Which budget gaming processor to buy. Processors of the mid-price category. Clock speed and cache size

On this moment The following disadvantages of AMD in comparison with Intel can be cited:

  • An older technical process, as a result, increased heat generation.
  • Excessive number of cores that are not always used.
  • Lack of support for new DDR4 RAM

For cooling eight-core processors AMD requires a heatpipe cooler

Other points can be considered insignificant and accusations of other “sins” are nothing more than nit-picking. And in the budget (up to 10 thousand) segment, even these 3 accusations cannot be called significant. Problems with cooling processors with a power of up to 100 W are a thing of the past back in the days of the Pentium 4, with eight cores no one is better budget processor 2016 is not equipped, and DDR4 RAM is still a bit expensive.

After brief overview All comments towards AMD, you can go straight to the point. The AMD FX-6300 review is intended to prove that the best budget processor for gaming in 2016 may well be a representative of the AMD brand. Of course, the newer FX-6330 could be considered instead, but there is no significant difference between them. At the same time, the “old man” is supported by much a large number motherboards, so preference was given to him.

AMD FX-6300 Review

AMD FX-6300 Key Features

AMD FX-6300 packaging

The AMD FX-6300 comes in the Tray package, that is, without coolers, in a regular box. It costs from 8 thousand rubles. There are also boxed modifications with a cooler, but they are about a thousand rubles more expensive. The characteristics of the AMD FX-6300 are as follows:

  • 3 dual-core units with 2 cores each (in total 6 cores), operating at frequencies from 3.5 to 4.1 GHz;
  • 3 L1 cache blocks, 96 KB each;
  • 3 L2 cache blocks of 2 MB each;
  • Shared 8 MB L3 cache;
  • Up to 128 GB of supported DDR3 RAM, frequency up to 1866 MHz;
  • Bus with an effective frequency of 5200 MHz;
  • Process technology 32 nm;
  • Heat dissipation at 95 W.

Characteristics of AMD FX-6300 in the CPU-Z program

The AMD FX-6300 is installed in the long-known AM3+ socket, which may please owners of PCs purchased up to 5 years ago. Many maternal AMD boards AM3 after BIOS updates“bulldozers” and “piledrivers” begin to support the latest version. And replacing 2 cores of some Athlon II X2 270 with 6 new ones is not a bad idea.

The processor case is traditional, with 942 legs and a cover that protects the crystal from chipping and improves heat dissipation. It contains the marking of the chip, the year the production of cores on this architecture began, data on the country of origin and a QR code.

Photo of AMD FX-6300 cover

AMD FX-6300 Features

The capabilities of the AMD FX-6300 are more than enough for operation. But since the chip is nominated for the title of “best budget gaming processor,” games should be the measure of its capabilities. For measurements we used gaming video card high level GeForce GTX 680 by 2 GB (a little outdated, but not inferior modern solutions middle level). There was 8 GB of RAM, it worked at a frequency of 1866 MHz. Screen resolution is 1680x1050 pixels, graphics settings in games are the highest. Windows 7 x64 system and games were installed on a Kingston SSD. The already slightly outdated Core i3 -3240, which costs a little more (in comparison with it, the successors of the 4th or 6th series have become more economical, but their performance has hardly increased), and the quad-core AMD FX-4300 were also selected for the test.

Intel Core i3-3240 is the main rival of the FX-6300 in the test

Let's start with the mega-popular online RPG World of Tanks. The brainchild of Wargaming is distinguished by the fact that it was developed on the ancient BigWorld engine, which cannot work properly with big amount cores. The platform was created back in 2006, when dual-core chips were just spreading their wings, and quad-core chips were a novelty.

At maximum graphics settings, at a resolution of 1680x1050, the FX-6300 demonstrates from 31 to 61 FPS. For comparison, the Core i3 3240 produces from 37 to 60 frames per second (due to the powerful two cores), and the AMD FX-4300 from 27 to 45 FPS. That is, even taking into account far from modern engine, in World of Tanks the performance is good and does not fall below the comfort limit of 30 fps.

