Choosing a suitable processor in 2024 means you need to break through the marketing jargon, spec sheet overload, and your friends’ bias toward one brand or the other. This guide helps make the process as simple as possible, to choose the best CPU in 2024.
Tip: if you’re building a new desktop computer, check out our gaming PC build considerations, as well as the best CPUs for gaming.
1. CPU Brand
There are primarily two manufacturers of desktop CPUs: Intel and AMD. You might remember Intel comfortably leading the CPU market for years and being the only option for high-performing systems. AMD used to be relegated to a distant second, being a sensible choice only for budget and HTPC systems. But the two companies are now fighting tooth and nail in the CPU market. In fact, AMD’s Ryzen CPUs are now good for gaming after trailing Intel for years.
Intel’s 14th Gen and AMD’s Ryzen 7000 CPUs are competing for desktop builders’ attention. Both brands offer multiple options across their latest and previous-generation lineups. And although AMD’s Ryzen X3D chips comfortably lead in gaming performance, Intel gets the overall performance crown, thanks to its powerful and better-value products across all price segments.
Check out this AMD vs. Intel CPUs guide for a detailed breakdown of why Intel is the better choice in 2024.
2. CPU Core Count
One of the first things you’ll notice is how many cores a CPU has. Generally, more cores translate to more performance. Most CPUs have at least four cores, which are generally suited to basic gaming and office use. If you’re building a new mid-range or high-end system, opt for at least a six-core CPU.
Ideally, you should look at current-gen parts – or at least nothing older than two years. Furthermore, gamers should almost always prioritize overall performance over higher core counts, while productivity and workstation users should try to grab as many cores as possible within their budget.
Good to know: check whether you should choose a 6-core or 8-core CPU in 2024.
3. Clock Speed
Clock speed explains how fast the individual cores can run on a CPU. Typically, the more cores you have, the slower their clock speed will be. This is why gamers and non-workstation users should value faster single-core performance over a higher core count, and productivity users should do the opposite. You’ll notice that AMD’s fastest Threadripper CPU, the 96-core Threadripper Pro 7995WX, has a boost clock of 5.1 GHz, lower than even the base clock of some modern six-core chips.
For most users, clock speed matters more than the core count when comparing the performance of modern CPUs. If you use your computer for gaming, work, or casual browsing, a faster CPU would be much better than one loaded with more than eight cores.
4. Thermal Design Power (TDP)
Thermal Design Power, or TDP, is the maximum amount of power (in watts) a CPU is designed to draw from the computer and affects the amount of heat it will generate. The lower the core count and clock speed, the lower the TDP.
But modern mainstream CPUs are increasingly drawing more power than previous workstation CPUs, as they spit out better performance gen-over-gen. The power efficiency crown in the current generation of CPUs lies with AMD, as the Ryzen 7000 CPUs generally offer more performance per watt than Intel’s 13th Gen and 14th Gen CPUs.
TDP has a limited impact when comparing different CPUs in desktop computers, as desktop CPUs are generally housed in relatively large PC cases with capable CPU cooling hardware to dissipate the heat produced. Despite having the more efficient chips, AMD is still slightly lagging behind Intel’s most powerful processors in overall performance.
5. Platform
The platform of a CPU refers to the physical socket it is compatible with and the generation of processors it belongs to. The CPU platform will decide the remaining upgrade path for your processor and the features it has access to.
One such feature is support for the newer DDR5 memory standard. Intel and AMD offer DDR5 support on their latest processors and motherboard chipsets. Another feature is overclocking, which is far more complicated when comparing the two brands. If you’re comfortable overclocking your CPU and want to extract more performance, you’ll find AMD’s processors far more flexible.
While you can overclock AMD Ryzen CPUs with Ryzen Master on various chipsets, Intel reserves overclocking for its premium and costlier “K” series CPUs. But Intel CPUs generally offer more overclocking headroom, allowing you to eke out more from their chips.
Good to know: learn how to overclock and undervolt AMD Ryzen CPUs.
Best CPUs for Different Use Cases
Now that you know a bit more about what to look for when buying a CPU, it’s time to shed light on specific CPU recommendations for different types of users.
Use Case 1: The Casual User
If you’re a casual user and want a computer primarily for surfing the Web, working from home, and the occasional gaming session, something like an Intel Core i5-14400F or AMD Ryzen 5 7600x would be more than enough. They’re each equipped with six cores, capable of providing decent performance for four to five years, and cheap aftermarket coolers will easily keep them cool.
Note that the previous-gen Core i5-12400 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600x cost significantly less than our current-gen recommendations while being equally capable chips. The only downside with the 5600x would be buying a dead platform (AM4) with no upgrade path. The i5-13400 and i5-14400 also lack an upgrade path.
Intel gives you the option of buying either the Core i5-13400F or the Core i5-12400F, which don’t come with integrated graphics, if you want to save more. The Ryzen 5 chips don’t have integrated chips on the 7600X or the 5600X.
Use Case 2: The Gamer
For high-end gaming, our recommendation would be the Core i5-14600K or the Ryzen 7 7700X – or even the Ryzen 5 7600X. The six-core 14600K is clearly the better choice, edging out the eight-core 7700X and the six-core 7600X in gaming, as well as productivity workloads, while costing much less. The 7700X would appeal to users who want to buy into an upgradeable platform.
Gamers should ideally target modern six-core CPUs, as they’re all that’s needed for running most games when paired with a competent GPU. With more and more gamers switching from 1080p to 1440p – or even 4K resolution gaming – games become increasingly GPU-dependent. You could pay more for eight-core CPUs if you have the budget and want to run the heaviest games at the highest FPS, or want your PC to double as a decent productivity system.
Lastly, for those who want the absolute fastest CPUs for their builds, the high-end Core i9-14900K and Ryzen 9 7950X are the chips to look out for. The newer Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the champ with gaming performance, but you’ll sacrifice productivity performance.
Tip: check out our recommendations for the best gaming monitors.
Use Case 3: The Designer or Content Creator
For users building a PC dedicated to productivity applications like Blender, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Da Vinci Resolve, solid CPU horsepower is non-negotiable. As stated before, Intel is leading this category as well. The Core i9-14900K is our top pick for professional applications. The Ryzen 9 7950X is a pretty close second, as it performs almost similarly at around the same price and consumes much less power.
The Ryzen 9 7950X might be the best pick if you want seamless upgradability on the AM5 socket for years to come. But if you want a better-value, high-end CPU that you won’t need to upgrade for the next three years, the i9-14900K, with eight performance and 16 efficiency cores based on Intel’s hybrid microarchitecture, is a slam dunk.
Good to know: learn what to buy in the Intel Core i3 vs. i5 vs. i7 vs. i9 battle.
Use Case 4: The Engineer or Researcher
The HEDT (high-end desktop) category is for users whose work demands even more performance than what modern 16-core processors can deliver. AMD is currently the only option for PCs requiring server-level performance in the form of the Threadripper PRO line of CPUs. These chips are some of the most potent multi-core and multi-threaded processors, with feature core counts ranging from 16 cores on the Threadripper Pro 5955WX to 96 cores on the Threadripper Pro 7995WX, and an L3 cache of up to 384MB.
They carry a premium cost but are the only choice for workstation systems that demand as many cores as possible. Intel currently doesn’t have anything to offer in this category.
Having a solid CPU + GPU combo is critical to maximizing the performance of any build. Check out our Graphics Card Buyer’s Guide for more information on choosing a GPU.
Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Tanveer Singh.
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