Understandably, these can’t provide 100% accurate results, but they can offer a reasonable estimate. Luckily, it’s easy to avoid any significant bottlenecking by simply taking a quick look at a bottleneck calculator such as this one. Namely, if the CPU is slower than the GPU, the GPU won’t be utilized to its full potential, and that’s what we call bottlenecking. That said, if you’re building a gaming PC, your primary concern when picking a CPU should be whether it is fast enough to keep up with the GPU you’ve got your sights on. We’ve said it before, and we’ll repeat it: the GPU is the most crucial component in a gaming PC. Of course, integrated graphics aren’t exactly a top priority in a gaming PC anyway, but they can make for a good backup in case there’s a problem with the GPU. However, since the latest i7 and i9 CPUs all use Intel UHD 630 integrated graphics chips, there is no detectable difference in graphics performance. Integrated graphics are another notable feature that is present in most of Intel’s desktop CPU lineup, and naturally, their high-end offerings are no different. In any case, overclocking an i7 or an i9 is worth it due to their excellent overclocking performance, not to mention that a proper cooler and some case fans would constitute a relatively minor expense compared to the price of the CPU itself. However, much like with the extra cores/threads, the advantage of these additional few hundred MHz won’t make any significant difference when it comes to gaming. Now, there are both unlocked and non-unlocked i7 and i9 models out there, but the i9 models tend to have the upper hand in this regard, as they can generally reach higher maximum clock speeds. We put the accent on safely since there are still ways to overclock non-unlocked CPUs, though this is generally not recommended unless you know what you’re doing. This is a great way to get some extra performance out of a CPU, so what should you keep in mind here and is overclocking even worth it in this scenario?įirst of all, we should note that not all Intel CPUs support overclocking - only the models marked with a “K” at the end of their model number are unlocked and can be overclocked safely. Overclocking (as the name suggests) means pushing a CPU’s clock speed beyond the default factory settings. OverclockingĪs you probably already know, many CPUs can be overclocked. However, we can’t talk about clock speeds without mentioning overclocking. The latest mainstream 9 th-gen i7 and i9 models have base clock speeds that are in the 3-3.6 GHz range, so this shouldn’t be a factor when deciding between an i7 or an i9 model. When it comes to actual in-game performance, results are hardly that noticeable. Well, a higher clock speed means that the CPU will be able to execute more operations each second, which equates to better performance - on paper, at least. However, much like with core counts, a mere number is hardly a reliable way to estimate actual in-game performance. Clock SpeedsĪnother entry on the spec sheet that tends to stand out is the clock speed. So, you shouldn’t worry too much about core counts unless you also plan on running some professional software that would make full use of these capabilities. So, while some will benefit from extra cores, others will simply leave all that extra processing power unused.įurthermore, most modern games aren’t even that CPU-intensive, and even the weaker i5 or i3 models can handle them, based on which GPU they’re paired up with (see “bottlenecking” below). Namely, while modern games are optimized to make use of multiple CPU cores, not all of them will use or need as many cores and threads. So, how many cores/threads do you need for gaming? However, if your primary concern is gaming, a $1500 16-core/32-thread CPU won’t exactly catch your attention. They also feature hyperthreading: each core can handle two tasks simultaneously, so each physical core counts as two logical cores, or threads, as they are more commonly referred to.įurthermore, the performance-oriented X-series i7 and i9 models that were designed with high-end workstations and servers in mind all come with hyperthreading and have even more cores and threads. Meanwhile, the mainstream 9 th-gen i9 models all also come with eight cores, but with a twist. If we look at the latest 9 th generation Intel CPUs, the i7 models come with eight physical cores. Mainstream desktop CPUs have had a high number of cores for a while now, so what does a higher core count mean and how much should you care about it? One of the first things that you’ll notice about a CPU is its core count.
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