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The processor equips absolutely all computer machines.
Without it, nothing works.
This is why, when choosing your computer, it is important to look at its reference to ensure good overall power.
There are models designed for gaming, others, less powerful, very good for office automation.
And if on laptops it is almost impossible to change the processor, on a fixed PC it is a rather common operation.
Two major manufacturers are competing for the processor market: Intel and AMD.
Everyone has their arguments and models of choice for those who want to modify their configuration.
To help you see more clearly among the processors, here is a selection of the 10 best products on the market today:
The selection of the 10 best processors to choose in 2022:
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X for gaming performance
The Intel Core i7-12700K, the versatile processor
The Intel Core i9-12900K, the super-powerful top of the range
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, the best value for money
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G, to be used without a graphics card
The Intel Core i3-12100, an entry-level not to be overlooked
The Intel Core i5-12400F, the homogeneous mid-range
The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, a gamer's paradise
The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3DV, the power embodied
The Intel Core i7-12700KF, an all-terrain model
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X for gaming performance
The first processor in our selection is an AMD model, it is the Ryzen 7 5800X reference.
It is compatible with AM4 sockets and has 8 cores and 16 threads.
Its base frequency is 3.8 GHz and can be boosted to 4.7 GHz.
Its thermal envelope, meanwhile, is 105W.
This is clearly a processor model cut out for gaming.
Powerful and versatile, it is able to withstand heavy tasks, both in video games and in the application.
Thus, anyone working on photo / video editing can find their account, all at an extremely affordable price.
Most :
Excellent performance whatever the use
Don't consume too much
The lessers :
Lacks an iGPU (integrated graphics card)
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The Intel Core i7-12700K, the versatile processor
The Intel Core i7-12700K processor is a high-end model, also designed for gaming, but perfectly suited to general-purpose use.
It is composed of no less than 12 cores: 8 P-Core (high consumption) and 4 E-Core (low consumption).
This gives it a total of 20 threads for a base frequency of 3.6 GHz that can be boosted to 4.9 GHz.
Its engraving fineness is 10nm, it has 25 MB of cache and its TDP is 190W.
The CPU socket is Intel LGA1700, it can support DDR4 or DDR5 memory.
And it comes with an Intel UHD Graphics 770 graphics chip allowing it to work without a dedicated graphics card.
But, for gaming, it is strongly recommended to have one.
Most :
PCIe 5.0 support
DDR5 support
Very high performance
The lessers :
It needs a substantial cooler
High power consumption
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Intel Core i9-12900K, the super-powerful top of the range
The Intel Core i9-12900K processor is the flagship of the brand's new Alder Lake range.
This is its most powerful product thanks to which you will be able to do absolutely everything you want: play, work, edit, etc.
all with incredible execution speed, provided, of course, that you have the RAM and graphics card that follow.
It is compatible with Intel Z690 sockets.
It has a base frequency of 3.2GHz which can be boosted to 5.2GHz.
This processor has no less than 16 cores for 24 threads, with 8 efficient cores and 8 performing cores.
Finally, its TDP is 125W and can go up to 241W.
Most :
The ideal CPU for gaming
Excellent performance in 125W
Integration of PCIe 5.0 and DDR5
The lessers :
energy guzzler
It needs a good cooling system
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AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, the best value for money
With the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, you have a versatile and attractive processor thanks to its excellent price/performance ratio.
It is a mid-range model that reveals its full potential in a gaming environment.
Moreover, it is the only one in its range to offer a Wraith Stealth cooler, directly supplied in the box.
Once installed, the latter will help the processor to maintain a correct temperature.
This is a model compatible with AM4 sockets.
It has 6 cores and 12 threads for a base frequency of 3.7 GHz.
The latter can reach 4.6 GHz in boost mode to improve performance when needed.
And the CPU TDP is 65W.
It offers excellent application performance and proves to be a good choice in a balanced configuration.
Most :
The cooler provided
Value for money
Very good overall performance
The lessers :
There is no integrated iGPU
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AMD Ryzen 7 5700G, to be used without a graphics card
For smaller setups that don't want to overspend on a processor, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G is an excellent choice.
Indeed, it can seduce thanks to the presence of a graphics chip, an iGPU, meaning that you can use this processor without having a graphics card.
It is therefore a choice for small office automation and multimedia configurations that are not above all looking for power.
It is a model with 8 cores and 16 threads belonging to the 4th generation of Ryzen from AMD.
Its frequency is 3.8 GHz in base and 4.6 GHz in boost, with a TDP of 65W, ensuring very good application performance.
In addition, it is still AM4 compatible with 400/500 chipsets and therefore perfectly suited to somewhat less recent configurations.
Most :
The integrated iGPU
Good power consumption
AM4 compatibility
The lessers :
iGPU is not enough for gaming
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The Intel Core i3-12100, an entry-level not to be overlooked
At the beginning of 2022, Intel released a new line of processors.
Among them, the Intel Core i3-12100, a surprising entry-level model in a good way.
