CPU purchase advice 2022: AMD and Intel processors in a test comparison [Juni]

The choice of processor determines the performance and efficiency of a computer. But what is the best GPU for gaming? Which CPU should you install for socket 1200, AM4 or 1700? Which CPU has the best value for money and which CPU goes best with an RTX 3080 or RX 6800 XT? In our purchase advice, we summarize the most important developments from AMD and Intel and provide purchase recommendations for different price ranges. We not only consider the performance of a CPU in games and applications, but also the power consumption, equipment and properties. In the end, the desired processor only has to be available, but we can reassure you that it is rarely as hopeless with CPUs as in the graphics card market.

CPU Buyer’s Guide 2022: This is new

Update from 6/6/2022: The two CPU manufacturers Intel and AMD are preparing for the new generations in autumn (Zen 4 and Raptor Lake) with slightly falling prices and special offers. You, as a potential customer, can currently choose a suitable model for every application from a sea of ​​processors. We will help you with this and have updated the purchase advice on the following pages.

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Update from 05/05/2022: AMD was able to convince us with the Ryzen 7 5800X3D in the test. The CPU is currently the best choice for PC gamers with a corresponding budget. Ryzen 7 5700X, Ryzen 5 5600 and 5500 also showed in the test that they appeared a little too late, but are way ahead in terms of efficiency. Since the other Ryzen 5000 processors are now also available at very attractive prices, we have adjusted the purchase advice accordingly. Intel is now “done” when it comes to desktop processors. Most recently, the chip giant launched the Core i9-12900KS as the spearhead for the current Socket 1700. The 16-core is incredibly fast, regardless of whether it’s games or applications, but pays for it with a very high power consumption. We don’t expect any news on Raptor Lake, the 13th Core generation, until fall. Until then, Intel has exciting six and even four cores in its portfolio that score points compared to the competition with an unbeatable price-performance ratio.

Update from April 4th, 2022: AMD introduced a whole range of new Ryzen CPUs in mid-March 2022, including the long-awaited Ryzen 7 5800X3D with 3D cache. Furthermore, the new AGESA 1.2.0.7 officially supports Zen 3 (Ryzen 5000) on X370, B350 and even A320. We have revised the current market situation at AMD based on this information. Intel, on the other hand, likes it quiet and stealthy, with the Core i9-12900KS being introduced in passing rather than with a bang. At the end of March 2022, it became concrete about the 16-core, we summarize the new information about the 12900KS in the market situation for Intel processors.

Update from 02/08/2022: We have revised and restructured the entire article, added new recommendations for current Intel and AMD processors and set up an information page on page 4 that explains the basics about CPUs.

The processor is the heart of every computer. All calculations and all paths converge on it. The performance of the entire computer stands and falls with it. You should therefore think very carefully about which CPU you are installing. The last few years have caused quite a few surprises. AMD in particular turned the processor market upside down with the launch of the Ryzen 3000 CPUs. Intel reacted to this with a massive drop in prices, at least in the HEDT area. The competition offers you as a customer only advantages, because there have not been so many options in the selection for a long time, and even in every price range. At the end of 2020, AMD’s advance with Ryzen 5000 offered the opportunity to make purchasing behavior dependent not only on performance, but also on the number of cores. If you want to install 16 cores in your desktop PC to meet the highest demands for performance and quality, then this is just as possible as an efficiency miracle or a budget configuration.

Current market situation for AMD processors

The current processor generation at AMD is called Zen 3, Ryzen 5000. At AMD, a distinction is made between CPUs and APUs. The latter offer an integrated graphics unit based on Vega. The Ryzen 5000 processors are currently available, and the predecessor Ryzen 3000 is still worth recommending for budget computers, but is slowly disappearing from the market. They all rely on the AM4 socket, which is served by the B550 and X570(S) I/O hubs. If you are still using an older chipset such as the X470, B450, X370 or B350, you should look out for AGESA 1.2.0.7. With this version, the 300 series I/O hubs also officially support Zen 3.

In mid-March 2022, AMD introduced many new Ryzen processors, including the Ryzen 7 5700X, Ryzen 5 5600, and Ryzen 5 5500. A 5600 in particular is the CPU the world has been waiting for since the launch of Zen 3: a 5600X for under 200 Euro. The specs on paper look excellent, with a 5600 clocking just 200MHz lower than a 5600X and offering the same amount of L3 cache and TDP. The CPU is only slightly slower than a 5600X (and i5-12400).

If you value a processor with an integrated graphics card, you will currently find what you are looking for in the Ryzen 5 5600G and Ryzen 7 5700G. With 16 MiByte, the two processors only have half as much L3 cache as their big brothers and can only provide PCI Express 3.0. That makes them cheaper compared to the X models with the same core equipment. There will also be a Zen 2-based APU, the Ryzen 5 4600G, from early April 22. However, this is not new, as it has been around for years in the form of the Pro suffix, but only for the OEM market. The Zen 2 derivative relies on a less powerful CPU part, but uses the same integrated graphics card as AMD does in the Zen 3 APUs.

AMD has already revealed the plans for this year, the Zen 3 Refresh and Zen 4 will be released in 2022. It starts with the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which was able to convince in the PCGH test. The eight-core has been available since April 20th, 2022 and was already sold out shortly after it went on sale. The situation hasn’t improved noticeably by June 22, but there are always a few good offers.

With Zen 4 (towards the end of 2022) there will definitely be a socket change. “AM5” and the change to DDR5 are obvious. Whether Zen 4, like Intel Alder Lake, will also support DDR4 memory and PCI-E 5.0 is not yet known. We’re not ruling it out, especially since DDR5 memory is still expensive. However, progress could be hampered if on-board partners cannot fully focus on DDR5 memory. For the end customer, on the other hand, it would be an advantage, since many users still rely on a powerful DDR4 memory, which they can then simply continue to use.

Current market situation for Intel processors

On November 4th, 2021, Alder Lake, the 12th Core generation, came onto the scene. The new processors are manufactured in “Intel 7”, previously known as Enhanced Super Fin or 10 nm++. They rely on a new socket with 1,700 pins, which is currently served by the H610, B660, H670 and Z690 chipsets. In addition to Alder Lake, the well-known Rocket Lake and Comet Lake generations are also on the market, such as an Intel Core i5-11400F and Core i7-10700K, which are of course also worth recommending.

Intel got it on 03/28/2022 made official: The Core i9-12900KS comes for $739 MRSP with the confirmed specs, with Intel notably emphasizing the 5.5 GHz Thermal Velocity Boost. Sales started on April 5th, which was a long way ahead of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. Intel calls 150 watts TDP. DDR5-4800 and DDR4-3200 are also confirmed. As expected, motherboards need a BIOS update to recognize the CPU. Compared to the Core i9-12900K, a 12900KS has the Adaptive Boost as well as the Thermal Velocity Boost. We already know these features from the Core i9-11900K, where the clock rates for multi- and single-core workloads have been adjusted equally. It is interesting that Intel stipulates a maximum temperature of 115 °C for the KS, while the K is “only” 100 °C. In view of the increased TDP and higher clock frequencies, this seems a little questionable, especially because a 12900K got very hot under load.

At the end of 2022 we expect the successor to Alder Lake, Raptor Lake, which should rely on more efficient cores, including a new architecture. However, this has not yet been officially confirmed. We are curious and wonder why Intel doesn’t install more performance cores. But the last word has not yet been spoken here. At the latest with Meteor Lake, the 14th generation of core processors, we expect more performance cores and hopefully higher efficiency.