UPDATED Processor Guide – Second Semester 2024

CPU performance reference

It is impossible to create a single chart to rank all products. Different games and applications will benefit more or less from different features, such as higher frequencies or higher core counts.

We usually see a more direct impact on the performance of professional applications linked to core count, just as frequencies tend to increase performance in games.

However, this relationship is not direct, and both factors and others – such as cache quantity – can influence performance.

Just as a reference, we will put together three tests with different characteristics to give an idea of ​​the positioning of these products in different work cycles and games. Ideally, you should see the complete analysis of a product you are interested in, in our processor analysis section, to see more details and more tests with a specific CPU.

CineBENCH

Cyberpunk 2077 – Phantom Liberty

Red Dead Redemption 2

Therefore, to facilitate the division of products, we place them according to price ranges. To define a value for each product, we are using the average price of the last 30 days!

Processor prices by segment

Processor Guide 2024: Processors up to R$800

Recommended:

The cheapest processor segment, priced up to R$800, presents some interesting options, and a surprise. For a long time, the Ryzen 5 5500 dominated this segment, but the Core i5-12400F, which for 620 reais delivers good performance per thread, and also the six-core and 12-thread configuration, finally steals the entry-level crown of our guide.

The Ryzen 5 5500 also remains an important reference for people who prefer AMD, but I see more advantage in going with the Core i5, in this price range. And the Ryzen 5 5600GT is another important recommendation not only for its performance as a CPU, but the presence of an integrated graphics that already “runs a little something”. Therefore, it is a good choice for those who do not want to buy a dedicated graphics card, or will only buy it later.

2024 processor guide: R$800 to R$1,200

Recommended:

Increasing the budget a little, we have some very relevant products. The first one is a little old, but it still makes a good splash: the Core i5-12600K continues to drop in price, and for R$1,100, it’s a CPU with a good core count and a very interesting level of performance in games!

The Ryzen 7 5700X follows another easy recommendation, with a count of eight cores and good performance per core, we have a CPU that does well in games and also runs professional applications satisfactorily.

2024 processor guide: R$1,200 to R$1,600

Recommended:

Here we come to the level of some of the editor’s favorite products. The first is the Intel Core i5-14600K. Lots of performance per core, lots of cores. This makes this product perform very well in games and also heavy rendering activities.

At AMD, we have two indications. The first is the Ryzen 5 7600, a processor with the powerful Zen 4 architecture, and a sufficient count of 6 cores and 12 threads. On the other, we have the Ryzen 7 5700X3D with the agile gaming performance of 3D V-Cache technology, and the low cost of the AM4 platform.

2024 processor guide: R$1,600 to R$2,000

Recommended:

Raising our budget once again, here comes an important point. Performance will not change significantly with more expensive products from now on. It is very likely that you have already reached the performance bottleneck of your graphics card at this stage.

So it is possible to make gains in games with the models from now on, but the increase in cost is very high, and will only affect competitive games, where you will lower the graphic quality to get the maximum frame rate possible.

But it’s not that the products aren’t relevant: performance in professional applications that use many cores will continue to scale, as you will see in the CineBENCH graph.

Here our recommendations are the Ryzen 7 7700, with the excellent Zen 4 architecture and the reliable configuration of 8 cores and 16 threads. And from Intel, the Core i9-12900F is a processor from a few generations ago, but it still has high performance and stands out especially for its high core and thread count.

2024 processor guide: R$2,000 to R$2,500

Recommended:

In this segment we have some improvements available. The Ryzen 7 7700X brings higher clocks and slight performance gains in games, but the Ryzen 7 7700 follows a better “value for money” recommendation. Unfortunately, this segment was left behind by stronger AMD Ryzen competitors.

Intel has some interesting things. The 13700/14700 models are processors with many cores and threads, and will continue to increase performance compared to previous segments, in professional applications. As for games, don’t expect major changes.

2024 processor guide: R$2,500 to R$3,000

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Coming to the well-heeled segment, the Ryzen 9 7900X will deliver more performance in professional applications, thanks to its increase in the number of cores and threads to 12/24.

The 14700KF will bring the possibility of overclocking, in addition to a few “sips” of performance with its higher factory clock. But nothing too glaring compared to the 14700F at the previous price level.

The 7800X3D is one of the fastest processors on the gaming market. It lags well behind the others in this category in software that uses a lot of cores and threads, but if what you want is games, the large amount of cache makes it stand out in most games.

2024 processor guide: over R$3,000

Recommended:

We have reached the infinite price segment, with the most powerful processors on the market. Here we will highlight the top of the line 14th generation Intel Core, the Intel Core i9-14900KF is a beast in graphics rendering, and also has some of the highest performance in games. However, it also has high heating, so good cooling is mandatory, and spending a little time optimizing with an undervolt can be a good idea.

With AMD, we will indicate two different profiles. The Ryzen 9 9950X is a monster CPU for professional rendering, processing and advanced uses, thanks to its 16 cores and 32 threads. It has an advantage over the 14900K in heating and consumption, but is significantly more expensive.

And for games, the 9800X3D is absurdly expensive. But for games, nothing is faster than it. If you want the fastest, this is it.

Guys, I hope this information is useful. Remembering that this is a starting point. After all, prices should and will vary over time, so in your research remember to recalibrate these comparisons considering the new market reality. And when you have your eye on a specific model, we have our analysis section and also this playlist of videos on YouTube full of processors, both in synthetic tests and in action in games.

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