Although the most important component of any gaming PC is the graphics card, gamers still need a decent CPU which doesn’t hold back their GPU.

Gaming processors also need to be able to handle stress such as physics calculations and multi-tasking.

We’ve selected processors of varying performance levels, all of which can handle most modern games without any noticeable bottlenecks.

Below are the best value processors for gamers, based on their PassMark score, pricing and gaming compatibility:

Intel Core i3 6100

PassMark Score: 5,491

Price: R2,149

Although the Intel Core i3 6100 Skylake processor only has 2 physical cores, through the magic of hyper-threading and Skylake architecture it provides a stable entry-level gaming platform and should be able to handle most modern games.

AMD FX 6300

PassMark Score: 6,341

Price: R2,120

The AMD FX 6300 is a six-core CPU which boasts high clock speeds, although it lacks hyper-threading and the lower TDP of the newer Intel Skylake processors.

Intel Core i7 4790K

PassMark Score: 11,198

Price: R5,799

Although it is relatively old compared to the newer Skylake processors, the Intel Core i7 4790K “Devil’s Canyon” CPU still packs a mean punch, with 4 cores, 8 threads, and a boost clock of 4.4GHz, this processor won’t be bottle-necking your graphics card any time soon.

Intel Core i5 6600K

PassMark Score: 7,798

Price: R4,272

The Intel Core i5 6600K is currently one of the most popular processors among PC gamers, as it is the perfect compromise between high-end performance and value.

Intel Core i7 6700K

PassMark Score: 10,996

Price: R6,213

The Intel Core i7 6700K is the big brother of the Core i5 6600K.

Boasting more power at a higher premium, the 6700K is perfect for the gamer or overclocking enthusiast, but it comes at a bit of a price.

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