Without a doubt, “Team Blue” still reigns as the best CPU manufacturing company in the world. The stats of the market show the same thing as well. If you look at the sales number of CPUs in 2021, the graph shows the market coverage of 60.5% for Intel and 39.5% for AMD (source). So if you are thinking about upgrading the CPU of your machine or building a new rig for your gaming and productive needs, read on. Finding the best and most suitable Intel processor has to be at the top of your list. In this blog, we are going to help you find the best Intel processor that fulfils all your requirements and enables you to achieve the desired frame rate while keeping the budget constraint in check. So let’s start the exploration of Intel processors, shall we?
History of Intel
The company, Intel, was formed by Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore in 1968. Intel was not like any other garage start-up. It had funding of 2.5 million dollars from the very start, which was arranged by Arthur Rock, who was an American financier who came up with the term “venture capitalist.” Both the founders were middle-aged technologists who had established their reputations in the market for semiconductor manufacturing.
With the 4004, Intel made its name in the world of microprocessors. With this, Intel developed one of the first eight-bit processors of its kind. After that came 8008 in 1972, and 8080, released in 1974, followed in its footsteps. Sure, the 8080 was much faster than the 4004, but the ability to process the data in eight-bit chunks was much faster in the 4004.
In 1993, Intel came up with another breakthrough when it developed Pentium processors. With this name, Intel left behind its number naming scheme for its microprocessors. It was the first chip that came with superscalar, or parallel processing, ability. The Pentium had 3.1 million transistors, which was a massive boost in numbers in comparison to its predecessor, which only had 1.2 million in total. The Pentium chips could be related to the reason PCs are now a household name and have significantly lower costs so that the average person can buy them. In addition to this, the Pentium era was the one that had the power to showcase graphical user interfaces on PCs.
The main strategy of Intel is to produce better processors from its previous generation that have better performance. This will lead their current customers to purchase the newer models of the processors to be installed in PCs. The growth of transistors in chips doubles every two years, a statement penned down by Moore and also known as Moore’s law.
Right now, Intel is working on preparing for the launch of its 12th generation processors, which are named Alder Lake. These latest processors have come up with a new distinguished technology that uses two types of cores in a single chip. The Alder Lake has performance cores and efficiency cores. We will discuss them in the other sections of this blog. With the introduction of this technology, Intel is looking to win both the single-core and multi-core performance tests in comparison to AMD.
Why Choose Intel?
The arch-nemesis of Intel, AMD, has come a long way from its initial days. Now the company is making some of the most efficient processors that pack incredible power and core count. Still, Intel is able to dominate the global CPU market. There has been one-way traffic for a long time now, but things are changing with the release of Ryzen processors. AMD has now released its 5th generation Ryzen processors, and they are a treat to have. But the story doesn’t end there, and we are still rooting for team blue. And here are some of the reasons why you should use an Intel processor in your system and abandon the team red for good.
Power Consumption
Intel processors are required in laptops and netbooks. Intel’s Atom processors consume as little as 5 watts of power. When compared to AMD CPU units, the wattage is two to three times lower. This has a significant impact on netbook battery life and leads to more productive hours.
Heat Generation
Both Intel and AMD can have better performance results depending on the benchmark you are using. But the heat generation test is the one test where you will find Intel to be winning from all corners. Less heat generated is related to having lower wattage requirements. In a compact environment such as notebooks and mini-ATX computers, Intel is the better choice without a doubt.
Compatibility
Intel is ruling the CPU market, so it becomes necessary for hardware companies to make their components that are compatible with Intel processors. If you are looking for a hardware upgrade for your PC, it is much easier to find products that work with Intel than AMD. Intel is the worldwide chosen standard for making PC hardware, so not only do you get more options but at a better price point as well.
Integrated Memory Controllers
With the integration of memory controllers, the CPU is able to coordinate with all the activities that are taking place in different cores. This increases the efficiency of how the instructions are temporarily stored and retrieved by the cores. The QuickPath Interconnect system makes it stand side by side with AMD’s performance. In addition to this, the core i7 from Team Blue with this technology provides more performance ceiling to its users than AMD’s Ryzen 7 processors.
Fabrication ability
Intel has more than 15 CPU fabrication plants that are spread all over the world. AMD has its own plants, but their quantity and capacity are much lower. Intel’s more organized and massive production capacity gives them a certain edge in the manufacturing of larger numbers of CPUs in a short time. Thus, you are more likely to find an Intel CPU than the AMD one available on the market.
Top 5 Best Intel Processors to have in your PC in 2022
Now that you know the benefits of having an Intel chipset, let’s move on to finding the right Intel CPU for your PC built from the list of best Intel CPUs to buy today to make your PC future-proof.
1. Intel Core i5
The 11th generation core i5 from Team Blue is everything you need in a CPU. The rocket lake range is simply a stopgap in the true sense, and this is the one CPU people have been waiting for from Intel. The Core i5 12600K is just a bit pricer than its rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600, and even the Core i5 11600K. But all the extra money is worth it with its hybrid architecture and the addition of E-cores to increase the core count. Also, this results in better thermals and lower power requirements from the main P-cores. With this architecture, the Core i5 has gotten a massive performance boost for the single-core tests. At the same time, users can see a touch of betterment in the multi-core performance as well.
