Best CPUs for Gaming in 2025

Upon the release of the 9000 series of Ryzen, high prices disappointed many experts — despite the noticeable progress of the Zen 5 architecture, the novelties were often criticized, preferring the proven 7000 series models. Over the past six months, market forces adjusted the prices, and now Ryzen 7 9700X is one of the most popular processors available for purchase.

By passport, this is the usual 8-core for the Ryzen 7 series, with support for multithreading, a maximum clock speed of 5.5 GHz, and 32 MB of L3 cache. Thanks to a successful architecture update, the Ryzen 7 9700X demonstrates solid performance in both single-core and multi-core work: in synthetic Cinebench and Geekbench tests, it achieves almost the same numbers as the 12-core flagship Ryzen 9 9700X from two years ago.

Overall, the Ryzen 7 9700X shows high competence in almost any field, whether it's gaming, software with high multi-threaded loads, or tasks requiring the highest clock speeds. The downside is weak potential for undervolting overclocking, the absence of an NPU block, and relatively significant heat emissions when using PBO (Precision Boost Overdrive) and switching to TDP 105 W mode. Many reviews recommend immediately installing full-format water cooling, but if you do not plan to overexert it, a high-quality single-tower cooler like Thermalright Peerless Assassin will be sufficient.

After extended three-year support for the LGA 1700 platform, Intel announced a long-awaited total update of its lineup: new Core Ultra processors replaced the cores in Intel Core, and socket 1700 will be replaced by a more modern platform LGA 1851. In the new chips, Intel completely reworked the neural block, improved energy efficiency, and regrettably for some experts, abandoned Hyper-Threading support. One of the most interesting processors in the new lineup is the Core Ultra 7 265KF, which can be conditionally attributed to the intermediate level.

Core Ultra 7 265KF is a 20-core chip with Intel's signature hybrid core architecture from the latest releases. Here, 8 powerful P-cores Lion Cove operates at a base frequency of 3.9 GHz and can be overclocked to 5.4 GHz, while 12 economical E-cores work in the range from 3.3 to 4.6 GHz. The processor supports the PCI-E 5.0 interface, can work with DDR5 memory with a maximum frequency of 6400 MHz, and is equipped with a separate NPU block.

Considering that in gaming tests, the new Core Ultra 7 265KF falls behind its predecessor Intel Core i7-14700F (12-18% depending on the game and settings), this option fits better in a balanced assembly in the spirit of "both gaming and productive work". Thanks to record-breaking single-core performance, the Core Ultra 7 265KF should appeal to users whose tasks don't scale well with core count (for example, music producers). The built-in neural block with 13 TOPS will be suitable for working with Copilot and other AI tools outside the cloud. The new 1851 platform provides room for maneuver if the need arises to upgrade the system. Overall, it's very much in the spirit of Intel’s latest releases.

The launch of Intel Core Ultra's new processor lineup in 2024 was ambiguous — on the one hand, core performance improved, PCI-E 5.0 support was added, and neural block capabilities were boosted; on the other hand, many were puzzled by the absence of multithreading and modest performance increase in games. Therefore, the well-time-tested Core i7-14700F is an excellent alternative to the novelties.

Core i7-14700F is one of the most interesting Intel releases in recent years: 20 cores (8P + 12E), 28 threads, auto-overclocking to 5.6 GHz, PCI-E 5.0 support, and compatibility with two types of RAMs (DDR4 and DDR5). Moreover, in gaming tests, it confirms its potential: paired with a graphics card like GeForce RTX 4080/5080, the hero of the review lags behind the flagship of the previous generation Core i9-13900K by just 3-6%. At the same time, it heats up noticeably less and costs almost 20% cheaper.

Considering it's far from the first Core i7-14700F test, we allow ourselves to reiterate: Core i7 13th and 14th chips provide performance at the level of high-end processors three years ago and without problems meet the needs of even the most demanding gamers. The only condition — don’t skimp on the cooling system and power supply, as the chip is quite hot and requires a lot of energy.

Intel Core i9-14900K is the flagship processor of the Raptor Lake Refresh lineup (14th generation), designed for uncompromising gaming and work systems. It is equipped with 24 physical cores (8P + 16E) and can simultaneously process up to 32 threads. The maximum frequency of P-cores reaches 6.0 GHz, placing the processor in leading positions in single-threaded performance, which is especially important for modern demanding games like the recent S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl and TES IV: Oblivion Remastered.

Like all 14th-generation models, it is tailored for the platform LGA 1700, can work with two types of memory (DDR4-3200 and DDR5-5600), has PCI-E 5.0 support, and unlocked multiplier. In games, Core i9-14900K shows excellent results, especially in 1080p and 1440p resolutions, where frame rate and single-thread performance are important. In purely gaming tasks, it successfully competes with the Ryzen 7800X3D with 3D cache; however, due to the larger number of cores and threads, it performs better in mixed scenarios.

To unleash the potential of the Intel Core i9-14900K, you will need a reliable motherboard with advanced system logic, a quality power supply and a powerful cooling system. In real workloads, the model's heat generation can reach 250-300 watts. It's also important to remember that Intel loves updating its platforms for the sake of updating; this is the last generation supporting socket LGA 1700, and for future upgrades, a transition to a new platform will be required.

After the release of Ryzen 7 9700X, many awaited the version with 3D V-Cache from AMD. Fortunately, AMD did not delay the release, launching the 3D versions in the fall of 2024. Essentially, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a modified version of the 8-core Ryzen 7 9700X processor, enhanced with two additional layers of L3 cache memory.

Although cache isn't the most exciting and discussed topic, increasing the total volume from 32 to 96 MB does wonders in gaming tests. The 96 MB allows the processor to access data faster in games, where predictable and frequent memory work is important. Thanks to this, in Cyberpunk 2077, Baldur’s Gate 3, and other "CPU-dependent" titles, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D often surpasses the 16-core flagship Ryzen 9 9950X.

However, the traditional limitations of the X3D series still apply — manual overclocking is unavailable, and undervolting provides almost no benefit. Additionally, there is no NPU block in the processor, causing it to lag in tasks involving AI and multimedia processing. In standard modes, power consumption and heating remain moderate, but when activating PBO, it's better to plan for water cooling — especially in compact bodies. Overall, history repeats itself: here's the most powerful gaming processor at the moment, but for work tasks, it's worth considering alternatives with more cores and an NPU.