2022 Best Intel Processors for Gaming and Laptop Recommendations

Best intel processors for gaming 1
Credit: danielmegias

Choosing the perfect processor for PC gaming is difficult, especially with Ryzen, Threadripper, Core X, and Intel’s several “Lakes” on the market.

Here, we’re going to dive deeper into the best intel processors for gaming to understand them better.

We’ll also give you our laptop recommendations for each processor!

This is Adrian’s story.

I wasn’t really sure about buying a new laptop when…

my gaming friend recommended another processor for me to try.

I’ve been complaining that my game kept on freezing and crashing.

It’s not because I don’t want to change my laptop, it’s because there’s so many option…

…and I don’t want to buy the wrong one!

My friend promised me to choose Intel i7 and he didn’t lie!

It made a lot of difference for my games!

Do I have your attention? 

If you can relate to what Adrian’s saying and hoping to finally know when to replace your laptop, let’s get into the real topic.

The Important of Cores for Gaming

For the past few years, AMD has been running laps around Intel in terms of cost-per-core value, which is a windfall for anyone who runs a lot of multithreaded programs.

Eight-core CPUs were formerly out of reach for most purchasers, but owing to the Ryzen revolution in recent years, eight-, 12-, and even 16-core processors are now available to the general public.

As a result, AMD is frequently the better choice for people who use their PCs for both gaming and digital content creation. If all other factors remain constant, the more cores squeezed into a CPU die, the lower the top single-core frequency will be.

However, because few games now know how to use more than four cores at once, you may get away with paying less on a four- or six-core processor (of which both AMD and Intel have several strong offerings).

Although games like Grand Theft Auto V have been known to use six cores on occasion, and titles like Civilization VI use all available cores when calculating AI turns, extra cores are rarely used during gaming sessions unless you’re streaming your game to Twitch.

About Intel

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The world of the finest CPU for gaming does not have to be dominated by processors with the most cores or the fastest clock speeds on the market. Indeed, while chipsets have continued to improve in speed and efficiency, a CPU from a few years ago will be just as good for the vast majority of PC gaming titles after everything is said and done.

We’ve been blown away by what we’ve seen from Intel’s 12th generation processors, which include DDR5 RAM and PCIe 5.0 compatibility, and we’re confident that AMD’s AM5 roadmap will provide healthy competition if it lives up to its promise.

If you’re looking for something current generation, the greatest CPU for gaming right now is a toss-up between 12th generation Intel and AMD’s Ryzen 5000 series. It’s worth noting, though, that an Intel chipset from a few years ago, such as the 10th or 11th generations, and the AMD Ryzen 3000 range, are both feasible options if you can locate them at a price.

Fortunately, costs for previous-generation chipsets have been continuously declining, allowing you to save a significant amount of money and invest it in components that will gain the most from the jump, such as the finest graphics cards.  When using the best CPU for gaming this year, motherboard compatibility will also dictate the type of chipset setup you can choose.

The AM4 socket is used by both AMD’s Ryzen 3000 and 5000 CPU lines, but things get a little more difficult when it comes to Intel’s last few generations.

Although Intel still utilizes LGA, if you want the 12th generation, which includes DDR5 RAM compatibility, you’ll need an LGA 1700 socket motherboard, such as the Z690, which can be quite pricey right now.

However, if you’re looking for a 10th or 11th generation processor, both chipsets use the LGA 1200 socket, so keep that in mind when calculating the cost of your new computer.

Difference in Technology

In terms of price, the Core-i5 processor is considered to be in the middle of the pack.
It is available in dual-core and quad-core CPUs, and it may be used in laptops or desktop computers. It was first released in 2009 and is still going strong today.

It is available in a range of clock rates from 1.90 GHz to 3.80 GHz. It can have 3 MB, 4 MB, or 6 MB of cache capacity. DDR3 1333 or DDR3 1600 RAM is the most popular type of RAM utilized with a Core i5 processor.

The higher the clock speed, the higher the power consumption, as a rule of thumb. A Core i5 CPU with a clock speed of 1.90 GHz, for example, consumes 11.5 watts of power, whereas an i5 processor with a clock speed of 3.20 GHz consumes up to 35 watts.

The Core i7 CPUs, on the other hand, are high-end performance processors. Only customers who require high-resolution software processing, such as AAA games, video editing, and object rendering, should consider the Core i7.

The Core i7 is a series of Intel chipsets with four or six cores that span eight generations. The clock speed can vary between 2.6 and 3.7 GHz.