IN popular game series Elder Scrolls, "Skyrim", everything is also good. With the same high settings and monitor resolution, the processor allows you to develop from 50 to 80 FPS. The FX-4300 shows from 41 to 72 frames per second, but the Intel Core i3 is noticeably ahead, showing a maximum of 106 FPS (minimum 70).

But in Prototype 2, the FX-6300 fully justifies the title of “best budget processor for games.” It demonstrates from 54 to 80 FPS, which is 5% more than the Core i3-3240 (older and costing around 10 thousand). The junior model of the FX series, number 4300, produces from 40 to 66 frames per second.

IN Hitman Absolution The best budget processor for gaming in 2016, the FX-6300, is also good. It produces from 45 to 56 FPS, versus 39-48 for the mentioned i3 and 33-41 for the FX-4300 model.

In Far Cry 3 the last word again it turned out to be the hero of the review. It allowed us to squeeze out from 64 to 80 FPS from the game. The competitor from Intel showed 60-75 frames, and the quad-core “little brother” - from 50 to 65.

The last game in the test was the notorious GTA V. This game is often considered the standard of a heavy application, in addition, it is a cross-platform project. Fifth part of the line Grand Theft Auto scores from 30 to 42 FPS, which is quite good. The Core i3 3240 shows parity, delivering between 32 and 41 frames per second. But the quad-core FX-4300 is not far behind: the minimum 25 frames per second is not particularly attractive, but tolerable, and the maximum is 36 FPS.

Minimum FPS values in games

Average maximum FPS

Conclusion

The best budget processor for gaming 2016, represented by the AMD FX-6300, fully justifies this honorary title. It demonstrates results that slightly exceed the average capabilities of the slightly more expensive and aging Intel Core i3 3240. The junior model in the line, called FX-4300, in principle also shows acceptable results, but in FullHD resolution the potential of this CPU will seem small. However, all 3 models are great for a budget gaming PC.

If you don't have time to study tests, or if you need help choosing correct processor for a gaming machine, you will need a simple list best processors for games.

In the first quarter of 2017 there were two important updates for desktop PCs. First, Intel released the seventh generation of Core processors, known as Kaby Lake, the production of which uses an improved 14-nanometer process technology. Optimization of the technical process allowed us to achieve a slight increase in frequency compared to the microarchitecture of the previous sixth generation Skylake.

AMD then made its biggest processor release in five years with the introduction of the Ryzen 7 family. After spending so many years battling 32nm and 28nm process nodes based on Bulldozer microarchitectures, AMD unveiled not only a new core design, but also a new process node (14nm GlobalFoundries ) with FinFET based technologies.

In our processor guide, we look at specific segments and budgets and present you with the best selection of processors available.

Don't forget to save additional funds using a cashback service, which returns from 5% to 10% of the purchase price.

Recommended processors for gaming in 2017
AMD Segment INTEL

Premium Gaming/VR

Fast Gaming/VR

Good gaming

Cheap gaming


Hybrid/eSport

Premium Gaming Processor/VR

The leader is . He can boast highest performance And high frequency. Kaby Lake by itself won't offer anything more that Skylake didn't have. But the four cores of the Core i7-7700K processor with base frequency 4.2 GHz and maximum frequency in mode Turbo Boost 4.5 GHz is great for gaming. In addition, the architecture's additional operational headroom and unlocked multiplier enable overclocking to 5 GHz. And this, today, best characteristics for VR. Plus more good cooler and a decent motherboard, the i7-7700K processor should provide a premium gaming system for several years to come.

If you want to experience AMD, then the latter is a good option. It doesn't quite match the single thread performance of an Intel processor, but it does offer twice as many threads, which may become more important as games become more complex. A good 1700 processor can also overclock to 4.0 GHz, saving you money on a more expensive one. As additional benefit, the price of 1700 also includes the AMD Wraith Spire cooler, suitable for operation at high temperature environment and with RGB lighting.

