The best CPU for gaming is a great challenge with some much happening on the new hardware front. One of the most problematic issues early in 2021 is the availability of many of the best new CPUs.
Its unfortunate that its still the 2nd gen Ryzen and 9th gen Intel parts that have remained the focus of buyers so far in the early part of 2021. This will likely change in the near future as Intel’s planned release of their 7nm Processors in March of 2021.
What are the best options today?
It stands that the best CPU for Gaming now if you cant wait for the shortage situation to improve is still for flight simmers the Ryzen 3600 or Ryzen 3600X or If your a Blue team follower its the I5 for you to consider.
The Best Budget CPU’s.
If your looking for a budget CPU the currently available CPUs for you would likely be the Ryzen 3400G if you want integrated graphics. This gives you the best performance in a budget gaming CPU with integrated graphics.
The Core I3 10100 is the best Budget gaming CPU from Intel currently around the $115 US and it outperforms the Ryzen 5 1600AF which is more expensive currently. If Productivity is an important consideration and your budget can stretch the little extra then the Ryzen 5 1600AF may be worth the consideration but on gaming performance alone the Intel I3 10100 would be the recommendation of the tech channels out there like Hardware Unboxed.
What is the best CPU for Gaming.
IF your looking to step up in performance and in Price to around the $300 US mark then the Ryzen 5 3600 and 3600X are certainly a fair choice but are they the best choice or does Intel have something better in this price regime. The I5 10600K is the other and better option as it is also about $30 less expensive than the Ryzen part and is 6 core 12 threads giving good gaming and productivity performance.
Gaming Cpu Choices.
The overall recommendation for this price range for a decent gaming CPU would be the Ryzen 5 3600 as the overall CPU choice for gaming in 2021 until the supply issues of the Ryzen 5600x and non X parts become available most likely. The Intel 10400F is also an option if your more comfortable staying with the Blue teams options. The downside here is you need a more expensive motherboard as the standard boards only work with DDR4 at 2666 Mhz so you need a Z series motherboard as some extra expense.
What is the Best CPU for Gaming & Streaming.
When taking more about the best CPU for gaming and streaming then more cores becomes a path to consider. The gaming world are slowly utilizing more cores in some of the newer gams but many its still the shear single core performance and IPC or instructions Per Cycle that makes the difference. If your really wanting the best productivity performance then more cores and threads is the path and to this end we have a few choices available currently.
The Ryzen 9 5900X 0r 5950X are pair of great productivity focused CPU’s to consider with price ranges of $500 to $800 for the CPU”s. The downsize is these are very hard to find so it may be necessary to step back to the previous generation equivalents.
This will lead you to the last generation Ryzen 9 3900X and the Ryzen 9 5950X as your limited choices at present. The Intel I9 10900K would be the best of the Intel choices at the moment with the current supply issues.
What is the best CPU for Gaming
If your a serious no nonsense gamer and you want the best CPU for gaming available currently, again being the cavate then the Core I9=10900K or the Ryzen 9 5900X are the CPU’s for your gaming rig.
There is a wide choice of similarly performing CPUs to make a complete list of your choices. These would be the Ryzen 75600X, Ryzen 9 5900X/5950X,, Core I7 10700K or the Core I9 10900K at the moment if they are available. These are all the best performance gaming CPU’s available currently.
This could change with he upcoming 11th gen Intel offerings but we will have to wait till next month to get an idea of their performance and cost.
The best current options recommended by the tech channels are the Ryzen 5600X or the Intel 10700K which are at least available currently. The Intel 10900K could also be a great option again if money is no real option.
Gaming CPU Benchmarks.
With all flight simulators like Microsoft Flight Simulator, X Plane 11 as well as Lockheed Martins Prepare3d you need a serious CPU if your wanting the dream smooth as butter performance at 1080P. A fluid 60FPS is what we all desire but unfortunately without a top CPU its not going to always happen without reducing visual candy and options.
Table from Toms Hardware Website
Resolutions and Gaming CPU’s – 1080P
Gaming performance is very relevant to your own gaming choice in resolution. If your a new flight simmer then lets break down the differences in all flight sims. X Plane 11 and MSFS 2020 are better in that they operate on newer API’s like Vulcan in XP11’s case and DX11 and soon to be DX12 for MSFS 2020.