They were first released in 2008 and are still available today. Overclocking, which can reach speeds of up to 5 GHz utilizing Intel Turbo Boost Technology, and High-efficiency i7 processors, which can save energy at the sacrifice of some CPU performance output, are two of the fantastic characteristics that some of the i7 processors come with.

The i7 is primarily targeted at high-end gamers and artists in the film industry, among others.

Furthermore, the Core-hyper-threading i7’s allows you to multitask without sacrificing performance. Hyper-threading allows you to run several threads on a single computer. More threads mean more work can be done at the same time.

Budget Comparison

About $197 gets you an Intel Core i5-3470 Quad-Core Processor 3.2 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155. Without graphics, the Intel Core i5-9400F Desktop processor with 6 cores and 4.1 GHz Turbo costs $143.50.

Also available for $167 is the Intel Core i5-9400 Desktop Processor 6 Core 2.90 GHz up to 4.1 GHz Turbo LGA.

The Intel Core i7 9700K Desktop processor, on the other hand, costs around $300 and has 8 cores with a clock speed of up to 4.9 GHz Turbo.

The Intel Core i7-9700 Desktop Processor, which has eight cores and a clock speed of up to 4.7 GHz, costs $268. The Intel Core i7-3770 Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz 4 Core is an older iteration of Core i7 processors that costs around $150.

As you can see, with all other factors being equal, the Core-i7 CPUs provided higher clock speeds, more threads, and hence higher performance for your CPU, but at a cost.

The fundamental question is whether the Core-i7 is worthwhile. Why not get a solid mid-range Core i5 CPU and use the money saved to get an excellent GPU to go with it? Is there a chance that this would result in improved gameplay output? Processors aren’t the only thing that can be the reason why gaming laptops are good.

Intel i5

The Core-i7 outperforms the Core-i5 by a small margin, albeit at a larger cost. Multitasking is one area where the Core-i7 actually outperforms the i5, thanks to several cores and hyper-threading technologies.

The vast majority of PC gamers would not pay approximately $100 more for a core-i7 processor in order to run apps in the background while playing games.

You could put the money you’d save on a good graphics card. Even older iterations of the Core-i5 are compatible with the latest graphics cards, such as the RTX 2080, which is one of the most powerful graphics processing units currently available.

Gaming Laptop Choices with Intel i5

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Best intel processors for gaming

Hasee TX8-CU5DK Laptop for Gaming

Intel i7

So here’s the thing,

The incredible clock-speed is the most evident cause. You can get up to 4.9 GHz with the Core-i7 9700(KF) thanks to its eight-core and eight-thread design. However, when compared to the Core-i5 of the same generation, you’ll have to pay roughly $140 more.

Is it really worth it to spend the extra cash?

Well, that is entirely up to you, the user. If you’re a streamer who needs to play games while also streaming on Twitch or Mixer, the extra fee can be worth it because you’ll be able to play games and publish to streaming services at the same time.

The other main reason to choose the Core-i7 is what gamers have dubbed “future-proofing,” because, as they say, change is inevitable. This is particularly true in the gaming industry.

Technology will continue to improve, and games will require increasingly powerful PCs to run them at a reasonable frame rate and with acceptable graphical quality.

To stay up with all of these changes, you’ll need to continually upgrading your system. Instead of regularly purchasing new hardware, it may be more cost effective to invest a little more money and purchase a strong processor that will last at least two generations of game consoles.

Of course, the risk with this method is that the future is never definite. You have no idea what kind of graphics cards AMD or NVidia will release, let alone what their system requirements will be.

There’s a potential that even with a Core-i7, you’ll have to continually updating hardware components. Future-proofing may not be as secure as it appears.

Gaming Laptop Choices with Intel i7

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8 Generation Intel i7-8550U CPU Nvdia Gaming Laptop

 

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Hasee G8-CU7NK Laptop for Gaming

Final Words

All in all,

It’s pointless to spend money on the best graphics card available just to have your performance stifled by a processor that can’t keep up, resulting in a CPU bottleneck.

When it comes to videogame frame rates, your CPU is critical, especially when it comes to maintaining constant frame timings.

It’s worth noting that you don’t need the finest gaming CPU to have high frame rates because the amount of work a processor does vary depending on the game.

Conclusion

That’s all from us!

What kind of gaming laptop are you using right now?

If you’re also using either Intel i5 or i7 for gaming, please share your experience in the comment bellow!

It might help a lot of people that’s still mulling things over.

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