Fast gaming processor / VR

For users looking for a better price, let's move to another segment of the processor market that can retain a significant portion of the expected performance and save a significant amount of money. These processors will not provide you maximum speed frames, but the money saved can be used to buy a more powerful video card.

For this segment from Intel choice made in favor of . It provides four full cores clocked at 3.4GHz, turbo up to 3.8GHz, and also has 6MB of L3 cache enabled. In the absence of Hyper-Threading technology, each thread receives full use of all key resources, ensuring potential bottlenecks are reduced.

There could be another option, but the difference in frequency (400 MHz in base mode, 300 MHz in turbo mode) is in favor of the i5-7500. Core i5 will easily work with the most powerful video cards on the market, only the most demanding games At maximum settings they can work a little strained.

As for AMD, the Ryzen 5 1600X is best choice. - This six core processor with Hyper-Threading technology, giving a full twelve threads, and runs at the same frequencies as its big brother 1800X, namely 3.6 GHz/4.0 GHz. Performance/price projections put this processor ahead of any other AMD offering and should be highly competitive with lower-end Intel Core i5 models in terms of single thread performance.

Good gaming processor

For users who want to build a computer under $1000 or something more conservative around $700, here are our recommendations. In this segment central processing units will squeeze almost maximum performance with a single graphics card at high resolutions and medium settings. However, eSports games will perform just as well with these processors.

I'm starting with Intel again and suggesting . This dual core processor with Hyper-Threading technology, operating at 3.9 GHz. At this frequency, it climbs up the per-thread performance ratings, getting significantly closer to more expensive overclocked ones. Core processors i7 and Core i5. For Direct X9, Direct X10 and Direct X11 games, where single thread performance helps drive a good GPU, the i3-7100 delivers best-in-class results.

AMD has something to play with in this segment. At this level of performance, AMD's strength is its price, as the FX processors sell for low prices, for example, and a cheap AM3 motherboard can be purchased for a very small price. The FX can't compete with Intel's single-thread performance, but with three modules and six threads, it does a good job of multitasking while gaming, like watching videos on a second monitor or streaming esports.

Cheap gaming processor

For those on a limited budget, i.e. trying to get a normal gaming system for $300 to $500 is prerequisite, we'll have to look at entry-level processors. Such processors are often paired with cards such as the RX 460 or a used card GTX series 700, standard HDD, a small amount of memory and a case with a built-in power supply. The base level of performance in such systems is low, so you can play either indie games or games that are already several years old.

Let's start with Intel again, and to be fair, they recently launched something unexpected for this market segment. is essentially a Core i3, just with a different name, given that it has two cores and four threads, but a slightly reduced L3 cache. The G4560 has an estimated price of $55 and clocks at 3.5GHz, a dual-core Kaby Lake processor clocked just 900MHz lower than the top-end Core i7 for less than a fifth of its price. Previous Pentium processors there was no Hyper-Threading technology, but this one does.

Intel Pentium hard to beat in many ways, AMD doesn't have much of an answer. The closest competitor we can suggest, until we see what price the Ryzen 3 comes out with, is the 3.7GHz clock speed. This is one of AMD's APUs with a disabled graphics subsystem and a proprietary silent cooler for processors up to 100 W. While the latest version, called Excavator, performs well in the context of AMD's APU lineup, there are still significant performance jumps of up to 40% that Intel can use to its advantage. The potential benefit in this case is the ability to buy a cheaper motherboard.

Hybrid processors/ eSport

Not many users love integrated graphics because graphics cards like the RX460 are relatively cheap and usually outperform what's on offer. However, almost all major processors come with integrated graphics for those who want to: invest now in good processor, and later buy an additional video card, or has limited space V small body, or to work with features such as QuickSync or OpenCL.

