Processors: Buying Advice, Tips, and News

Upgrading or building out your workhorse PC on a tight budget? Here's how to shop for the right AMD or Intel processor for less than $300, along with the top-performing chips in our benchmark tests.

The AMD Ryzen 5 8500G isn't a high-speed desktop CPU, but its built-in graphics processor is faster than most, making it a practical, tailored pick for compact PCs and light PC gaming if a discrete graphics card isn't an option.

Intel's budget-class Core i5-14400 is a fine-performing desktop CPU for everyday tasks and an upgrade option for slower PCs on the LGA 1700 platform, but you can find peppier modern processors in the same price range.

Intel's Core Ultra 5 225 is an economical CPU with performance and features commensurate with its price. Intel's own Core Ultra 5 250K Plus casts a long shadow, though, relegating this chip to bargain buys only.

Nvidia's Ian Buck personally delivered Vera CPU systems to OpenAI, SpaceX, Anthropic, and Oracle Cloud. The company says it's the first 'agentic CPU' to enter full production.

Google VP John Maletis says Google is working with Intel, Qualcomm, and MediaTek.

Intel is on track to launch Nova Lake desktop CPUs with up to 52 cores in 2026, with Razer Lake next year. Mobile and budget-oriented chip lines, Titan Lake and Moon Lake, will follow in 2028.

Buying the right processor for PC gaming might seem complicated—especially with AMD's multiple Ryzen families and Intel's many Cores and "Lakes." Here's everything you need to know, plus our top picks based on PC Labs' deep-dive CPU reviews.

Whether you're upgrading your desktop PC or building a new one, choosing the right processor is the most crucial and complex choice you will make. Let's simplify it! Here's how to make sense of AMD's and Intel's lines, backed by dozens of our deep-dive reviews.

Intel's Arc G3 and Arc G3 Extreme chips for PC gaming handhelds will reportedly pop up in Taipei.

Inside Asus’ featherweight Zenbook A16, Qualcomm's new flagship laptop chip flexes massive multi-core muscle, upgraded graphics, and real momentum against the competition. The benchmarks speak for themselves.

The chips are designed for the 'value-oriented buyer,' with 70 new products expected this year.

AMD is suggesting retailers sell the new 'Dual Edition' desktop processor for $899, or about $200 more than the regular Ryzen 9 9950X3D.

Amid DDR5 shortages, supporting older platforms may be one way to give gamers options.

Intel's Binary Optimization Tool (BOT) is designed to enhance chip performance in certain games and apps, but Geekbench suggests that it modifies the benchmark's code to improve scores.

The new desktop processor launches on April 22 and features even more L3 cache to further reduce CPU latency.

The increase is on tap even as some models have seen big price reductions recently.

Intel's Core Ultra 7 270K Plus desktop processor improves on "Arrow Lake's" gaming speeds and delivers robust performance across any task, but its best feature is its hyper-competitive price: It can spar with CPUs costing more than twice as much.

Intel's Core Ultra 5 250K Plus boosts gaming performance over its "Arrow Lake" predecessor at a price that's hard to pass up. It's not the fastest gaming CPU around, but no other chip goes as hard for so little money.

New Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus and 7 270HX Plus processors promise up to 8% faster gaming, quicker interconnect speeds, and next-gen features such as Thunderbolt 5 and Wi-Fi 7. Expect them in new laptops starting today.