The Best CPUs for Gaming in 2026

Tom’s Hardware’s^[1] and PC Gamer’s^[2] top gaming CPU. Tom’s Hardware says it beats the $469 Core i9-14900K by about 30% in games; the newer 9850X3D is technically faster but only marginally. Tom’s Hardware saw it at $444 on sale ($479 regularly).

Tom’s Hardware’s^[1] mid-range pick and on PC Gamer’s^[2] list. It costs $219. PC Gamer notes the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus costs about $100 more and beats the Core Ultra 9 285K in games.

Tom’s Hardware’s^[1] highest-performance pick, for top-shelf gaming and application performance, though it throws value out the window. $889. Tom’s Hardware’s alternative is the $449 Core i9-14900K.

Tom’s Hardware’s^[1] budget pick at $139, which gets you onto AMD’s current AM5 platform. Its alternative is the $100 Ryzen 5 5600 for AM4.

A Tom’s Hardware^[1] alternate pick at $316. PC Gamer^[2] says it beats the Core Ultra 9 285K in games.

Tom’s Hardware’s^[1] mid-range alternate, with AMD’s gaming-boosting 3D V-Cache. Tom’s Hardware lists it at $298 in its summary and about $240 in its text, so watch for sales.

Tom’s Hardware’s^[1] DDR4 pick is the Ryzen 7 5800X3D 10th Anniversary Edition ($339), since the original 5700X3D and 5800X3D have reached end of life. It lets you keep your DDR4 memory while DDR5 prices are high. PC Gamer^[2] recommends the 5700X3D as an AM4 upgrade.

Tom’s Hardware’s^[1] integrated graphics pick at $191. It says the 8600G delivers about 90% of the 8700G’s performance for about $80 less. PC Gamer^[2] picks the 8700G ($260).