Best Intel CPU in 2022 (Gaming, Budget, Overclocking, Workstation)
The Best Rocket Lake, Comet Lake And Other Intel CPUs Currently Available
As many will already know, Intel has recently released their latest 11th Gen Rocket Lake processors to the consuming public. The new series of processors includes their latest flagship gaming CPU – the 11900K – which has so far proved disappointing, and we hope that future software updates can unlock some of its potential. Other entries, however, like the 11600k have actually proved to be worthy additions.
With the arrival of Intel’s latest CPU line-up, we thought now would be a great time to do a comprehensive recap on the best Intel CPUs currently available. We’ll be taking all major factors into consideration whilst choosing the best Intel CPUs, ensuring all essential criteria and consumer needs are met.
So, that being said, let’s waste no further time and dive into the best Intel CPUs available.
Our Top Picks
Best Intel CPU In 2021
In-depth Review
Intel Core i9-12900K
Intel Core i9-12900K
The Intel i9-12900K is Intel’s latest flagship CPU, coming to the table boasting an abundance of high-performance benchmarking results and great overclocking potential – when paired with the right Z690 motherboard. Whilst Ryzen held the crown in terms of best overall CPU, the 12900K may have just snuck it back – especially when it comes to out-the-box gaming and overclocking. As far as gaming is concerned, the 12900K outperforms the Ryzen in almost every scenario. You can see the full results here.
The new 16 core/ 24 thread processor is clocked at a base speed of 3.9GHz and can be boosted to 5.20GHz quite easily. It can smash pretty much everything you throw at it out of the box and will only be slowed by the inevitable GPU bottleneck.
That being said, the real fun comes when users want to overclock this CPU. It is one of the best out there for overclocking and initial reports have seen extreme cooling setups reach 7GHz on a single core. That’s pretty damn impressive, to say the least. If you don’t have liquid Nitrogen at hand, don’t worry, you’ll still be able to see healthy improvements in clock speed with a decent AIO cooler thanks to the Z690 being so supportive of overclocking.
Overall, whilst this probably isn’t the best value for money Intel CPU, it’s definitely the best right out the box.
Intel Core i5-12600KF
Intel Core i5-12600KF
In terms of price-to-performance, Intel consumers will struggle to find anything more suited to the title than the i5-12600K. This thing is absolutely brilliant. In fact, it’s so good, it’s almost made the 12th gen i7-12700K completely irrelevant at the current pricing – something we’ll discuss shortly. It certainly beats the 11th gen i7-11700K which was generally found to be a lacking entry in the Rocket Lake series – the 12600K has comparable performance but for significantly cheaper, rendering the supposedly ‘more powerful’ CPU effectively pointless.
This hugely anticipated CPU comes equipped with 10 cores and 16 threads, which is more than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, however, this, unfortunately, does not mean it matches its rival in workstation tasks. The Ryzen definitely has the edge in terms of general-use and multi-tasking benchmarking, but the same can not be said when it comes to gaming.
The Intel is unbeatable from a gaming standpoint, providing fantastic single-core performance benchmarking results that would even give the 10900K something to think about. Overall cores, the i5-12600K can boast a 3.60GHz base clock frequency but a 4.90GHz boost frequency. With a bit of overclocking the i5-12600K can be boosted to almost i9-10900K levels of performance, in some cases matching it if you’re lucky enough to get a particularly high-grade silicon chip. Obviously, you’ll have to pair this with an equally impressive Z690 motherboard, but if done correctly, users can get premium single-core performance at a much lower price point.
Thanks to the addition of hyperthreading the i5-12600K is even capable of some moderately intensive creative workflow tasks such as video rendering and 3D modeling. That being said, if this is your main agenda, you still want to be looking at the Ryzen alternative.
Overall, a really impressive CPU that gets our best gaming CPU award – and for good reason.
Intel i9-10980XE
Intel i9-10980XE
Intel’s leading workstation style CPU comes in the form of the i9-10980XE – a refresh of the 9980XE which, for lack of a better word, was pretty much the 7980XE with a slightly better clock boost. With Ryzen performing so highly on the multi-tasking and workstation benchmarks, it’ll be interesting to see how Intel has responded. Let’s dive into it.
The Intel i9-10980XE is Intel’s latest 18 core 36 thread processor, bringing with a base clock frequency of 3.0GHz and a boosted frequency of 4.60GHz across all cores. It’s Intel’s answer to the latest Threadripper CPUs from AMD that are taking the multi-tasking benchmarks by storm. Whilst this CPU still falls a little short of the Ryzen counterpart, it is still Intel’s best CPU as far as heavy multi-tasking workflows are considered.
As far as benchmarks go, the i9-10980XE in the stock configuration just edges the Ryzen 9 3950X in tasks such as Adobe and Blender. That being said, when overclocking to past 4.5GHz, users will see a decent jump up in performance when compared to the similarly “cored” Ryzen. In other workflow benchmarks such as 7-Zip, AIDA 64, and Handbrake, the I9-10980XE outperforms anything with the Intel ranks.
If you’re adamant about sticking with Intel and need a processor for heavy workflow type scenarios, the i9-10980XE is definitely the processor to go for.
Intel Core i5-10400
Intel Core i5-10400
Finally, we have the best budget Intel CPU, their i5-10400. Intel’s latest budget CPU may have been the recipient of a bit of criticism from some reviewers, but for the most part, we think it’s a pretty good option for people on a budget. It may not win any awards when it comes to multitasking scenarios, however, it’s pretty handy when it comes to lesser intensive gaming.
The 10400 is a 6 core processor that, like the rest of the 10th Gen Intel CPUs, does come with hyperthreading support. It has a 2.90GHz base clock frequency which can be boosted to 4.30GHz right out the box which makes it, fairly low-level when compared to today’s offerings. From a gaming standpoint, this is a pretty good choice for gamers wanting to play less-intensive titles such as CS:GO, Rainbow Six Siege, and the likes. It’ll easily push the previous gen Ryzen 3600 in terms of FPS figures, making it a fairly interesting prospect for Intel gamers.
However, this chip does come with its downfalls. For a start, it isn’t overclockable. Users will not be able to overclock this processor, meaning they’ll have to be happy with the 4.30GHz boost frequency the processor offers out-the-box. Furthermore, you’ll need to pair this CPU with an H or B series motherboard which, as some will know, doesn’t like to support faster speed memory modules.
Overall, however, if you are looking to put together a low-level budget Intel build, we feel the i5-10400 is a fantastic option.
Final Word
So, there you have it guys, our comprehensive breakdown of the best Intel CPUs for 2021. It’s safe to say; after Ryzen came crashing onto the scene with their hugely impressive 3000 series CPUs, Intel has definitely taken a hit in market share. That being said, this feels like the first proper step back towards Intel dominance. The Intel 10th Gen CPU lineup has once again taken a firm grip on the best gaming CPUs out there, leaving only marginal differences in the multi-tasking and rendering workstation tasks.
Hopefully, this guide has made your next purchasing decision that much easier, however, if you’re still confused on which one is best for your needs, feel free to drop us a comment in the section below. Better still, why not head on over to our Community Hub where you can discuss everything PC related with like-minded individuals.