The champion among built-in GPUs is . Technically, Intel has higher performance devices in eDRAM processors on Broadwell base, but they are 3 times more expensive and difficult to find due to limited release. Thus, the AMD A10-7890K is at the top of this segment, offering near RX460 performance levels that are quite suitable for eSports games such as League of Legends, DOTA2, CS:GO or Rocket League at very decent settings.

Users looking to save a few more bucks from the A10-7890K may want to look instead. This APU takes a slight step back in performance, but it is one of the latest A10 devices to be released, aimed entirely at PC builders trying to get a good performance/price option.

When choosing a processor, you need to pay attention not only to pure performance, frequency and number of cores. Don't forget about the design performance of the cooling system or TDP (Thermal Design Power).

Modern processors are no longer limited to 4 cores on board. There may be 8, 12, 16... and even more. True, such processors are already intended for professionals who need high computing power. If you are looking for a processor for a gaming system, then you can limit yourself to a chip with 6 cores. For example, such as .

Currently, two processors are fighting each other in the processor market. famous brand- AMD and Intel. For some time, AMD remained an outsider, but the Ryzen processor line brought it back to the top of the processor Olympus, making life difficult for representatives from Intel lines. Today, these two brands fight almost on an equal footing, outpacing each other with the release of each new model.

Rating leaders in terms of price/quality ratio

Every year the CHIP testing laboratory tests great amount processors. All results of our tests are presented in the form of a summary rating in. This is what we were guided by when choosing the most best CPUs, satisfying the price-performance ratio. The final score, which determines the position of a particular model in the table, of course, consists of performance. But high power should cost reasonable money, so in this material we are considering just such processors.

First place: AMD Ryzen 5 1600X

Despite the fact that in overall rating currently occupies a leading position Intel products, chips from AMD win in terms of price/quality ratio, showing excellent results subject to reasonable cost. Take, for example, our leader -. On average, for just 16,500 rubles you get a 6-core processor with modern architecture Summit Ridge, which offers impressive performance and high operating frequencies.

IN normal mode During operation, the frequency characteristics are at the level of 3600 MHz, but in auto-overclocking mode, when you need to “throw some firewood,” the processor shows an impressive 4000 MHz. Moreover, this parameter can also be overclocked, since X-marked CPUs are designed specifically for overclocking. A TDP of 95 Watts also speaks to this.

In our test, the processor scored 3629 points in the PC Mark 8 synthetic benchmark, showing that the difference in performance with 8-core processors is not very large. But in benchmarks that give scores for multi-threading, the situation is a little different: eight-core processors noticeably take the lead, which, however, is quite expected.

Second place: Intel Core i7-8700K

Compared to the leader of our rating, the six-core one no longer seems so affordable. Its cost is significantly higher and averages about 32,000 rubles, which is almost twice the price tag of the AMD Ryzen 5 1600X. In terms of performance, it is the undisputed leader, but when assessing the price-quality ratio, it loses to its competitor from AMD.

During test trials distinguished itself by showing the highest maximum frequency - an impressive 4700 MHz. The nominal frequency in normal operation is 3700 MHz, and now it is comparable to the competitor’s performance. But in auto-overclocking mode, the Intel Core i7-8700K simply puts other chips to shame and has no equal in this at the moment.

Please note that IntelCore i7-8700K is not only a carrier of the latest architecture Coffee Lake. The name of the processor contains the letter “K”, and this tells us about good overclocking potential. By supplying the processor with increased power, it is possible to overclock the standard frequencies of the CPU itself, as well as DDR4 RAM modules. But there is a nuance - the changed power supply makes this processor incompatible with the LGA 1151 socket. LGA 1151v2 is required.

Third place: AMD Ryzen 5 1600

In third place is another six-core AMD processor, but without the “X” marking. But the cost is even more forgiving - about 14,000 rubles. Not a processor, but a gift! True, in comparison with its older brother, this model offers standard frequencies at 3200 MHz and, if necessary, can be overclocked to 3600 MHz.

