Although the CPU arms race between Intel and AMD is still raging on, Intel has been losing some ground lately. Its latest Arrow Lake chips are fast, but they lag behind AMD Zen 5 in terms of efficiency, and users are already running into reliability problems with these new Intel processors. If it’s time for an upgrade, we recommend you go with AMD. Here are the best AMD CPU upgrades that will let you enjoy the efficiency and reliability that today’s Ryzen chips can deliver.
The best AMD CPU upgrades for your PC
AMD’s all-new Ryzen 7 9700X not only undercuts its predecessor, but it’s more powerful and sips less electricity. 8 cores and 16 threads will ensure all your favorite games run as intended by the developers, and a 5.5 GHz boost speed will make easy work of heavier loads.
The latest crop of Zen 5 chips has set a new standard for efficiency and the Ryzen 7 9700X might be our favorite of the bunch. It’s an eight-core, 16-thread AM5 CPU with a boost clock speed of 5.5GHz, so it offers plenty of muscle for workstations and gaming PCs. AMD’s updated Zen 5 architecture also shines here. This chip boasts a thermal design power rating of 65, and it’s one of the most energy-efficient processors of 2024. The Ryzen 7 9700X has effectively set a new bar for thermals and power draw.
The Ryzen 7 9700X is also a very compelling value. It comes in at a $359 MSRP, which is less than that of its Zen 4 predecessor. It’s good to go with PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 memory, although unfortunately, it doesn’t support DDR4 RAM. If you’re using this CPU to upgrade an older system, you might need to grab a good DDR5 RAM kit to go with it (but at least it gives you a good excuse to upgrade your memory). It also doesn’t come boxed with a stock cooler, so that’s an additional expense. Still, for the price, we’re not complaining. Those quibbles don’t change our opinion that the 9700X is the best CPU for most builders right now and a worthy upgrade over Intel’s current offerings.
