How To Choose A CPU: A Complete Guide For Beginners

CPU is responsible for the majority of tasks going on in your computer. Tasks as simple as opening an application or dragging and dropping a file to another folder, as well as complex operations that require multitasking or advanced computations can only be executed by the computer's CPU.

The vast field of computer applications and their requirements vary from app to app, which is why veteran PC builders are selective in their choice of CPUs. Whether you want to run Adobe Photoshop for photo editing, open Google Sheets or browser tabs, play video games, or work on 3D rendering software, you need to understand the demands of individual apps or games to improve your workflow and overall productivity.

This is why choosing the right CPU, whether from AMD or Intel, is not only essential but can be a complicated process because you have to consider all sorts of factors that can take care of your current and future needs.

Specifications, compatibility, overclocking, and building a balanced configuration are some of the few points we will be discussing in this post in some detail. By the end of this post, you will have all the essential knowledge on choosing a CPU, so that you can get started with building your computer in no time.

CPU specifications like cores/threads and clock speeds are something you must have been hearing for a long time, even if you don't know what these mean. However, these two aren't the only specs you have to look at. There are numerous specifications and parameters of a CPU that build a strong foundation, helping it reach the desired performance. Architecture, process node, cache memory, iGPU, TDP, etc. are some basic and crucial parameters to consider.

Architecture: Understanding the architecture is a bit more complicated than any other CPU spec. It is the fundamental design of a CPU that helps the CPU in processing the instructions and handling the data. The architectural impact on a CPU can be incredibly big if you jump a few generations and can result in a performance gap of over 2X.

Architectural improvements have allowed Intel and AMD to boost their chips' capabilities while remaining more power-efficient than their predecessors. We won't go into deeper details since understanding the complete architecture isn't something you should spend a lot of time on if your goal is to just understand the basics of a CPU. However, we do recommend staying familiar with the current generation of the CPUs and their architectures.

Cores/Threads: A CPU can contain multiple sub-CPUs aka Cores that can take care of individual applications for quick processing. An app can utilize more than one core depending on its workload. Modern desktop mainstream CPUs can feature anywhere from 2 cores to 24 cores. Some CPUs also feature 'Hyperthreading' that doubles the core count of a CPU virtually to distribute the load for faster processing.

More modern processors from Intel come with at least two different types of CPU cores, a P-Core which is designed for Performance, and an E-Core which is designed for Efficiency. These cores need to have proper scheduler support in operating systems and applications to deliver the best possible performance. Meanwhile, AMD also leverages two different cores based on the same architecture, a classic core such as Zen 5 which is performance oriented and a "C" dense core which is optimized towards efficiency and offers lower clock speeds at lower wattage requirements.

Clock Speed: Clock speed is how fast a CPU can execute operations. It's generally measured in either GHz (GigaHertz) or MHz (MegaHertz) where the number denotes how many cycles per second the CPU can execute. You will normally see this spec listed something as 3.4GHz or 5.1GHz under the CPU specifications. So, for instance, if a CPU boasts a clock speed of 3.4GHz, it means it can process 3.4 Billion cycles every second. Modern CPUs have a base and a boost clock, which is a particular range CPUs operate between. So a CPU with a base clock of 3.0GHz and a boost clock of 4.2GHz can run anywhere between these clock speeds, provided that the CPU isn't overclocked or has the turbo boost enabled.

IPC: While higher clock speeds are great, the actual architectural performance impact comes from IPC or Instructions per Clock which determines how many instructions can a chip calculate at a certain clock speed. IPC of each generation can be determined when running two different generation CPU architectures at the same clock speeds to see what sort of gains the new design delivers.

Cache: Cache memory is a volatile memory located inside the CPU itself. It stores application-related data for frequent access and helps the processor in faster performance since it decreases the response time drastically compared to the data accessed by the CPU from the main system RAM(Random Access Memory). The cache can be divided further into three different types: L1, L2, and L3, where the L1 cache is closest to the CPU and is also the fastest. L2 is a bit larger but also slower. L3 is generally the largest cache memory and is the slowest but can significantly impact the performance.

TDP: TDP or Thermal Design Power is measured in Watts and is a rough indication of the total power consumption of a CPU at 100% usage. CPUs consume different levels of energy based on the workload and may exceed the default TDP by a noticeable margin. High-end processors tend to consume power in a few hundred watts but power-efficient and entry-level CPUs mostly stay under 100W.

Choosing your CPU should be done based on your needs rather than just the specifications. It allows you to get the right one without breaking the bank.

General Tasks: If you mostly use internet browsers, MS Office, Adobe Photoshop, and similar lightweight apps, you will be better off with any entry-level or budget CPU. A quad-core CPU is mostly sufficient for such productivity apps. Processors from Intel Core i3 and Ryzen 3 series will be adequate in such circumstances and will fall somewhere between $70-$125. If you can afford a Ryzen APU, it will suffice for low-intensive graphical loads as well but generally most entry-level CPUs even with low-end integrated graphics will do fine.

Gaming: Running video games is more demanding than general productivity apps and while entry-level CPUs won't refuse to run them, you are likely going to see a noticeable performance drop compared to mid-range and high-end processors. For gaming, we recommend at least a quad-core CPU with hyperthreading or a hexa-core CPU if your system uses a budget graphics card.

For better performance, look for a hexa-core or better yet, an octa-core CPU with hyperthreading and you will be good to go even if your system uses a powerful mid-range GPU. Processors that fall between $125-$250 will do gaming perfectly. However, if you want no compromises, several chips above this price range can maximize your system's performance when paired with the best graphics cards. These chips are great for modern-day GPUs which can become CPU-bound at higher resolutions.