One of the differences from Intel processors lies in the absence graphics subsystem. If the choice of processors from the top two positions allows you to postpone the purchase of a video card, then in the case of a discrete video card is a necessity. But given the high cost of graphic cards, not everyone has the opportunity to buy this component from one salary.

Based on benchmark measurements, it lags slightly behind the faster 1600X. This is especially noticeable in the test results in PCMark 8, Cinebench R15 and PovRay 3.7 RC3. But if you do not go into comparisons and take into account the TDP of 65 Watts, we can say that the final results are very good. Let us remind you that the 1600X version has a noticeably larger parameter – 95 Watts.

Fourth place: AMD Ryzen 7 1700

And again a representative from the AMD camp shows best ratio prices and quality. We recommend buying an 8-core monster for those who do not tolerate any compromises in games or working with resource-demanding programs. According to the results of our tests, this processor proved to be highly productive and efficient, including in multitasking mode.

Clock frequencies are slightly lower than those of the leader in the rating. 3000 MHz in normal mode and 3700 MHz in auto overclocking mode. Despite this, the processor performs very well in synthetic benchmarks and shows good results. Based on the latest, this CPU can be safely attributed to the top segment. At the same time, the cost of such top processor very affordable - about 25,000 rubles.

It is best suited for working in programs that use multi-cores - it has no equal here yet. But for gaming systems, this processor will not be the best option, since many modern games are still poorly optimized for eight-core solutions from AMD. We see the best use case for this processor in a workstation.

Fifth place: Intel Core i7-7700K

In fifth place, AMD's expansion is diluted by another chip from Intel. It can be purchased for 25,000 rubles, if you don’t mind that it belongs to the previous Kaby Lake architecture. - a mainstream chip that focuses on performance and does not offer any innovations in comparison with new products based on Coffee Lake.

In comparison with previous CPUs, which occupy the first four lines of our chart, it offers only 4 cores and 8 threads. But the base clock frequency starts at 4200 MHz. In automatic overclocking mode, frequencies can reach 4500 MHz, which is almost comparable to the values ​​of the 6-core Intel Core i7-8700K, which is in second place.

High clock speeds benefit performance. It shows very decent results in benchmarks, and in the PCMark 8 test it is even slightly ahead of the Intel Core i7-8700K. IN test packages 3DMark both processors are also almost on par. And given the processor’s focus on gaming systems, we recommend buying it specifically for building gaming PCs.

Top 10 best desktop processors by price/quality ratio

1.

: 70.4


Number of cores
Maximum frequency

: 4.0 GHz


Overall rating: 70.4

Price/quality ratio: 82

2.

CPU performance (100%)

: 81.4


Number of cores
Maximum frequency

: 4.7 GHz


Overall rating: 81.4

Price/quality ratio: 80

3.

CPU performance (100%)

: 66.5


Number of cores
Maximum frequency

: 3.6 GHz


Overall rating: 66.5

Price/quality ratio: 81

4.

CPU performance (100%)

: 77.3


Number of cores
Maximum frequency

: 3.7 GHz


Overall rating: 77.3

Price/quality ratio: 79

During assembly gaming computer the most important thing is to acquire good video card. Well, here’s the thing: because of the miners, GPU prices have seriously jumped over the year, and finding a successful model has become more difficult even after the “gold rush” died down. In order not to skimp on the graphics accelerator, the main component of a gaming PC, you have to optimize costs on other components that are not so critical in gaming tasks.

One of the most simple ways build a budget gaming PC with a decent graphics card - buy a good budget processor for games, as well as an inexpensive motherboard for it. Our selection includes 5 affordable entry-level and mid-level CPUs that can handle almost any modern game and are sold at prices up to 10 thousand rubles.

Intel Pentium Gold G5400 – Core i3 killer

The Intel Pentium G4560, released a year ago, played a cruel joke on the manufacturer. For the first time in the Pentium series (except for the Pentium 4 back in 2004), this processor received HyperThreading support, which allowed each core to process 2 data threads. This budget gaming processor is not much different from the Core i3 Skylake and Kaby Lake, which cost almost twice as much, and therefore it has hurt their sales. But in the fall of 2018 Intel chips have risen in price, and now the most affordable option company - Pentium Gold G5400.

Intel Pentium G5400 is the basic minimum, sufficient to play all modern games. In combination with a budget gaming video card like the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, there should be no problems with FPS in FullHD resolution. Another advantage of this chip is its compatibility with the cheapest motherboards on the market. Intel chipset H310.

The processor has 2 cores processing 2 threads of calculations. Their clock frequency is 3.7 GHz; auto-overclocking in turbo mode is not provided. The on-chip cache size is 4 MB. Energy consumption is stated at up to 58 W, but from experience I can say that in practice it consumes up to 30 W. Thanks to this, you also don’t have to spend money on a cooler: the stock one copes with the task quite well and is not noisy. You can buy an Intel Pentium Gold G5400 for 6,000 rubles (at the time of compiling the selection).

AMD Ryzen 3 1200 – the most affordable quad-core

AMD Ryzen 3 1200 is the most budget processor for games in 2019, equipped with 4 full cores. It does not have SMT support (analogous to HyperThreading), unlike Ryzen 5 and 7, but 4 cores for the money is very attractive. After all, with the transition to the Zen architecture, AMD cleared itself of the bad reputation left by chips of previous generations and managed to catch up with Intel.

The processor cores operate at a frequency of 3.1 GHz, there are automatic acceleration up to 3.4 GHz. Also, unlike Intel, all AMD processors can be overclocked manually if cooling allows. And for this you don’t have to buy a top-end motherboard; some overclocking options are available on budget motherboards with socket AM4. The chip has 8 MB of cache and consumes up to 65 W. By installing a video card like the Radeon RX 570, you can play any game at maximum settings in FullHD.

The only thing you shouldn’t save much on with the AMD Ryzen 3 1200 is RAM. Processors in this series work better the higher the speed of the RAM modules installed on the board. With quality 3200 MHz chips, this affordable gaming processor outperforms almost all competitors in its price category. It costs from 5800 rubles.

AMD Ryzen 3 2200G – almost the same, but a little better

The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G is a slightly improved version of the previous processor. It differs from it by the presence of built-in graphics and a slightly increased frequency. Here it is 3.5 GHz, with auto overclocking to 3.7 GHz. The chip has four cores, they do not support SMT. The cache size is different from the “younger brother”; here it was cut to 4 MB, which is the main disadvantage. But the graphics on board are a big plus.

The presence of integrated graphics makes this budget gaming processor a good option for those who are building a PC gradually. The integrated graphics of the chip does not allow you to play modern projects in high resolution, but it will do as a temporary solution. With Radeon RX Vega 8 you can have fun in tanks or Dota (and something more demanding) until you accumulate required amount to a discrete video card.

As with the Ryzen 3 1200, buying the Intel Pentium G4620 can save on motherboard and cooling costs without sacrificing performance or quietness. After all, boards based on AMD A320 and B350 chipsets are affordable, but allow you to unlock the potential of even powerful CPUs. This processor costs from 6.4 thousand rubles.

AMD Ryzen 5 1600 is the most affordable chip with six cores

After release AMD processors Intel's Ryzen had to stretch itself a bit. The Blues' response was the release of a new, eighth generation of Core chips. The youngest in the series is the Intel Core i3-8100, the first processor in the budget line with 4 full cores. Initially it cost about 7 thousand rubles, but now it sells for much more and therefore has given way to AMD.

