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Choosing a gaming processor often confuses even an experienced user. Unlike, for example, a video card, here you simultaneously have to decide the issue of choosing a platform. This means you need to think about the cost of the motherboard. Finding a good combination is not so easy, so we tried to do it for you. Let's look at the optimal processors to buy in December 2021 in all price ranges.
AMD Ryzen 3 3100 (3.60GHz, 16MB) Socket AM4 — RUB 7,941.
The percentage from the “red” team is slightly weaker in performance per core. Lower clock speeds have an effect - up to 3.9 GHz in Turbo mode. At the same time, the Ryzen 3100 costs almost a thousand more than the 10100F. What then is the optimal choice? But the devil is in the details.
All other things being equal, AM4 motherboards are cheaper than their Intel counterparts. And if the cost is the same, then the AMD versions will be more “stuffed” in terms of RAM connectors, SATA and PCI-e x1 expansion slots, and so on. So the choice is not so clear-cut.
AMD Athlon 700 (Thunderbird) / Duron 600 (Spitfire)
Release date: July 5, 2000 (Athlon 700) / June 19, 2000 (Duron 600)
Standard clock speed: 700 MHz / 600 MHz
Overclocking: 770 - 900 MHz (~12%) / 800 - 1000MHz (~59%)
The AMD Thunderbird “pencil” mod has become an overclocker’s dream come true. AMD has blocked the voltage and multipliers of the K7 line in an attempt to prevent fraudulent relabeling of processors. Overclockers quickly realized that the key to unlocking performance was the board's jumpers built into the case.
Initially, the combination of jumpers in blocks L3, L4 and L6 allowed the L1 connections to be shorted to unlock the multiplier. It was also possible to short the connections of the L7 block to change the core voltage, and a soft graphite pencil or pen drawing conductive traces was sufficient to accomplish this process.
Since the AMD EV6 FSB was sensitive to overclocking, multiplier overclocking was only possible in the Duron line due to its lower core voltage (1.5 V instead of 1.7 / 1.75 V), which allowed for a larger relative increase to the maximum permissible 1 .85 V.
Costing just $112, the Duron 600 could easily match the performance of a processor many times its price in a few minutes.
AMD Ryzen 5 3400G (3.70GHz, 4MB, GPU) Socket AM4 — RUB 10,935.
So we come to the option with an integrated video card. There will be no option from Intel here - all other things being equal, the integrated graphics in the form of Vega 11 is approximately twice as fast as UHD Graphics 630.
This processor is suitable for undemanding games or hits of yesteryear. Spice it up with an inexpensive B450 board that has HDMI or DisplayPort outputs, and you've got a gaming PC.
How to choose a powerful processor and what to look for?
When choosing a crystal for a computer, laptop or more compact device, you should take into account several basic parameters:
- Number of cores and threads - the more, the better. It’s even better if the number of threads exceeds the number of cores: then they talk about multi-threading of the crystal.
- Technical process . The indicator is measured in nanometers, and the smaller it is, the better.
- The operating (clock) and maximum frequency largely determine the speed of the chip.
- Heat dissipation and power efficiency determine how hot the processor will get under load and how much power it will consume.
- Cache size determines how much data can be stored in storage that needs to be accessed as quickly as possible.
- The presence of additional functions and capabilities, for example, a standard cooling system or integrated graphics.
Intel Core i5-10400F (2.90 GHz, 12 MB) Socket 1200 — RUB 13,460.
A sensational hit of recent months, which has supplanted the popular Ryzen 3600. Excellent performance per core coupled with a low cost made it the No. 1 choice for building a gaming system. Recently, motherboards on socket 1200 have become cheaper; for this CPU, the best choice would be the B460 chipset. Even though it does not support RAM frequencies higher than 2666 MHz, you can always tighten the timings. But even at low frequencies, the 10400F will be at least as good as its AMD competitor in most projects:
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 (3.60GHz, 32MB) Socket AM4 — RUB 17,876.
We cannot fail to mention the most popular processor of early-mid 2021. Recently, its prices have skyrocketed. AMD, having strengthened its position in the market, began to dictate its terms. However, in some cases it is still a great choice.
For example, if you upgrade an outdated platform. This is exactly what the author of this article did, replacing his old Ryzen 5 1600X with a 3600X. The motherboard remained the same - on the B350 chipset. It’s worth overpaying for version X only if it costs slightly more (within a thousand rubles). It has higher clock speeds - 4.4 GHz in Boost mode versus 4.2 GHz (an artificial limitation by AMD itself). In games you will hardly feel this difference:
The Ryzen 3600 XT is generally the worst purchase in history. The overpayment is not worth a few percent of productivity.
Intel Core i7-10700K (3.80GHz, 16MB, GPU) Socket 1200 — RUB 33,810.
Perhaps one of the best gaming processors for the money: 8 cores with 16 threads and solid overclocking potential. Add to it a good motherboard and cooling system, and there will be no point in buying a more powerful Core i9. If you don't stream or edit videos, but just play, then 10700K will be an excellent choice even for top-end GeForce RTX 3090 / 3080 or Radeon 6900 XT / 6800 XT video cards.