Professional Workloads: Apps that require a lot of horsepower will need high core-count chips and these apps are generally related to operations like rendering, compilation, compression / decompression, encoding, etc.

Professional content creators also fall in this category who create videos, do game development in engines like Unreal Engine 5, and use AutoCAD and similar apps. It's best to settle with no less than an octa-core CPU from one of the latest generations. While some apps will prefer stronger single-core performance, in most cases, a higher core count will benefit you immensely. 8-12 core CPUs will be sufficient in most cases but there are instances where processors with 20 or more cores can save you a lot of time. Be prepared to shed a few hundred dollars if you opt for one of these chips.

For every price range, you will find plenty of CPUs, offering competitive specifications. This may lead to confusion as you will see CPUs leading in some games/apps and trailing in others. The best way to find the right one is to compare two or more CPUs in games or apps you currently use or are planning to use in the future. Keep in mind that you should compare similarly priced CPUs that fall under your budget.

One CPU might feature better specifications on paper than the other like featuring more cores or higher threads, but it won't necessarily perform as well as the other due to architectural differences. Therefore, a direct comparison between the two is essential. You can either check out our CPU reviews or reviews on other popular third-party websites that provide a detailed analysis of CPUs in every area, including gaming, productivity, power consumption, thermals, price-to-performance ratio, etc.

Processors are inserted into a particular socket on motherboards that develops a connection between the CPUs and other components. Every socket is designed for a specific set of processors, meaning, the support for CPUs differs based on their compatibility with the sockets.

By following a simple compatibility criterion, you will be able to understand which CPU you have to buy for your motherboard or vice-versa. AMD and Intel both have their dedicated platforms. Each processor generation uses a particular type of motherboard socket, which may or may not be compatible with the previous or the next generation.

Currently, we have the AM5 socket from AMD and LGA 1700 from Intel, compatible with AMD Ryzen 7000, 8000, 9000 series, and Intel 12th, 13th, and 14th gen processors respectively. AMD typically keeps a particular socket alive for much longer than Intel and the LGA 1700 socket is ending its support with the 14th gen Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs. The next-gen Arrow Lake S desktop processors will use the LGA 1851 processors, while AMD may prepare more CPU lineups for the AM5 platform.

A CPU features different components on the die and an integrated graphics processing unit or iGPU is one of them. Not every CPU has an iGPU and those that do, can render the visual output on a monitor. CPUs without an iGPU require a discrete GPU for the output on a display and this is something you should keep in mind when buying a CPU.

It may not be necessary for everyone but if you are one of those who mostly work on "General Tasks" as we talked about earlier, an iGPU can be important if you want to save money on a discrete GPU. Computers that focus on gaming are better off with a discrete GPU as we don't have iGPUs that can match the performance of modern discrete GPU solutions. But sometimes the iGPU is helpful in troubleshooting and similar stuff. With an iGPU, you will be at least able to get a display in case your GPU dies when you want to work on your computer.

Currently, we have both Intel and AMD processors boasting some kind of iGPUs other than the SKUs that have an "F" in their model name, usually at the last. For example, the Core i5 14400F and Ryzen 7500F don't possess an iGPU but the rest of the processors(without 'F') in the 12th/13/14th gen Intel and the Ryzen 7000, 8000, and 9000 lineups bring an iGPU. Always double-check the product specification before making your purchase.

Overclocking is a term that is used for the process of increasing the core clock of a CPU. As we talked earlier, a CPU runs at a particular speed measured in GHz or MHz. When that speed is increased through manual or automatic clock increase via BIOS or software, we say that the CPU has been overclocked.

What it does is it increases the CPU performance to achieve better scores or performance overall. Overclocking is a well-known thing among PC builders and the gamer community. Both Intel and AMD generally produce a lot of chips that support overclocking than those that do not. Overclocking may sound complicated if you never did it before but through various overclocking software like Ryzen Master and Intel Extreme Tuning Utility, it's much easier to do some basic overclocking.

Advanced users can achieve higher clock speeds by manually changing the parameters. Still, it poses the risk of thermal throttling since increasing the voltage and clock speeds also result in overheating. Therefore, overclocking should only be done if you use a decent thermal solution for your CPU. Nonetheless, performance improvement in some cases may not be as impressive, which is why overclocking isn't the first thing you should do if you are a beginner.

The next and probably one of the most ignored areas is understanding the impact of a balanced configuration on your computer's performance. If you pair a $100 CPU with a $1000 GPU, your system isn't going to achieve the ideal performance you see others can achieve easily with the same GPU. This is because your CPU is too weak to keep up with the GPU's capabilities.

This is also true the other way around and it is called 'bottlenecking'. A CPU has to assign instructions to the GPU for execution and if either component fails to keep up with each other, your system takes a big dip in performance. Similarly, adequate RAM is needed to let the CPU access the required app data as quickly as possible.

If you are building a computer for basic productivity tasks, 8GB RAM will be sufficient but gaming requires at least 16GB. Intensive and demanding apps may require 32GB or higher if the program is memory-sensitive. In any case, remember that the CPU is responsible for the majority of the operations and by opting for a potent chip in the first place, you are eliminating most performance limitations.

If you are a complete beginner in building your PC or in choosing the hardware, there's no better time than now to learn about CPUs. It's a rapidly changing sphere where every year, the market witnesses the launch of new CPUs with groundbreaking technology advancements. We advise you to bookmark this guide for reference but at the same time, we recommend staying familiar with the new developments in the CPU industry.

At Wccftech, we publish the latest stories on PC hardware daily to keep you up to date on your favorite hardware. Through our detailed analysis of PC hardware and timely news reporting, you will have all the information you need to build a powerful computer, even if you are just starting.