Best Intel Processors in 2022

The best way to determine whether a PC processor is good is to look at individual benchmarks. Terms like core count and clock speed don’t tell the full story—they only reflect the processor’s performance within its own portfolio. Nevertheless, if you’ve settled on a specific manufacturer or series, looking at core counts and clock speeds can help you see where the processor falls within the range. If you want to measure your own processor, there are many options. Cinebench is a powerful benchmarking application that focuses on the processor alone, while PCMark 10 provides an overview of performance across a wide range of everyday tasks.

Intel uses multiple suffixes to denote various features, but “K” and “F” are among the most common. “K” processors are unlocked, so you can overclock them with a compatible motherboard. Some processors may be marked as “KF” and indicate that they are unlocked and require discrete graphics. Typically, you can find either or both suffixes for Intel’s i9, i7, and i5 processors. If you are building a gaming computer, you can save a few dollars by purchasing the “F” variant of a processor. Despite their overclocking features, “K” processors on the other hand are a little more expensive.

The 12900KS, which offers speeds of up to 5.5 GHz, is the fastest desktop processor on the market.

The Core i9-7980XE, Intel’s most powerful desktop processor (see my review here ), will get a 10-core, 20-thread upgrade to enhance its performance.

The Core i3 is the slowest CPU, i5 is in the middle, and i7 is fast, while Core i9 is the fastest.