The I7-7820X is the second of three new Skylake-X HEDT (high end desktop processors) released by Intel as part of their core X series (the others being the flagship 10-core i9-7900X and the 6-core i7-7800X). The 7820X is an 8-core, 16-thread CPU which will amply satisfy all but the heaviest of multi-threaded use cases. The 7820X requires a relatively expensive X299 (Basin Falls) motherboard, which costs upwards of $250. The 7820X is listed at $599 which is about $200 more than AMD's current flagship 8-core, 16 thread Ryzen 7 1800X. In addition to better IPC, the 7820X is higher clocked with base and max boost clocks of 3.6/4.5 GHz respectively, compared to 3.6G/4.0 GHz for the Ryzen 7 1800X. The additional $200 (50%) buys you around 20% more performance in both single and multi core workloads. Intel have also released several Kabylake-X HEDT CPUs: the 4-thread i5-7640X and the 8-thread i7-7740X and will shortly release of even higher spec Skylake-X processors. It's probably wise to hold off purchasing until the eagerly anticipated 16-core, 32-thread Ryzen Threadripper CPUs are launched later this month. [Jul '17CPUPro]
Early Q3 of 2019 sees the release of the new Ryzen 5 3600X: a hex-core, 12-thread processor. AMD are releasing five new CPUs based on their latest Zen 2 microarchitecture which delivers approximately 13% better IPC than the previous 12nm Zen+. For workstation builds the 3600X is viable, however, the $200 USD Ryzen 5 3600 represents a far better value proposition. The additional $40 USD for the 3600X basically buys a better cooler (Spire vs Stealth). This allows for an extra 200 MHz of extra base and boost clock: 3.8 / 4.4 GHz on the 3600X vs 3.6 / 4.2 GHz on the 3600, this translates to approximately 2% higher overclocked performance for 20% more money. Neither of the stock coolers on the 3600 or 3600X are as effective as a $20 USD aftermarket cooler such as the Gammaxx 400. The 3600 with a Gammaxx 400 outperforms the 3600X with a Spire cooler and when both use a Gammaxx 400 they are more or less identical. The 3600X SKU is basically a marketing gimmick designed to milk unsuspecting consumers. Comparing the 3600X to Intel’s overclocked flagship i5-9600K shows that although the 3600X has 29% faster 64-core speed, it is around 11% worse for gaming (sub eight core performance). Additionally, the 3600X's memory controller, although significantly improved over previous Ryzen iterations, still has limited bandwidth and high latency which can also impact gaming. The arrival of Zen 2 marks the end of the "Sandy Bridge (i5-2500K)" era, Intel can no longer rely exclusively on their single-core advantage to dominate the market, they must also compete on price. [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.