Assembling a high-performance computer for demanding dynamic games, a potential buyer always faces a choice: which processor to give preference to. Indeed, in addition to several branded manufacturers, there are many platforms on the market, each of which has its own flagship.
The focus of this article is on the gaming processor. The reader will get acquainted with the offer of manufacturers, find out which product is better in each price category, and also see the test results clearly.
Weak link
Better to start with the fact that all processors that are based on one physical core will not be considered. The fact is that there has long been evidence of the low efficiency of single-core platforms. Any attempt by the buyer to purchase such a game processor will not lead to anything good.
Firstly, most modern games are created for multi-core platforms (2-4 cores). The second criterion for the insolvency of a low-performance crystal is the inability to unleash the potential of a gaming video adapter. Naturally, the user has a lot of questions regarding the inoperability of an expensive graphics accelerator.
Also, experts in their reviews recommend that potential buyers do not consider crystals operating at low frequencies as gaming solutions. It is better to set the minimum mark at the threshold of 3000 MHz. This condition affects not only personal computers, but also mobile devices, albeit increased energy consumption.
Pricing and games manufacturers
For a long time already on the market there is an opinion that the AMD gaming processor has the best price, and in terms of performance nothing can be found more powerful than the Intel chip. There is some truth to this when considering the problem from one angle, when comparing the number of cores and their operating frequency, however, IT experts recommend focusing on the needs of the end user.
Almost all AMD crystals are excellently accelerated, which attracts the attention of potential buyers who want to save money. But only in reviews and tests for some reason there is no information about the heating of crystals and the necessary cooling. On the other hand, Intel processors are credited with too many advantages that the modern gamer does not need at all. Therefore, a buyer who wants to purchase a fairly productive device at minimal cost will have to get to know the processors on the market closer.
Crystals of the past generation
It's no secret that Intel processors based on 4 cores are still in demand by many fans of resource-intensive games. True, such a solution is useful only to those users who own a full-fledged ATX motherboard that supports 8 GB of RAM (4 strips of 2 GB each). It is also recommended to pay attention to processor support. Very often, manufacturers of cheap motherboards do not work with powerful multi-core crystals.
Budget Quad Core game processor or Xeon server solution coupled with a gaming video adapter and SSD SSD will cope with any existing game in the world. Only here it will not be possible to achieve perfectly realistic quality - there is a serious limitation on the average graphics settings. But such an inexpensive solution suits many users, so the crystals for the socket 775 platform will be in demand for a long time.
Do not forget that the availability of server processors with two and four cores based on Xeon does not limit the performance of the old platform. There are still extremely fast Extreme Edition crystals on the market, which can increase the performance of the corresponding system (we are talking about Socket 775) twice, or even three times.
Available segment
The initial class of modern components is opened by AMD game processors with two A4 core cores. It would seem that it can be better than 2 physical cores operating at a frequency of 3200 MHz! In addition, the chip has a built-in graphics core AMD Radeon HD7480. However, during the testing process, it is discovered that the processor has obvious problems with mathematical calculations. The reason for this is a small amount of cache memory (moreover, the processor has only two levels).
In the price range up to 2000 rubles, the A4 line has only one competitor - the 4th generation Intel Celeron. As practice shows, this budget crystal also has integrated graphics, but, unlike AMD products, it cannot be overclocked.
Both budget products are clearly not included in the top game processors, but fans of low-power games (for example, World of Tanks) will like them, because using integrated graphics at a resolution of 1600x900 dpi, the user will be able to achieve 50 FPS at medium quality settings.
Distracting maneuver manufacturer
Readers have often had to deal with Intel Pentium G-series processors for the Socket 1150 platform . The manufacturer claims that the new crystal can surprise any customer. Yes, there will be no limit to the owner’s surprise when he decides to purchase such a product in return for the outdated Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Any testing (synthetic or gaming) will confirm that there is no difference in performance between the two processors.
