When you’re looking at building your computer for gaming, your CPU plays a very important role. Sure, a graphics card does most of the heavy lifting in games, and as such is where you want to be sinking more money, but be careful about discounting the importance of a CPU. If there is a large disparity between your CPU and GPU’s performance capabilities, you’ll find that your CPU will bottleneck your fancy video card – meaning that your video card can only do as much as your CPU is capable of letting it.
Just like with video card shopping, choosing a CPU can be pretty intimidating. There are a ton of different models at all different kinds of price ranges, and sometimes it’s difficult to know how much you should spend, or if you’re getting the most bang for your hard-earned buck. In this guide I’ll be going over what I think are the best choices in each of the dominant price ranges, to hopefully help you make the best decision you can. I’ve also included a quote below each recommendation; this is the lowest price I could find at a retailer that is trustworthy.
As a general disclaimer, none of the recommendations made or retailers selected are due to anything other than wanting to give you the best option. Nothing is due to any kind of bias or advantage to be gained by myself. With that out of the way, let’s check out the list:
Around R800
– Athlon II X3 455
This is about the lowest you can expect to pay for a decent gaming CPU. Don’t be disheartened if this is your budget, because when I say decent I mean DECENT – CPUs at this price range are no slouch. Traditionally, AMD has the upper hand at the lowest end when it comes to CPUs, and this is no exception.
My recommendation for this price range is the Athlon II X3 455. This little engine that could boasts three cores and a high clock speed of 3.3 Ghz. It may be entry level, but it is more than capable of handling some intense gaming demands. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much power you’re getting for such a low price.
R805 from PC Direct
Its 45nm process is a little bigger than Intel’s Sandy Bridge, which comes in at 32nm.
Around R1000
– Intel i3-2100
While this is still the price point where we usually see AMD come out on top, Intel has delivered a real winner in the form of the aggressively priced Intel i3-2100.
This is the same CPU I recommended in my “Beast on a Budget” feature a while back, and nothing has changed my opinion since then. While only running two cores, in gaming benchmarks the i3 has surpassed many more powerful quad-core offerings.
If you’re wanting a CPU that can handle heavy multi-tasking, you’re better off with something like the Phenom II x4 955 Black Edition, which you can pick up for a similar price. However, if you’re all about the gaming, this i3 is a better option for you. The really nice thing about this budget CPU is that it runs on the same LGA-1155 motherboard platforms as its big brothers, the i5 and i7, so upgrading in the future will be a lot cheaper and easier.
R1002 from Sybaritic
Around R1600
– Intel Core i5-2400
The gap between R1000 and R1500/R1600 is pretty barren. There’s not much falling in the middle there aside from slightly upgraded versions of R1000 CPUs. I would never recommend spending your money that way, however, R200/R300 for 100 or 200MHz is just never worth it. You are extremely unlikely to even notice the difference, and you could very safely overclock to that speed anyway.
Here, at the R1600 mark however, we find a real gem. This CPU offers crazy performance for its price, and is probably the best CPU on this list in terms of sheer price vs. performance. The CPU I am talking about is the Intel Core i5-2400. For getting the most FPS from your games, this CPU has shown itself capable of similar performance to the Core i7-900 range. Tests have even shown it capable of holding its own against Intel’s i7 Extreme Edition CPUs – yes; I’m talking about that R10 000 CPU. Of course I’m talking strictly in terms of game performance, but if you’re not using your computer for some kind of very specific, intense purpose, gaming will be the most taxing thing you do with your CPU anyway. If you’re still not convinced, this beauty boasts four cores running at 3.4 Ghz with Turboboost.
This new brand of Core i5 is a much better choice over the old 700 series, and the LGA1156 architecture the 700s run on is singing its swan song, so you’re much better off investing in this, which runs on LGA1155.
If you have the money to spend but are still budget conscious, this CPU is the best choice you can make.
R1629 from Sybaritic
Even the box looks badass. (It really doesn’t though – Ed)
Around R2000
– Intel Core i5-2500K
For an extra R400, you get to the top end of CPUs that still exist within the realm of “worth the money”. Past this point you’re going to see dizzyingly diminishing returns on your money. That being said, my recommendation for this price point is the Intel Core i5-2500K.
While this is the best you’ll find at the R2000 mark, it’s difficult to recommend it over the Core i5-2400 found at the R1600 mark. For your R400 you’re not getting all that much – three hundred extra MHz, an integrated graphics unit and an unlocked CPU multiplier.
If that last extra feature meant nothing to you, scroll back up to the 2400. The only real appeal of this CPU over the former is its potential for overclocking. The extra MHz will be negligible, and if you’re buying this CPU for gaming, you’re not going to make any use of the integrated graphics engine. The unlocked CPU multiplier, however, is a necessity for overclocking enthusiasts. If that’s what you’re into, this CPU is definitely the best choice for you. If you have no interest in doing any hardcore overclocking however, I can’t recommend this over the 2400.
R1981 from Sybaritic
Now you’re just being silly
– Intel Core i7-2600K
If you have absolutely no interest in value, and simply want to brag the loudest at the next LAN you go to, then the Intel Core i7-2600K is the CPU you’re looking for.
This CPU improves on the i5-2500K with a small 100MHz boost, addition of Hyper-Threading and an extra 2mb of L3 cache. None of which you’re likely to notice when playing games.
However, if you want to tell people that your CPU can offer better gaming performance than Intel’s hexacore R10 000 monstrosity, this will get the job done for you.
R2999 (and 20 cents) from Prophecy
Pictured above: Not enough to buy an Extreme Edition CPU – but enough to buy something better.
Whether you’re looking to upgrade or build a new PC from scratch, hopefully this helped you make a better and more informed decision.
Do you have any good/bad experience with any of these processors? Do you disagree with the choices? I’ve donned my flamesuit, so feel free to tell me I’m wrong in the forums, or comment below.
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