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Single-core performance is up, too, without a big trade-off in multi-core performance. The 11600K blows past Intel’s last-gen offerings and offers more credible competition to AMD’s mid-range chips in productivity tasks, leveraging application-specific accelerators to great effect. The gen-on-gen improvements are clearer in non-gaming tasks. Although not quite the generational improvement Intel fans hoped for, the 11600K proves that you don’t need a high-end processor for gaming. In some games, such as Death Stranding, the 11600K actually beats last-gen’s 10700K and can match the 10900K in others. It depends on the game, but the 11600K maintains a small but measurable lead over the 10600K in most titles. It’s worse than the Core i5-12600K by a long shot, but you might be able to snag a chip for cheap - which will open up a little more budget for one of the best graphics cards. Intel’s 11th-gen Rocket Lake platform isn’t perfect, but the Core i5-11600K is still a decent option. Why you should buy this: It’s still a solid midrange CPU, and you can usually find it on sale. The 10 cores provide plenty of bandwidth for gaming and streaming, which is something we rarely see on a $300 processor. That’s not the case with the Core i5-12600K. For gaming and streaming, we usually recommend bumping up a step. This class of CPU is usually best for pure gaming. It also benefits from the hybrid 12th-gen architecture. Overall, it manages to top the gaming charts, only playing second fiddle to the more expensive processors from Intel’s 12th-gen lineup. In games, it can outpace even the Ryzen 9 5950X in some cases - and that processor is nearly three times as expensive. The single-core improvements with Intel’s 12th-gen processors shine with the Core i5-12600K. The performance cores shred through games, while the extra efficient cores provide some extra bandwidth for more demanding workloads. It comes packed with 10 cores for around $300, with six performance cores and four efficient cores. It’s not just the best Intel processor or the best gaming processor, but the best processor overall. The Core i5-12600K is the best CPU you can buy right now.
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Who it’s for: Gamers who need a little extra bandwidth. Why you should buy this: It’s the best Intel processor on the market right now. With 10 cores available, it has plenty of room for productivity work, and the performance cores offer enough juice to outpace the competition in games. It’s the best CPU you can buy right now, not just the best Intel CPU.
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The Core i5-12600K tops the list thanks to its aggressive price and high performance. Intel is back on top in gaming and productivity, with a range of new chips that massively improve on the previous generation while outperforming the AMD competition. Fitbit Versa 3Īlthough we haven’t had a ton of options for our list of the best Intel processors over the past few years, that changed with the arrival of the 12th-generation Alder Lake platform.