Hyb, Power supplier Sapphire 1050 Pure, case Nox-Hummer Zero white, (altogether for more than € 2000).Well, (but I need to say very bad...), infact all this hdw (on first boot) is ABSOLUTELY NOT (reapeat) NOT working, giving each time a dull code 67 (or L9 if read upside-down), like it'ld be impossible to initialize CPU!My direct answer is: how can serious trade marks allow this shame?? Investigation are open on different fronts, completing saying already tried with a different video ad., Sapphire 5870, with same result! Good luck to others customers...
  • -3 Hide
    Moisey80 , 21 March 2014 10:24
    fuck you that there were paid for by Intel so compare fx-83 series c I3 .. fuck you that very ebanulsya FX-8350 get away I7 3770k not speak about I5 and I3! your brains quite propudrili intel!!! you finish up this garbage suffer: (
  • -2 Hide
    Moisey80 , 21 March 2014 10:24
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neeL3zymT_o
  • 0 Hide
    TheyreAllDeadDave , 4 April 2014 22:23
    I'd rather get the Athlon X4 760K.
  • 1 Hide
    paulbatzing , 16 April 2014 08:11
    The high end i5 and i7 have LGA1155 specified in your listing. It should be LGA1150
  • 2 Hide
    guanyu210379 , 8 May 2014 14:40
    No E3-1230V3? Why?
    E3-1230V3 is a good alternative for those who like i7 4770k but do not want to OC, do not want to use the iGPU and are willing to pay only the price of a i5 4670k.
    This processor belongs to the best gaming processors too.
  • -2 Hide
    Ammi6543 , 9 May 2014 17:12
    FX-8320 should've taken the £150 catergory.
    It performs as well as an i5 in games. Put it on any task like photoshop or video encoding, or even just having a bunch of programs open, and it will beat the i5, they can even perform as well as Ivy-Bridge Socket 1155 i7s.
  • 0 Hide
    Krister Arvesen , 11 May 2014 00:14
    Am I the only one thinking that AMD should be represented here? the FX-8350 is cheaper than the i5 4570 and it beats both the i5 4670K and the i7 4770K in some games... atleast I would say that's worth mentioning :p 
  • 1 Hide
    Gragiulo2000 , 28 May 2014 20:52
    The FX-6300 outperforms the i5-4430 in raw benchmark data.
    go see the passmark website
  • 0 Hide
    Alpha3031 , 4 July 2014 04:46
    Many typos this month :) 
  • 0 Hide
    Alpha3031 , 4 July 2014 04:46
    Many typos this month :) 
  • 0 Hide
    RobTHUK , 4 July 2014 17:58
    The title in Honourable mention for the i7-4790K Devil's Canyon calls it an "Core i5-4790K"
  • 0 Hide
    Twirlz , 15 July 2014 22:51
    I think the AMD 6300 should have been listed in the mid range section. Compared to an i3, which is similar in price, it offers pretty good performance on newer titles.
  • 1 Hide
    parrot1553 , 18 August 2014 21:39
    you have wrote
    Honourable Mention:

    Core i5-4790K its supposed to be i7 :)  also,I want to ask,what about the i5 4690?? where I live its about the same price as the i5 4590
  • 1 Hide
    parrot1553 , 18 August 2014 21:42
    you have wrote
    Honourable Mention:

    Core i5-4790K its supposed to be i7 :)  also,I want to ask,what about the i5 4690?? where I live its about the same price as the i5 4590
  • 0 Hide
    tea urchin , 18 September 2014 13:36
    The i5 4430 should have been given a spot months ago. It has actually been replaced by the 4440 and I believe the 4430 is end of line. (Logically..)However. I have been using a 4430 for 6 months,and the retail price has dropped as low as £116 at reputable Etailers as it became outdated. There is no competitive or sensible alternative for those who want 'enough' gaming power without expensive boards and coolers.
    I note (again) that there is no mention of this processors 4600 igp on Tom's graphics card hierarchy chart,despite it being hailed as 30 to 60% better than the hd4000. Though being fair its not important for a proper games machine.
  • 0 Hide
    tea urchin , 18 September 2014 13:39
    The i5 4430 should have been given a spot months ago. It has actually been replaced by the 4440 and I believe the 4430 is end of line. (Logically..)However. I have been using a 4430 for 6 months,and the retail price has dropped as low as £116 at reputable Etailers as it became outdated. There is no competitive or sensible alternative for those who want 'enough' gaming power without expensive boards and coolers.
    I note (again) that there is no mention of this processors 4600 igp on Tom's graphics card hierarchy chart,despite it being hailed as 30 to 60% better than the hd4000. Though being fair its not important for a proper games machine.
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