Intel vs AMD: which one should you prefer?
Talking about which processors from which manufacturer are better, Intel or AMD, should immediately upset our readers; an exact answer to this question has not yet been given. Both Intel and AMD have their significant advantages.
In this connection, computer owners who prefer one of the manufacturers converge in endless disputes on the vastness of the World Wide Web.
This is due to the fact that both manufacturers keep up with the times and closely monitor new products produced by their competitors, but if you still want to figure out which processor from which manufacturer is best for you to buy, then focus on the following data.
AMD offers its consumers optimal solutions at a budget price level, and Intel, in turn, relies on the most modern technologically advanced and at the same time expensive products.
Thus, AMD is the undisputed and undisputed leader in low-cost PC products, but has no analogues in its line that would match the fastest processors produced by Intel.
It is worth understanding that, unlike other PC systems, processors are quite durable equipment, which, if properly used, in the form of a high-quality cooling system, as well as the absence of independent overclocking of the device by the user, can work without breakdowns or failures for a very long time.
Both manufacturers do not have outright bad processor models; you just need to take the right approach to purchasing them and understand exactly what tasks you plan to solve using this equipment.
Next, our readers can familiarize themselves with the table, which contains examples of the performance of processors from both manufacturers when running games with a powerful and modern GeForce GTX1080 video card:
And also a CPU comparison when working with everyday loads:
Archiving information using the 7-zip utility:
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X (3.70GHz, 32MB) Socket AM4 — RUB 33,560.
The new product from AMD is finally on sale! It seems that in terms of characteristics it is much inferior to the price analogue from Intel: only 6 cores, lower operating frequencies. Despite this, in real-world gaming performance the 5600X is at least as good, and sometimes even a little better.
The engineers led by Lisa Su did a great job on the new Zen 3 architecture. Again, if you don't use the processor for work tasks, then the fresh Ryzen will be an excellent choice for a gaming computer.
Well, we recommend that the eternal waiters wait until January. According to rumors, it is then that the 5600 will appear without the letter X - by analogy with the previous generation, it should be significantly cheaper, but at the same time offer similar performance.
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The best inexpensive processors for your computer
Finally, the final nomination in the ranking of the best processors for a computer according to Expertology. This included two processors of the most modest segment, which are suitable for buyers planning to build a computer for simple everyday tasks. The experts selected one model each from the “blue” and “red” ones, guided by considerations so that the assembled computer would be capable of at least something more than playing Klondike. On such a computer you can work quite comfortably in office programs, surf the Internet, watch movies, even play games with some restrictions.
Intel Celeron G3930
Rating: 4.6
The budget processor Celeron G3930 from Intel turned out to be so successful at the time of its release that it was even chosen by cryptocurrency miners for its combination of performance and price. As a result, it even doubled the market price, but quickly returned to its previous positions when mining on processors became meaningless.
Individual processor components are manufactured using 22, 65 and 14 nm manufacturing processes. The CPU is built on two Kaby Lake cores operating in two threads with a frequency of 2900 MHz. Supports DDR4 2133, DDR3L 1333/1600 RAM up to 64GB, including dual-channel and error correcting memory (ECC). Cache configuration: first level – 64Kb, second – 512Kb, third – 2048Kb. The number of supported PCI Express channels is up to 16.
The following improvement technologies have been introduced: AMD64/EM64T, NX Bit, hardware virtualization, Extended Page Tables, Intel 64 Architecture, SpeedStep, idle technology, thermal control, privacy protection. This model also features an expanded set of security and reliability features.
The processor integrates a graphics module HD Graphics 510 (or 610 depending on the modification) at a frequency of 1050 MHz (maximum), base – 350 MHz. The video card has enough power to play 4K video at 60Hz.
The nominal heat dissipation corresponds to 51 W. Maximum operating temperature – up to 100 °C.
Advantages
- high performance for such a configuration;
- security and privacy technologies;
- ECC memory support;
- affordable price;
- exceptionally low heat.
Flaws
- not compatible with 3xx series chipsets.
AMD Athlon 200GE
Rating: 4.3
And the last model in today’s rating is a decent budget device from AMD for assembling a good home or office computer for simple tasks. Compared to the previous model, this CPU looks even more advantageous due to some indicators, so a computer based on it will be very fast. In terms of price, these two solutions are almost identical to the state in the spring of 2021.
The processor was manufactured using the 32, 14, 12 nm process technology. It is based on two Raven Ridge computing cores operating in four threads at a frequency of 3200 MHz. Supports DDR4-2667 dual-channel RAM. Cache configuration: first level – 96Kb, second – 1024Kb, third – 4096Kb. Technologies supported: NX Bit, hardware virtualization, AMD64/EM64T.
The integrated Vega 3 graphics core is built on three computing cores with a frequency of 1000 MHz.
The calculated nominal heat dissipation corresponds to 35W. The operating temperature limit is 95 °C.
Based on a combination of factors, this model is one of the best in this segment and is an undisputed bestseller.
Advantages
- in terms of price and budget segment;
- two cores, but four threads;
- good integrated graphics;
- record low heating;
- affordable price.
Flaws
- no objective deficiencies were found.