It is a product comprising 4 cores and 8 threads for a base frequency of 3.3 GHz and a boost frequency of 4.3 GHz.
It has a 12 Mb L3 cache and offers an Intel UHD Graphics 730 integrated graphics chipset for a TDP of 60W.
It is clearly a processor addressed to the most modest configurations.
While offering convincing performance given its price range.
It is a perfect processor for applications and office automation.
And the less greedy can very well be satisfied with its iGPU for the graphics.
With a dedicated graphics card, it easily runs recent games in good conditions, without however performing miracles.
Most :
Its affordable price
Perfect for modest setups
Very low power consumption and heating
The lessers :
Limited by its 4 cores
Cannot overclock
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The Intel Core i5-12400F, the homogeneous mid-range
Intel still with this new processor which, this time, does not offer a graphics chipset.
This does not prevent it from delivering excellent performance on applications and software used on a daily basis.
And to make sparks when it is most in demand for gaming.
Moreover, this can be seen in its configuration since it is equipped with 6 high-performance cores, the P-Cores, and no E-Cores, i.e. low-power cores.
It therefore displays 12 threads in total, with a base frequency of 2.5 GHz that can easily reach 4.4 GHz in boost mode.
For energy consumption, it is 65W on average and can rise to 117W.
It supports PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 as well as DDR4 and DDR5, to choose from.
It is therefore an excellent processor for hybrid activity, with a low thermal envelope.
Most :
Easy to cool
Good general performance
Fast
The lessers :
No iGPU
Energy consumption
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The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, a gamer's paradise
If you're looking for a powerhouse, then the AMD Ryzen 9 59590X is the processor for you.
Thanks to its 16 cores and 32 threads, it is capable of delivering crazy execution power both in applications and in gaming.
The best ?
Electricity consumption is fully controlled and the level of heating largely contained.
In addition to that, it is AM4 and chipset 400 and 500 compatible in order to adapt to as many possible configurations as possible.
Its base frequency is 3.4GHz and can be boosted to 4.9GHz for a thermal envelope of 105W.
It is therefore a product, certainly a little expensive, but which offers performance worthy of the name thanks to a Zen 3 architecture which sparkles, especially in gaming.
Most :
Performing at all levels
Controlled consumption
The lessers :
Its price, of course
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The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3DV, the power embodied
The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3DV processor stands out from the others with the integration of 3D Vertical Cache.
This technology triples the value of the L3 cache to give extra power and performance in your games, without outbidding the GHz.
So you have 96 MB of L3 cache on an 8-core 16-thread AMD AM4 processor for a Zen 3 architecture.
The base frequency of this model amounts to 3.4GHz and can reach 4.5 GHz in boost mode, with a TDP of 105W.
For a device running on AM4, this is a very good performance despite, it must be admitted, overheating that must be controlled to avoid premature wear of the processor.
Most :
Excellent in-game performance
Good energy efficiency
The lessers :
No integrated iGPU
The high temperature rise
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The Intel Core i7-12700KF, an all-terrain model
The last processor is an Intel Core and this time it is the i7-12700KF.
For this iteration, it is a versatile processor, with great performance in gaming, but not only.
If you are a photo/video editor and work a lot with multimedia, this processor can prove to be a very good solution.
Note however: the F in the name of the processor means that it does not have an iGPU: you will absolutely need a dedicated graphics card.
For the rest, it is a PCIe 5.0 and Thunderbolt 4, DDR or DDR5 compatible model.
It has 12 cores and 20 threads with a base frequency of 3.6 GHz to be pushed to its limits at 5 GHz for a TDP of 190W.
In which case it will absolutely be necessary to think about opting for a water cooling system.
Most :
Solid whatever the use
Great compatibility
The lessers :
Heats up quickly
Consumes a lot
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What is the difference between an Intel and AMD processor?
In truth there are very few differences between the two brands.
If they dominate the processor market it is because they are both of very high quality.
If we had to differentiate between them, we could say that the most high-end Intel processors are a little more powerful than their AMD counterparts.
But also more expensive.
Where AMD offers excellent value for money regardless of the processor chosen.
What are the points to consider when choosing a processor?
The number of cores: the more there are, the more powerful the processor will be and will deliver a high speed of calculation and execution.
And in addition to the physical cores, we must take into account the virtual cores, or threads, which increase their power.
Frequency: this is the number of transactions processed in a given period of time.
If your processor has a frequency of 3.6 GHz, it can process 3.6 billion operations per second.
However, be careful: a 6-core 2.8 GHz processor will be more powerful than a 4-core 3.2 GHz, for example.
The number of hearts is inseparable.
Cache memory: this is a temporary memory where the most frequently used information is stored.
The processor, instead of redoing the calculations each time, can use this memory to access this information more quickly.
The graphics chip: if you do not want to opt for a dedicated graphics card, you must choose a processor with an iGPU in order to display the images.
The best processor is the one adapted to your configuration but also to your budget and especially to the use you want to make of it.
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