Indeed, this doesn’t show us how great the Core i5 is for gaming, but we can see an improvement in gaming performance as well. It has actually outpaced the Ryzen 5 5600X in gaming benchmarks. Moreover, you can pair this CPU unit with a basic cooler or with the one that comes with it because of how low the temperatures run under load. The only thing you need to worry about is finding a suitable motherboard for the CPU, and we recommend getting an Intel 600 series motherboard.
As we said, Intel would help you future-proof the system. Well, this is true with the Intel Core i5 12600K, as it does support DDR5 RAM along with the current DDR4. Also, the chipset is compatible with PCIe 5.0 hardware once it becomes available on the market. All in all, we have to say the core i5 from Rocket Lake is the one you should definitely consider when upgrading the CPU.
2. Intel Core i9 12900K
The Core i9 series is nothing less than a high-performance CPU that rips through any task you throw at it. This 11th generation beast with a 16-core goliath has no competitor in the market whatsoever. The Ryzen 9 couldn’t even touch it in terms of performance. The i9 12900K has better single-core and multi-core performance in comparison to the AMD Ryzen 9, which came as a surprise even to us when we ran the test bench.
One thing to know here is that, even though it does have a massive core count, the better option is to go with the Core i5 due to how cost-effective it is. The Core i9 is for those who are looking for the best of the best while having no worries about spending money on a single piece of hardware. For the price of one core i9, you can get a mid-tier graphics card with 16GB of DDR4 memory kit. So you need to choose wisely. If you are going to buy a Core i9 for gaming and streaming, then it’s better to steer clear and choose a lower option because even an i5 can handle these tasks with ease.
The Core i9 is a pure enthusiast CPU unit. It is not going to pump out better frame rates in your game. You might get a 5 to 10% increase in it, but that’s it. Apart from that, the Core i9 can handle massive data processing, AI algorithm building, and other CPU-centric tasks that require lots of computational power. To get Core i9 in your system, you have to jump a lot of hurdles in the first place, but once you are done with them, you will automatically have the best CPU performance in the world.
3. Intel Core i7 10700K
With the core i7 from the 10th generation, you are getting the best hyper-threading support from Intel. This CPU is regarded as the best of the best in terms of gaming performance on the market even to this day. You can overclock it up to 5.1 GHz with ease, and this happens on all eight of the eight cores available. In addition to this, it takes all the good things from the Core i9 processor and tones them down a little bit. It does come with better thermal performance, but still, you need to have a beefier cooler to keep things in check. This 10th gen chip is recommended over the 11th gen because of the cost you will be saving in purchasing one generation old CPU unit. At the same time, from the 10th generation to the 11th generation, the uptick in performance is not much, so it is better to stick with the 10th generation for good.
Both the i9 and i7 from the 10th generation have similar gaming performance. But with the core i7, you are getting this for $100 less. With the help of overclocking, you can eliminate any difference between these two chips, if any. Even at the stock settings, the Core i7 is powerful enough to provide users with competitive single-core performance.
4. Intel Xeon W – 2295
Now, this might come as a surprise to you to be present here on the list, but we have to talk about it when we are discussing Intel processors. The Intel Xeon chips use the same Cascade Lake that is being used in 10th generation CPUs such as the Core i9-10990XE. As a result, they have the same 14-nanometer chipset, which comes with all the essential features like Hyper-threading and support for PCI Express Gen 3, which helps in working with the add-on cards.
The core i9XE from the 10th generation has 18 cores, and it can support 36 concurrent processing threads as well. With the Xeon W-2295, you are getting the exact core count along with the same L3 cache size. But with the Xeon W-2295, you are also getting 72 PCIe express lanes, which can be used in extremely high-end systems that need multiple video cards and tons of Express SSDs to be installed in raid zero.
The Xeon W comes with the built-in feature of error-correcting code (ECC) for DDR4 memory. This is one of the workstation-grade features that reduces the number of errors that take place when a processor is reading and writing the data in the memory. If you are a person who is dealing in data science, a visual-effect artist, an engineer computing tons of code for the application, or someone who needs a powerful but stable chip that can work with heavy tasks and simulations without breaking a sweat, then the Xeon lineup from Team Blue is the one you should consider buying.
On the other hand, if simulation isn’t your line of work, then we suggest you stay away from the Xeon family and find something much cheaper and more affordable, such as an Intel Core i7 or i9.
5. Intel Pentium Gold G5400
The Pentium series has always been targeted at budget users. The G5400 was released in the second quarter of 2018, and it comes with two cores along with hyperthreading, which allows it to have four threads. The G5400 has a base clock speed of 3.7GHz and costs less than $100, which is a steal in this time of semiconductor crisis.Surely, you are not going to get the performance of a Core i3 from this processor, but still, it is something that can run mid-size applications with ease.
As a result, if you are looking to build a system for casual gaming and browsing, then the Intel Pentium is the right choice for you. With this processor, you can have a whole PC for less than $400 if you are smart enough to grab discounts. In addition to this, with a decent graphics card, you can even play the latest video games at a respectable frame rate without any stuttering or untimely shutdowns.
Conclusion
So these are some of the best processors available from Team Blue.No matter how powerful and low-priced AMD manufacturers are, the trust that people have in Intel is something no massive discount can buy.
People are also reading: