The hex-core i5-8500 hails from Intel’s eighth generation of Coffee Lake processors, known for featuring a higher number of cores at each SKU than in previous generations and their refinement of the 14nm architecture as seen in 6th and 7th generation processors. At an estimated price of $184 it offers good multi-core value for money. Its quad core performance nearly rivals the more expensive i7-7700K (the 2017 CPU of choice for many top-end gamers). However based on preliminary benchmarks, the i5-8500 is only marginally faster (2% greater effective speed) than the i5-8400 which is also a recent and competitively priced hex-core Coffee Lake processor. Also, like the i5-8400, the 8500 features 9MB of L3 cache and a frugal TDP of 65W, leaving not much to choose between them. As is the case of all Coffee Lake processors, currently the only motherboards that the 8500 can be paired with feature Intel’s high-end Z370 chipset for overclocking. However, alternative and more suitable 300 series motherboards are long overdue and expected to be available soon. [Mar '18CPUPro]
The AMD Ryzen 7 1700 is the least powerful of three new Ryzen 7 CPUs. The 1700 model has base and turbo clocks of 3.0 and 3.7 GHz respectively. Both of its more expensive siblings, the 1700X and 1800X, have higher clocks but they also have TDPs of 95 watts whereas the 1700 is rated at just 65 watts. Comparing IPC between Ryzen and Kaby Lake shows that Kaby Lake leads by a maximum of 9% which is great news for workstation users as this allows the 1700 to beat Intel's 6850K in multi-core workloads at almost half the price. Although the 1700 has great IPC it's somewhat limited by its relatively low (by Kaby Lake standards) clock speed which holds it back a little in both gaming and desktop workloads. For multi-core workstation use, the Ryzen 7 1700 represents the best value for money we have ever seen. [Mar '17CPUPro]
We calculate effective speed which measures real world performance for typical users. Effective speed is adjusted by current prices to yield a value for money rating. Our calculated values are checked against thousands of individual user ratings. The customizable table below combines these factors to bring you the definitive list of top CPUs. [CPUPro]
Welcome to our PC speed test tool. UserBenchmark will test your PC and compare the results to other users with the same components. You can quickly size up your PC, identify hardware problems and explore the best value for money upgrades.