In fact, this is the same crystal, which is slightly improved. After all, the best gaming processor for socket 775 simply could not disappear from the market. However, the transition of the buyer to a new platform opens up more opportunities for the player. Over time, you can increase the amount of RAM, change the processor or video card, which could not be done with an old motherboard.
Hot sale
In the initial game class, AMD X4 series crystals with 4 physical cores are in great demand. The fact is that for many users this particular product has become a real middle ground in terms of price-performance ratio.
For many potential buyers who wished to have 4 physical cores on hand on one platform, the choice of a game processor ended with only one manufacturer - AMD. The fact is that in the price range of up to 10,000 rubles Intel has nothing to offer.
In this class, the FX series processors have proven themselves well, having 4 and 8 cores on board. The manufacturer tried to saturate the market in demand with interesting and affordable products. Here, the buyer is better to focus on the cache of the first level and choose a crystal with the highest core frequency. Indeed, for AMD processors, these parameters primarily affect the performance of the entire platform.
Winged swing
Intel gaming processors are also present in the primary class, but they are all limited to only two physical cores. Naturally, the buyer clearly does not like such an offer, but you should not rush to conclusions. As practice shows, Core i3 crystals are capable of much, and even outperform all competitors in performance.
Intel processors have a large cache volume and do a great job of mathematical calculations, but they have serious problems with working with RAM. This is exactly what competitors use, choosing special tests where the speed of information exchange between the processor and memory is required. In demanding toys, where a large amount of memory is required (for example, GTA 5), you can notice the difference in the work of two processors (Intel and AMD), however, not all games are so dependent on the memory frequency.
Higher, faster, stronger
A powerful gaming processor in the price range of up to 15,000 rubles is not so easy to choose. On the one hand, Intel offers its Core i5 solution, which is able to cope with any demanding games that exist on the market. The AMD team, on the other hand, has prepared a surprise for all its fans, providing the crystal with a powerful gaming video adapter integrated directly into the processor.
Naturally, many buyers prefer the 2-in-1 system, because discrete graphics accelerators are not cheap and users simply do not want to overpay. But there is a flip side to the coin - the integrated video card "steals" RAM for your needs, and the speed of exchange of this memory between the GPU leaves much to be desired (DDR3 versus DDR5).
How to deal with business?
In the middle price category, it’s not so easy to pick up a game processor. "Which one to choose - Core i5 or A10?" - Almost every second buyer is interested. Experts in their reviews recommend that newcomers take their time and prioritize their needs.
A powerful multi-core Intel chip will be more interesting to owners of productive video game-level adapters, because only it is able to fully reveal the potential of a graphics accelerator. Also, the Core i5 is worth a closer look and people who are not only interested in games, but also are engaged in a professional level working with 3D graphics, modeling or video editing.
But for owners of budget video adapters that use all the resources of a personal computer for games, it is better to give preference to the AMD A10 series processor. And do not get too carried away with overclocking such a crystal, because a 95 W thermal package requires decent cooling.
Unique processors
The AMD game processor with six cores on board is clearly able to attract attention. After all, this is one of the few products on the market that combines affordable cost and high performance. Although many users in their reviews reproach the manufacturer for using 8-core solutions with blocked cores to create such crystals, the fact remains that in the middle segment this processor is still considered the best choice.
An important factor responsible for performance is not the core frequency, but the installed cache. All 6-core platforms with this parameter have a complete order: the crystal copes well with mathematical calculations and is quite competitive with Intel Core i5 products. What confuses me is the lack of an integrated graphics accelerator, which all fans of AMD products are so used to. But still, the performance of the entire platform is more interesting to the buyer than an inferior symbiosis.
Powerful gaming platform
Intel managed to attract the attention of potential buyers to its unique socket 2011 platform. The best gaming processor Core i7 Extreme Edition still ranks first in the performance rating of all platforms. Only the price of such a solution confuses - not every buyer is ready to give 50,000 rubles per crystal.
The main feature of such a system is the support of three-channel operation of RAM. Do not forget about PCIex16 slots for graphics accelerators - all of them also support accelerated data transfer and are focused on high performance of the entire gaming platform.