Now, for 9,000 rubles, the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 looks much more interesting than the Intel Core i5, which, on the contrary, has become a little cheaper over time. In single-threaded tasks, it is practically not inferior to the Core i5 series 6000, 7000 and 8000, but at the same time it costs less and outperforms them in multi-threading. This is a good inexpensive gaming processor that can work in tandem with powerful video cards and provide high level FPS in games.

The cost of AMD Ryzen 5 1600 is slightly higher than that of its younger brothers in the Ryzen 3 line, but less than its direct competitors Core i5. In Russian retail this processor now costs from 9,000 rubles. If for some reason you don't like Intel, then this CPU is a very good (almost unconditional) alternative to the "blue" ones.

AMD Ryzen 5 2400G – graphics card optional

Rounding out our selection of the best budget processors for gaming in 2019 is the recently released AMD Ryzen 5 2400G. This CPU is equipped with 4 cores that support SMT. This means that it can process 8 data streams. The cores operate at a frequency of 3600 MHz. There is also 4 MB of L3 cache on the chip. The chip is compatible with motherboards on socket AM4.

Unlike the 2017 models, the AMD Ryzen 5 2400G is equipped with a built-in graphics core. The GPU is represented by a Vega module containing 11 clusters with 704 stream processors. This is the level discrete video cards entry-level, like the GeForce GT 1030. You shouldn’t count on playing in FullHD at maximum settings, but the AMD Ryzen 5 2400G satisfies basic gaming needs even without discrete graphics. Most in FullHD resolution games will go on low or medium settings, and in HD you can count on high settings.

AMD Ryzen 5 2400G is the best budget processor for gaming in 2019 if you are not interested in demanding projects. Of course, to play something like Battlefield 1 at maximum, you need a discrete GPU of at least a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti level. But if you are interested in something simpler - affordability, low power consumption (up to 65 W) and the presence of a built-in GPU allow you to build a miniature PC for a gamer based on the AMD Ryzen 5 2400G.

In conclusion, the best budget processor for gaming on a very tight budget is the AMD Ryzen 3 1200. You can purchase it with inexpensive fee on the A320 platform, a video card like GTX 1050 or. From such a build you can already expect games at maximum settings, not only in FullHD, but also in a resolution of 2560x1440.

The best processors for personal computers(PC) are represented by AMD and Intel. Manufacturers regularly update their processor lines to keep up with modern requirements for computing power. It is worth noting that the processors most suitable for running resource-intensive applications (games and graphic editors), have a high cost, which can be comparable to the cost of entire computers with less power. However, at every price point you can find processors that best suit the needs of modern gamers.

The most inexpensive gaming processors

Among the processors whose cost does not exceed 3000 rubles, one can note the Athlon II X4. Its cost is barely more than $70, but the machine's performance on such equipment will be significantly higher than that of some processors costing more than $200. In terms of performance, the AMD stone has AMD specifications A10-5700 with the caveat that this model has the ability to overclock the frequency to further increase performance. The processor has a clock speed of 3.4 GHz and 4 cores. The device has a thermal package of 100 W and is designed for FM2 format sockets.

Price up to 0

IN price segment up to $120, the leadership is held by stones of such models as the Intel Core i3-4130 and AMD FX-6300. Both provide decent performance at a low price. It's worth noting that AMD's gem is $10 cheaper than its competitor's processor and supports simplified core overclocking to improve performance. At the same time, the processor provides 6 computing cores, which gives an advantage when running applications in multiple threads.

The most expensive models

In the price category up to $180 dollars, the leadership is held by Core i5 at Intel based Sandy and Ivy Bridge, which provide high performance at a low price. In the price category up to $240, the leadership is held by the Core i5-4670K with an unlocked multiplier for a significant increase in performance.

If you are planning to organize a really expensive and powerful system, pay attention to the Core i7-4930K costing $580. This processor will satisfy all productivity needs and can become one of best options, on which your entire future gaming system will be built.

The most powerful processor from Intel today is the i7-4960X, which, however, only slightly outperforms the i7-4930K, but costs about $400 more.