Top Gaming CPUs for July 2024

In our series of Best CPU guides, here’s the latest update to our recommended Gaming CPUs list. All numbers in the text are updated to reflect pricing at the time of writing. Numbers in graphs reflect MSRP.

As the second quarter of 2024 is soon set to unfold, there are many things to be excited about, especially as Computex 2024 has been and gone. We now know that AMD’s upcoming Ryzen 9000 series desktop processors using the new Zen 5 cores will be hitting shelves at the end of the month (31st July), and on top of this, AMD also recently slashed pricing on their Zen 4 (Ryzen 8000) processors. Intel still needs to follow suit with their 14th or 13th Gen Core series processors, but right now from a cost standpoint, AMD is in a much better position.

Since the publication of our last guide, the only notable CPU to be launched was Intel’s special binned Core i9-14900KS, which not only pushes clock speeds up to 6.2 GHz but is the last processor to feature Intel’s iconic Core I series nomenclature. The other big news in the CPU world was from Intel, with a statement issued about pushing users to use the Intel Default Specification on Intel’s 14th and 13th Gen processors, which ultimately limits the performance compared to published data. We’re still in the process of 

While the CPU market has been relatively quiet so far this year, and things are set to pick up once AMD’s Zen 5 and Intel’s Arrow Lake desktop chips are all launched onto the market, it means today we are working for the same hymn sheet as our previous guide. With AMD’s price drops on Ryzen 7000 series processors, much of the guide reflects this as AMD and Intel’s performance is neck and neck in many use cases, but cost certainly plays a big factor in selecting a new CPU. As we move into the rest of 2024, the CPU market looks set to see the rise of the ‘AI PC,’ which is looking set to be something that many companies will focus on by the end of 2024, both on mobile and desktop platforms.

Best CPUs for Gaming July 2024

Sometimes, choosing a CPU can be difficult. So we’ve got you covered. In our CPU Guides, we give you our pick of some of the best processors available, supplying data from our reviews.

The majority of our recommendations aim to hit the performance/price curve just right, with a side nod to power consumption as well.

CPU Market Overview, July 2024: Zen 5 Is Coming In July

Before we dive into our analysis of the current CPU market, the biggest updates from our previous guide come from AMD. Not only is AMD’s latest Zen 5-based Ryzen 9000 series processors expected to launch next month, but AMD has also slashed prices on their Zen 4 processors (non-G series), which potentially means the Klaxons are going off as we get closer to the launch of Zen 5. This is a typical move that not only undercuts the current pricing of Intel, making AMD chips a better proposition from a value perspective, but it clears out as much of the current stock as AMD can before Zen 5 is out.

AMD Unveils Ryzen 9000 CPUs for Desktop, Zen 5 Takes Center Stage at Computex 2024

Despite the price drops, Intel and AMD are competing well against each other in the high-end segment (in performance), with Intel’s 14th Gen Core family and AMD’s Ryzen 7000 and 8000 series dominating what’s available in terms of flagship offerings. This isn’t only good for the progression and innovation of CPU architectures and the features they add, but having two companies competing closely for the top-performance spot can be good for price, too. Still, it’s good for consumers as companies have to innovate and refine processes to deliver the goods for users wanting the latest and greatest in desktop processors.

The top end of the market is still dominated by the Intel Core i9-14900K (8P+16E/32T) and AMD’s Ryzen 9 7950X (16C/32T), but the Intel Core i9-14900KS adds a further and final element of spice to the Intel 14th Gen family; I say spicy because although some enjoy the flavor of spice (performance), it certainly raises temperatures to ridiculous levels. To complement this 6.2 GHz special binned CPU, a premium 360 mm AIO is recommended at the very minimum.

While the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D (16C/32T) is also considered a flagship chip, it is primarily aimed at gamers. It has 3D V-Cache packaging, giving gamers 96 MB of L3 V-Cache on one CCD and 32 MB on the other. Offering a more value-oriented chip with 96 MB of 3D V-Cache for gamers is the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, which has all the gaming benefits of the Ryzen 9 7950X3D but without the notoriously high price of a flagship.

Also still in the upper echelon of the CPU market is the Core i9-13900K (8P+16E/32T), which, although it hails from Intel’s previous 13th Gen family, is nearly identical to the new 14900K bar a bump to core frequencies. All three processors, including this, the Core i9-14900K, and the Ryzen 9 7950X are all similarly matched in compute performance. In contrast, the only ‘real’ gain separating them is in AVX-512/AVX2 workloads, as AMD’s Ryzen 7000 does support these instruction sets. Other than that, it’s very competitive at the top.

The mid-range (Core i7/i5 and Ryzen 7/5) processors offer decent compute performance and are more than adequate for gaming when paired with a competent discrete graphics card. One major talking point is the latest Intel Core i7-14700K (8P+12E/28T), which is a marked upgrade over the previous Core i7-13700K (8P+8E/24T) and puts the 14th Gen Core i7 much closer to the i9 series than we’ve previously seen before. Given that the Core i7-14700K ($382) and Core i7-13700K ($330) represent Intel’s mid-range segment, there’s certainly some value to be found there for gamers looking for both performance and value.

When deciding which chip to use when upgrading or building a new system, users can find lots of value in Intel and AMD’s previous generations (13th/12th Gen Core series and Ryzen 5000). These processors now offer unprecedented cost-effectiveness, and some of the last generation’s high-performing CPUs from these previous lineups can be paired with more affordable DDR4 memory, which has come down in price massively since DDR5 was launched. Additionally, both Intel and AMD have been aggressively reducing prices as they shift their focus toward promoting their latest cutting-edge technologies and architectural advancements. While Intel’s 13th Gen pricing hasn’t changed much since the launch of 14th Gen, we expect these price cuts to come over the coming months as retailers look to offload their older stock.

Consequently, prospective buyers can take advantage of sporadic, continuously fluctuating, and decreasing prices. Among the noteworthy options is AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X3D, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads, along with the 3D packaged 96 MB of L3 cache. This CPU is particularly well-suited for games and applications optimized to leverage its unique 3D V-Cache in games that can support more L3 cache. With little difference in performance between Intel’s 14th and 13th Gen, this makes 12th Gen an even more attractive proposition in terms of value. Let’s look at where the market is going right now, and we’ll make the picks that represent the best of each category as we head into