CPU benchmark: processor comparison

The ranking on BitcoinMinersHashrate clarifies which processor is particularly suitable for which requirements based on tests, comparisons and benchmarks. We recommend the best CPUs and APUs for gaming, application and office PCs in the entry-level, mid-range and high-end classes.

The currently best CPU: Editor’s recommendation

Nothing works without a processor in the PC. In autumn 2019, the customer is spoiled for choice depending on the price range and primary application: AMD or Intel? Both manufacturers offer technically very good products, the difference is the planned application.

In this revised CPU list, the editors continually update the best processors for the respective application based on the latest benchmarks and tests and clarify when you should choose AMD or Intel. The linked tests offer more in-depth information, which shows the comparison of AMD and Intel in many programs. In addition, the large community is available around the clock in word and deed in the sub-forum “Mainboards and CPUs: purchase advice”.

The latest test reports from the area:

The large article New CPU Benchmark provides an overview of the performance of CPUs in multi-threading applications over more than ten years: The community is testing Cinebench R20.

AMD Ryzen 3000 changes (almost) everything

AMD Ryzen 3000 (test) has been officially available since July and has really turned the ranking upside down – and AMD has added again in November. Almost all models can be wholeheartedly recommended to anyone thirsting for multi-threading performance in applications; here, no Intel CPU can cope with the newcomers at a similar price level. In games, Intel still has a minimal lead with the fastest CPUs, but with around 20 percent growth in the CPU limit for Ryzen, only the top models are in the lead. The overall package of performance, power consumption and price, on the other hand, is decided by AMD almost everywhere.

There were also corresponding innovations in the entry-level area, APUs of the Raven Ridge type were replaced by Picasso with a little more clock. The AMD Ryzen 3 3200G replaces the predecessor 2200G at almost the same price. Among them, the unreserved recommendation is: AMD Athlon, optionally in the old 200 or new 3000G variant.

The recommended processors can be purchased from Alternate *, Caseking * or Mindfactory, for example. Amazon *, on the other hand, is rarely suitable for this device class. The dealers mentioned, like the manufacturers, have no influence on the monthly recommendations of the editors, nor have they paid for this link. Instead, BitcoinMinersHashrate participates in the sales proceeds by purchasing one of these links. This does not increase prices. BitcoinMinersHashrate subscribers will not see this section.

Intel still has almost the fastest gaming CPUs

The Intel Core i9-9900KS (test) as a special and officially limited version of the Intel Core i9-9900K (test) is the absolute leader in the gaming benchmarks even after the market launch of all Ryzen 3000. Eight cores with Hyper-Threading combined with the very high clock rate please almost every game. The problem, however, is still the rather high price. If you do not pay attention to the price tag or the performance in computing-intensive applications when buying a CPU, this is the right place, everyone else is choosing an alternative.

Core i7-9700 (K / F) and Ryzen 7 3700X are alternatives

Alternatives are the Intel Core i7-9700K (test) or the 65 watt models Core i7-9700 and 9700F. Eight cores (without hyper-threading) together with the Skylake architecture in the test currently ensure very high performance in modern triple-A games at very high clock speeds. For just under EUR 370 or just EUR 330 as the Core i7-9700F variant, these models are the actual recommendation for users who have games in focus and do not assume that titles will soon benefit from more than eight threads.

If you also switch to applications or assume that more threads will be useful in the future, you can use the Ryzen 7 3700X with eight cores and sixteen threads, which currently costs 325 euros.

At 200 euros, AMD takes over for the first time

For high gaming performance with a small budget of just under 200 euros, however, the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 not only comes into its own in the lower regions, but also as an alternative. In this segment too, the growth compared to previous models is very large. This ensures that even Intel’s middle-class solutions of the Core i5 family can be beaten in games, but the CPU is also almost 50 euros more expensive. Coupled with the significantly higher application performance, the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 was awarded the BitcoinMinersHashrate recommendation.

Playing with a CPU for less than 100 euros?

The answer to the question of the CPU that a gaming PC should at least offer for Triple-A titles is clear in 2019: it must be four cores, the low additional cost to dual-core (also with hyper-threading) is definitely value. The FPS on CPUs with fewer than four physical cores are now falling too frequently.

Three models are currently eligible for entry: the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (test) and the successor AMD Ryzen 3 3200G (test) and the Core i3-9100F. All offer four cores and no simultaneous multi-threading.

Which CPU is better depends on the graphics card plans. With its high clock rate, the Core i3-9100F is the better partner of a separate graphics card, AMD’s solution, on the other hand, comes with a much stronger Vega graphics unit, with which smaller games are possible even without a dedicated GPU. The 9100F does not have an integrated graphics unit. The CPU from AMD costs just under 80, the Intel from just over 80 euros. In the end, anyone who does not need an APU with iGPU should go for the six-core processor AMD Ryzen 5 2600 for just 115 euros, which as a complete package offers significantly more performance.

The fastest CPUs for applications come from AMD

If the PC is primarily used for modern, parallelized programs, AMD is clearly ahead of Intel with the third generation of Ryzen. If applications scale with the threads, the clock rate of the Ryzen CPUs, which is always slightly lower in direct comparison, is more than compensated for.

The AMD Ryzen 9 are the new bosses of the upper middle class

The best processor from AMD for modern software in the upper middle class is the Ryzen 9. Two models with currently twelve and 16 cores offer unprecedented performance on an infrastructure that has existed for three years, the AM4 socket. Intel’s current mainstream flagship, the Core i9-9900K, is left behind with a minimal surcharge. The problem: The Ryzen 9 3900X was very poorly available for months, only since October has there been a gradual improvement. The Ryzen 9 3950X started similarly modest at the end of November, so far this CPU has only been available in very small quantities for a short time.

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is the recommendation of the golden mean

The best new processor in the middle is the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X. This CPU is extremely efficient with eight cores and 16 threads at only 65 watts because it offers a very high performance but also consumes very little power. For 325 euros in applications they are on par with the Intel Core i9-9900K, which costs 160 euros more. The grip on the somewhat faster Ryzen 7 3800X (test) on paper, however, is usually not worth it.

The affordable alternative: Ryzen 5 with 12 threads from 115 euros

However, AMD has also set up an interesting product in the price range below: The expiring Ryzen 5 2600 is an alternative for just under 120 euros. There are no 12 threads cheaper.

The best processor for applications

This is shown in a fragmentary diagram with the parameters price to performance in multi-core applications in the price range between 100 and 800 euros, which generously covers the middle class. As the second Ryzen generation has given in very much in price, in this way it stands in front of all new models, only the Ryzen 5 3600 is installed nearby, at Intel it is the Core i5-9400F. Traditionally, the small mid-range CPUs do the most for their money, processors with more cores and more power are percentage-wise much more expensive and turn out worse and worse in this view. But they are not per se, because in their area of ​​application they can still be the best choice.

Getting started: four cores are good, Pentium and Athlon live on

The same also applies to an office or multimedia PC: there should normally be four cores. And here are also AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (test) or 3200G and Core i3-9100F. However, two-core CPUs do not have to be completely discouraged compared to a gaming PC.

For a pure office PC at minimal cost, the three AMD Athlon (test) completely replaced the Intel Pentium. Although they are close in price, AMD’s models offer the best overall package due to the smallest and largest Athlon design in terms of price and performance.

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  Test: performance rating for applications (multi-core)

  • • AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
    • AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
    • AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX
    • AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    • Intel Core i9-10980XE
    • AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
    • AMD Ryzen 9 3900X (AGESA 1.0.0.4)
    • AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
    • Intel Core i9-9980XE
    • Intel Core i9-7980XE
    • AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
    • Intel Core i9-7960X
    • AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X
    • Intel Core i9-9900KS
    • AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X
    • Intel Core i9-9900X
    • Intel Core i9-7900X
    • AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
    • Intel Core i9-9900K
    • Intel Core i9-9900KS (127/159 LT)
    • AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    • Intel Core i9-9900K (95/119 W LT)
    • Intel Core i7-9800X
    • AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
    • AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
    • AMD Ryzen 5 3600
    • Intel Core i7-9700
    • AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
    • AMD Ryzen 7 2700
    • Intel Core i7-8700K
    • AMD Ryzen 7 1700
    • AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
    • Intel Core i7-9700 (65/81 W LT)
    • AMD Ryzen 5 2600
    • AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
    • Intel Core i5-9400F
    • Intel Core i7-7700K
    • Intel Core i5-8400
    • AMD Ryzen 5 3400G
    • AMD Ryzen 5 2400G
    • Intel Core i7-4770K
    • AMD Ryzen 3 3200G
    • Intel Core i7-2600K
    • AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
    • AMD Athlon 3000G
    • AMD Athlon 240GE
    • Intel Pentium Gold 5400
    • AMD Athlon 200GE

In the high-end area: AMD Threadripper

There are also offers above Core i9 and AMD Ryzen 9 and in this “high-end desktop” segment (HEDT) AMD’s flagship Threadripper 3970X and 3960X with 32 and 24 cores (test) have been the absolute ultimate since the end of November. They have almost no weaknesses, but are also extremely expensive, which applies not only to the CPU, but also to the new platform, which is absolutely necessary. Only those who need the last bit of performance and know exactly where to call it should strike. At the beginning of December, however, only the 24-core model is currently available.

The smaller, older thread rippers, on the other hand, have been almost completely made redundant by the new Ryzen 3000, unless quad-channel memory and more PCIe lanes are required. Even the new 12-core engine does as much as a 16-core thread ripper, while the Ryzen 9 3950X with 16 cores ensures even more pressure from below.

And Intel? At the start of October, the chip giant launched its high-end CPU family Cascade Lake-X. A halved price of the flagship Core i9-10980XE (test) speaks for the model, but the extreme performance of the AMD processors leaves almost no gap for these CPUs. In the end, it is a mixture of “too little” performance paired with a performance that is much too late, and the X299 including Core X will only be on the siding at the end of 2019. But the question of how to buy is not really right: the CPUs are not yet available.

The best CPU with an integrated GPU

There is only one answer to the question about the manufacturer of the best CPU with a strong graphics card in 2019: AMD. The manufacturer clearly plays in a league of its own, Intel’s (U) HD Graphics or Iris Plus Graphics solutions don’t (yet) stand a chance. And the better performance is even available at no extra charge: the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G is already available for 80 euros, the successor Ryzen 3 3200G (test) costs minimally more. Intel can only match its GPU performance if an additional discrete solution is installed – the package is also more expensive.

However, interested parties should be aware of the limitations in performance compared to current dedicated GPUs. Even GeForce GTX 1050 (Ti) and Radeon RX 560 are significantly faster.

What does the TDP mean?

How can it be that two processors with the same Thermal Design Power (TDP) consume so much differently? Or that Core i7-8700K, -8700 and -8700T with 60 watts difference are almost as fast in the TDP? BitcoinMinersHashrate has dealt with the subject in detail several times in the past and highlighted the current definition of TDP by AMD and Intel in the article “CPU Power Consumption: What” TDP “for AMD and Intel currently means”.

An entire PC belongs to the processor

A processor alone does not make a PC, additional components are required – especially the mainboard and the main memory. In the RAM market, as with graphics cards, there has been a significant relaxation in prices thanks to the end of the mining boom, and graphics cards have even had the cheapest prices for a long time.

The forum offers help with the compilation of entire PCs: Here, readers are working on constantly updated articles that clarify what the optimal PC, including the appropriate processor and the surrounding area, looks like for a specific budget.

The first step is the compilation for the ideal gaming PC with over 6,000,000 hits. She names six basic configurations from 450 to 1,400 euros. Many of the CPUs mentioned here can be found there directly.

More buying advice, comparisons, tests and rankings

On BitcoinMinersHashrate there are numerous other purchase advice for the hardware area:

In parallel to the recommendations of the editors, it is always worth taking a look at the report “Mainboards and CPUs: Technical Discussions” in the BitcoinMinersHashrate forum. There, well-informed members of the community provide support when it comes to questions about buying a new processor.

The recommended processors can be purchased from Alternate *, Caseking * or Mindfactory, for example. Amazon *, on the other hand, is rarely suitable for this device class. The dealers mentioned, like the manufacturers, have no influence on the monthly recommendations of the editors, nor have they paid for this link. Instead, BitcoinMinersHashrate participates in the sales proceeds by purchasing one of these links. This does not increase prices. BitcoinMinersHashrate subscribers will not see this section.

(*) The links marked with an asterisk are affiliate links. If an order is placed via such a link, BitcoinMinersHashrate will share in the sales proceeds without the price for the customer increasing.

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