Playing at 1080P is always more reliant on the speed of the CPU to get the result your aiming for. The FPS at 1080P will obviously be much higher in 1080P and hence is still one of the most popular gaming resolutions. The ability to get higher FPS on higher levels of detail make it the best balance for most gamers even now in 2021.
Gaming CPU and Higher Resolutions – 1440/4K/8K
Making the decision to start flying at 1440p to 4K and even 8K is now in the realm of possibility in many games. I would say that 1440 and 4K is quite acceptable providing you have a strong CPU but will depend more on the GPU performance from your Nvidia or AMD Radeon graphics cards.
If your aiming to play at these higher resolutions then a Nvidia 3080 or a AMD Radeon 6800 would certainly about the area you need to be. You can see for yourself in the graphic below that the performance in MSFS 2020 becomes tied to GPU performance and not CPU one you jump into the higher resolutions and also consider virtual reality and the demands it puts on your gaming rig.
Benchmark by TechSpot
Benchmark by TechSpot
The benchmarks above by TechSpot show the performance of quite a lot of graphics cards in bothe 1080P and 1440P for some comparison.
Benchmark by PC World
This benchmark created by PC World them shows how much difference there is between the resolutions and performance differences in FPS. GTA5 is known as a CPU reliant game so I feel its some what representative of our flight simulators in system needs.
The results show how much performance is needed between the three resolutions, 1080P – 1440 and 4K. If your getting the best CPU available then you need the best GPU available from Nvidia and AMD currently being the Nvidia 3090, the AMD Radeon 6900xt or step back a bit for the Nvidia 3070 if your a bit more price conscious. More available so check the links below.
What is the Highest Core CPU.
The Highest core CPU title is held by a new player from Intel but its not a main stream CPU its a server unit with 48 cores and its called the Xenon Cascade Lake series. This processor can be installed on a multi CPU motherboard giving up to 96 cores. In the duel CPU configuration it can accept 3TB DDR4 Ram which is just crazy but it is possible to expand this to a wild 12 TB. This unit is seriously not a gaming unit but an amazing piece of technology.
What is the Fastest CPU.
We all want the fastest CPU so if speed is of the essence then the fastest processor available in 2021 is the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X with a 3D Mark Physics score of 14042. This CPU has taken the crown from INTEL who has managed to hold the fastest CPU title for some years. Its superior IPC and clock speeds but that has now changed.
The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X comes with 12 cores / 24 threads 3.7 ghz base speed and a boost of 4.8 Ghz. The CPU is overclockable and also comes with 64MB L3 Cache TDP of 105 watts and has 20 Pcie 4.0 lanes to utilize. Coming in at between $1300 and $1500 AUD its a pricy unit but if you want the best here it is!
The Best CPU Right Now!
The Best CPU Right now is the standout Ryzen 9 5950X with its amazing performance. The latest gen 3 variant is the best you can get right now for the top tier CPU. If your considering this top performing CPU then its available around the $1150 Aud price range.
If your looking for the best CPU and your on a budget my thoughts are the Ryzen 5 5600X which will run most games very well with its 6 Core 12 thread performance with its max boost of 4.6 Ghz this processor will run most popular games at 100fps. This CPU is currently on Amazon for around the $400Aud price on Amazon.
Graph from WCCFTECH.com
The benchmark graph above gives you a comparison of FPS performance across a few CPUs including the Ryzen 9 and 5 series. Coupled with a Nvidia 3070 the performance across the board is very good regardless of CPU chosen.
In the end the performance you want is certainly available across the board and its considerations like productivity that may make the top end CPU’s a choice for you!
Author.
Brendon McAliece is a multi lingual-expat who brings over three decades of flight simulator/PC building experience as well as over two decades of real world jet fighter experience as a weapons/egress technician. He holds a sport pilot certificate giving him real world flying experience. Hi travels have taken him from Europe to the Middle East, Asia and his home of Australia. He has a passion for travel, languages, Flight simulation as well as Guitaring and Coffee. You can read more in his blogs below.
Learn more @
DreamingGuitar.com – DreamingCoffee.com – LetsFlyVFR.com
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