If you’re looking for a good gaming CPU in 2022, then you’re in the right spot. This article will review the latest generations of AMD and Intel CPUs, how they rank, and good recommendations for which one to use in difference scenarios. Before any other component is selected for a custom gaming PC, the CPU needs to be identified first. The CPU will determine the motherboard, and have a trickle-down effect on graphics card, memory, storage, power, and cooling.
Top Gaming CPUs: Why Does Performance Matter?
CPUPs play a big role in gaming and help with frame rates, streaming, crowd animations, draw distance, cloth simulation, destruction physics, collision mechanics and multiple decision points. Intel has written a great article that discusses this further: How Does CPU Affect Gaming Experience? – Intel.
Top Gaming CPUs: What Do I Need?
If you’re wanting to play the latest and greatest in PC game releases, then you should focus on 8 core 16 thread CPUs. Speed, core, and thread count are not the only metric for performance in CPUs. You also need to consider cache. Cache is different across brands, architectures, and generations. You cannot compare a CPU’s cache outside of its product family. So that means you can’t compare an Intel CPU’s cache versus an AMD CPU’s cache just by looking at the numbers. You have to compare the Ryzen 5000 series (5, 7, and 9) against each other. Similarly with Intel, you need to compare the Intel 12000 i series against each other (5, 7, and 9). Each product family is architected differently and uses cache, cores, and threads differently to achieve greater performance.
Real World Games CPU Requirements
Resource intensive games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl that run on Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) will list 8 cores and 16 threads as their recommended hardware system requirements. This is especially true if you plan on streaming. Extra threads and cores help game streaming and video editing. Also keep in mind that higher-grade CPUs need more cooling.
You can either select an AMD or Intel CPU. Both use similar naming conventions (AMD/Intel Ryzen/i 3, 5, 7, and 9).
AMD CPUs
One of the main things to note with Ryzen CPUs is that they are all unlocked. This means you can buy any AMD Ryzen CPU and overclock it. The only caveat to that is that you need a motherboard and chipset that allow overclocking as well.
This is not the case with Intel. Intel is a little more limited in that they require the Z series chipset and only CPUs with “K” designation can overclock. Ryzen CPUs however, have lower clock performance per core than Intel CPUs generally do. Ryzen CPUs are generally better at multi-threading (for better streaming). The current generation of AMD CPUs is the 5000 series which presents about a 26% performance increase from its previous version, Ryzen 3000 series. All AMD Ryzen CPUs are AM4 sockets.
For a quick overview, here is a list of the latest AMD CPUs:
AMD Ryzen™ 9 5950X
This CPU includes the following specifications:
- 16 cores, 32 threads
- Up to 4.9GHz
- 64MB Cache
- Launched November, 2020
AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900X
This CPU includes the following specifications:
- 12 cores, 24 threads
- Up to 4.8Ghz
- 64MB Cache
- Launched November, 2020
AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800X
This CPU includes the following specifications:
- 8 cores, 16 threads
- Up to 4.7Ghz
- 32MB Cache
- Launched November, 2020
AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600X
This CPU includes the following specifications:
- 6 cores, 12 threads
- Up to 4.6Ghz
- 32MB Cache
- Launched November, 2020
Which AMD CPU to Get
All of the above CPUs require a discrete (dedicated) graphics card. The Ryzen 7 5800X is a good CPU to get you by today. Most games don’t need that amount of performance, except for the very new ones that are graphics-intensive, like Elden Ring. The question you need to ask is do you want to plan to play new games in 2023, 2024, and 2025 on your new PC. If you do, then you should either select the Ryzen 7 5800X or the Ryzen 5900X. Most new game releases in 2023 and beyond likely won’t be requiring 16-core 32 thread CPUs. You really only need those if you are doing higher-end content creation or architectural design work.
What CPU to Get for Streaming
For both content creators and gamers who stream, the AMD Ryzen™ 9 5950X or AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900X would be good recommendations for a CPU. A good recommendation for gaming and streaming using Intel CPUs is the AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800X Processor. A good recommendation for just gaming using Intel processors is the AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600X.
Visit the AMD Store at Amazon.com
Intel CPUs
Intel is currently on its 12th generation of CPU known as Alder Lake. 12th generation Intel CPUs have higher core and thread counts as well as new technology. Purchasing 11th generation or older may save some money but would be leaving you behind from a technology standpoint. The CPUs below all require a discrete (dedicated) graphics card. They also all have the ability to overclock (not all Intel CPUs can). They also all have the FCLGA1700 socket.
Latest Intel CPUs in 2022
- Intel® Core™ i9-12900KF
- 16 cores, 24 threads
- Up to 5.2Ghz
- 30MB Cache
- Launched Fall/Winter 2021
- Intel® Core™ i7-12700KF CPU
- 12 cores, 20 threads
- Up to 5 Ghz
- 24MB Cache
- Launched Fall/Winter 2021
- Intel® Core™ i5-12600KF
- 10 cores, 16 threads
- Up to 4.9 Ghz
- 20MB Cache
- Launched Fall/Winter 2021
Intel i3 CPUs were not listed due to the fact that they are not meant for overclocking, are still on the 11th generation of Intel technology, and only have 4 cores and 8 threads.
Intel CPU Recommendations
For both content creators and gamers who stream, the Intel® Core™ i9-12900KF would be a good recommendation for a CPU. A good recommendation for gaming and streaming using Intel CPUs is the Intel® Core™ i7-12700KF CPU. A good recommendation for just gaming using Intel CPU is the Intel® Core™ i5-12600KF.
Visit the Intel Store at Amazon.com
CPUs play a big role in gaming and if you’re planning to build a new PC, then the CPU is the first component you need to identify. Newer games demand higher performance CPUs, and both AMD and Intel have recently released their latest generations. You can now determine which CPU is best for you and then start looking at which motherboard to get in 2022.