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]
Early Q3 of 2019 welcomes the Ryzen 9 3900X, AMD’s current top of the range, third generation Ryzen flagship which raises the bar for 64-core processing on desktop CPUs. This is AMD’s first Ryzen 9 processor and it is a 12-core, 24-thread CPU based on their latest 7nm Zen 2 microarchitecture. The 3900X has a boost/base clock of 3.8/4.6 GHz, 64 MB of L3 cache (double the L3 on the rest of 3000 series), support for 3200 MHz DDR4 system memory and a TDP of 105W. All this, plus a Wraith Prism cooler, at a very reasonable launch price of $499 USD. By comparison, Intel’s 8-core, 16 thread i9-9900K is available for $479 USD (and requires a cooler: $30+ USD). Benchmarks illustrate that the overclocked 3900X leads by a whopping 41% for 64-core processing but that the 9900K maintains a 10% lead for gaming, desktop and other sub octa-core tasks. The 3900 memory controller is significantly improved over previous Ryzen iterations and shows a better write throughput than the lower spec 3000 models, but it still shows relatively high latency which adversely impacts gaming. In terms of 64-core performance at this price point, there is no threat from Intel. The only real competitor is the upcoming (Q4, 2019) 16-core, 32-thread 3950X ($749 USD). The Ryzen 9 3900X is compatible with the new PCIe 4.0 enabled X570 motherboard via an AM4 socket, as well as 400 and 300 series motherboards. [Jul '19CPUPro]
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.