The only negative that owners pay attention to in their reviews is the cost of all components. The processor, memory, motherboard and several video adapters require quite substantial financial resources from the buyer. On the other hand, such a platform is able to cope with any resource-intensive game.
New technologies are the key to success
After the appearance on the market of a new format of DDR4 RAM, Intel was quick to surprise its fans with new crystals in the Core i3 / 5/7 line. True, under the slogan “Choose a game processor!” A well-known American manufacturer forgot to add that in practice the overall system performance does not increase in proportion to the cost of the crystals. As for the professional use of a computer (3D modeling, video processing and working with complex mathematical calculations), such a platform is unlikely to work. At least in terms of price-quality ratio, you can build a platform much cheaper.
Perhaps in the next few years, manufacturers will be able to significantly increase the speed of the platform, but at the moment there is no point in overpaying for the transition to Socket 1151 and 2011-3. Here it is better to take an example from AMD, which did not dare to such an insidious plan to attract potential buyers to their products.
New trend dictates conditions
In pursuit of a powerful crystal, most buyers are trying to save on a graphics card. But gaming GPUs are the basic devices for launching any resource-intensive games. As practice shows, it is better to save on the processor and take a powerful video adapter than to be content with a budget accelerator with a powerful processor.
In fact, in the media you can find a lot of comparisons of both video cards and crystals, but experts recommend focusing on market segmentation. Do not forget about integrated solutions. Often, such a purchase allows the user to get good performance and benefits.
Inexpensive AMD processors with four cores, which have a small cache size, are best purchased with integrated graphics. The crystal will not be able to reveal the potential of a discrete game adapter, but the user will be able to save quite a lot.
Mobile market with its own terms
Gaming processors for laptops are practically no different from the components of a personal computer. All the same price segmentation and separation of performance. True, there is another branch that significantly affects the choice of customers. Intel crystals installed in laptops have low heat dissipation, and AMD products tend to get very hot due to increased power consumption.
As practice shows, for most users, a powerful AMD processor in a mobile device often causes trouble. However, experts in their reviews assure that the whole problem comes down to the human factor. The fact is that all gaming laptops need to be cleaned often (2 times a year) from dust. Naturally, most users do not, blaming AMD for releasing low-quality processors.
Gaming laptops
With mobile devices, everything is simple - the buyer does not need to look for which processors are gaming and which are not. In the expensive segment, the manufacturer independently calculated the performance of the entire platform and provided the end customer with a decent result. True, the choice is not as great as in the personal computer market.
Users can give preference to AMD crystals of the A10 line or look in the direction of Core i5 / 7 processors from the manufacturer Intel. On this, the whole choice ends, and before the potential buyer there is a problem with the choice of the gaming video adapter that the laptop is equipped with. Once again, experts in their reviews recommend that beginners give preference to a powerful discrete graphics card in damage to processor performance.
The right approach
Among the sellers in the computer market, there is a special technique that allows you to quickly assemble a personal computer. Oddly enough, the game processor is not selected in the first place. Preference is given to the motherboard and video adapter. Well, then comes the turn of choosing a crystal and RAM. This completes the layout of the final cost agreement.
And then everything is simple: the cost of the hard drive, power supply, case, monitor, and other computer components is voiced alternately. And the buyer makes a decision - whether he is ready to pay extra for equipment, or for the sake of buying the necessary component, he will have to sacrifice the performance of the personal computer as a whole.
This technique provides an opportunity for a potential buyer to understand what is the difference between the components in different price categories, because when changing the configuration, the seller comments on which games and on which settings will go on the assembled computer.
Finally
Choosing a game processor in the domestic market is quite easy. You just need to find out the system requirements for your favorite toy and choose the right components for building a gaming platform, focusing on your own finances. At first it seems complicated, but in practice, everything is decided in a matter of minutes. The main thing is to always remember that the performance of the entire system depends not only on the processor, but also needs a powerful graphics accelerator with fast enough RAM.