Intel’s 16-core flagship Alder Lake i9-12900K processor delivers a staggering performance improvement over it's predecessor (+70% 64-core). It features a new hybrid architecture which combines eight hyper-threaded performance cores with eight efficiency cores for a total of 24 threads. Alder Lake CPUs will require a new Z690 chipset which supports DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0. At an MRSP of $590 USD, the i9-12900K is aimed at power users who demand the best of the best. That said, Intel’s 10-core 12600K matches the 12900K’s performance for the majority of consumer use cases at a 50% price discount. [Nov '21CPUPro]
The i5-7600K targets high end gamers, it sits just behind the flagship i7-7700K in Intel’s Kaby Lake lineup. The 7600K will likely be the most popular gaming CPU of 2017 (some competition from AMD’s upcoming Zen/Ryzen CPUs, would be very welcome). Comparing the 7600K and 6600K shows that the two processors are very closely matched and comparing the 7600K vs the hyper-threaded 7700K highlights the relative strength of the 7700K for workstation performance. There are no significant architectural differences between Kaby Lake and Skylake so, when fully overclocked, the two generations should perform similarly but Kaby Lake offers faster base clocks, improved speed shift technology which helps CPU responsiveness, and better integrated graphics. [Jan '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.