The Best CPU and GPU Deals in January 2023
By
Matti Robinson
Here is a selection of the best deals currently available on graphics cards and processors, including products from AMD, Intel, and Nvidia.
Those building their own gaming computers, or updating a pre-built one to provide more performance, are undoubtedly familiar with two of the most important components. The processor, also known as the central processing unit or CPU, and the graphics card or graphics processing unit (GPU), are of the utmost importance when considering a gaming computer build. The former does general calculations and makes sure the computer is running smoothly, and the latter does graphics processing, which makes it so important in graphics-intensive games.
There are a lot of options, though, on all sides of the competing platforms. Intel and AMD compete against each other on the CPU side of things while Nvidia and AMD battle for the best gaming GPUs. However, this article doesn’t discriminate and has a collection of some of the best deals on all of the above at different price points, no matter the user preference or system requirements.
RELATED: Best Monitor Deals in January 2023
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X CPU
$340 $569.99 Save $229.99
The Ryzen 9 5900X desktop processor from AMD is one of the high-end CPUs that the company offers. It has a staggering 12 cores and 24 processing threads, which provide excellent multitasking capabilities. The maximum clock speed offered by the chip is 4.8 GHz, and there is 70 MB of cache and support for DDR-3200 memory. The processor is also unlocked for overclocking, and according to AMD, it can deliver over 100 fps in the most popular games. This processor doesn’t come with a cooler and is compatible with the Socket AM4 motherboards.
$340 at Amazon
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G CPU
$178 $359 Save $181
The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G is a mid-range gaming processor with an 8-core and 16-thread design.
The more there are cores and threads, the better the multitasking capabilities, which means that this one is a solid performer. The clock speed reaches up to 4.6 GHz, which is, according to AMD, enough to provide 1080p gameplay on the most popular games without even a GPU. This CPU comes with an AMD Stealth cooler and is compatible with the Socket AM4 motherboard platform. The chip is unlocked for overclocking, although that might require a better cooling solution.
$178 at Amazon
Intel Core i7-12700K CPU
$298.99 $349 Save $50.01
The Intel Core i7-12700K is the latest-generation processor from Intel. This CPU is near the top range of options in the Intel Core series of processors. It has a clock speed of 3.6 GHz and offers more cache, including 25 MB of L3 cache, and a hyper-threading feature, which allows it to deliver better performance in demanding apps and games. The graphics performance is provided by the built-in Intel UHD graphics controller. The processor is compatible with the Socket LGA-1700 motherboards.
$298.99 at Amazon
Intel Core i5-12400 CPU
$182.99 $237.5 Save $54.51
Intel Core i5-12400 is the latest-generation mid-range processor. The mid-range Core i5 is often considered great for gaming setups, since it performs well enough for most purposes but doesn’t break the bank. This specific model features a 2.5 GHz clock speed with turbo boost and hyper-threading for better performance when demanded. The built-in Intel UHG Graphics 7300 controller provides improved graphics when used without a GPU. There’s also support for up to four monitors. The chip is compatible with the Socket LGA-1700 platform on the motherboard.
$182.99 at Amazon
ASUS GeForce RTX 2060 Overclocked 6G GPU
$289.95 $349.99 Save $60.04
This GeForce RTX 2060 from Asus is an overclocked version with 6 gigabytes of GDDR6 memory. While the graphics card is from a previous generation, it still supports ray-tracing graphics with the Nvidia RT cores. The chip also provides a 1785 MHz Boost Clock and 1920 CUDA cores.
The maximum resolution is 8K at 7680 x 4320, and it supports up to four monitors via DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, and DVI ports. The fans with Wing-Blade design have an IP5X dust resistance, and they operate silently at lower temperatures.
$289.95 at Amazon
MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 12GB GPU
$459.83 $509.99 Save $50.16
This GeForce RTX 3060 from MSI Gaming features 12 gigabytes of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit memory interface and a max clock speed of 1837 MHz. As it is an RTX 30 Series CPU, it also has the updated, 2nd generation RT cores, which provide better ray-tracing performance. The graphics card comes with three DisplayPort 1.4a ports and one HDMI 2.1 for up to four simultaneous monitors. The maximum resolution supported is 8K at 7680 x 4320.
$459.83 at Amazon
Gigabyte Radeon RX 6700 XT Eagle Graphics Card
$459.99 $599.99 Save $140
This Gigabyte Radeon RX 6700 XT Eagle graphics card is based on the AMD RDNA2 architecture.
It is right in the middle of the Radeon RX 6000 series in terms of pricing and performance. It has 12 GB integrated 192-bit GDDR6 memory and a comprehensive Windforce 3X cooling system with three fans. The Gigabyte Radeon RX 6700 XT has two DisplayPort 1.4a ports, which allows two high-resolution and high-frame rate monitors simultaneously.
$459.99 at Amazon
MSI Gaming AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT Graphics Card
$164.99 $183.99 Save $19
This graphics card based on the AMD Radeon 6500 XT from MSI Gaming features a clock speed of 2.83 GHz and four gigabytes of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit interface. The connection is made with PCI Express 4.0 x4. There’s one DisplayPort 1.4a and one HDMI 2.1 connector for a double monitor setup. The maximum resolution supported by the card is 8K at 7680 x 4320 pixels. The graphics card comes with a reinforced backplate for durability and a dual TORX FAN 4.0 setup for cooling.
$164.99 at Amazon
Q: Are all GPUs compatible with all CPUs
Typically, AMD CPUs support all graphics cards, whether it is from AMD or Nvidia.
Also, all CPUs, whether from Intel or AMD, also support both AMD and Nvidia graphics cards. However, features such as AMD Smart Access Memory might enhance the experience on a dual AMD setup.
Q: What is RTX or ray tracing?
RTX is Nvidia’s branding for a line of products with hardware support for a feature called ray-tracing. While the lighting effect can be used with non-RTX graphics cards, the RTX cards are generally better suited for it and offer better performance.
Q: What do cores and GHz mean in processors?
Cores refer to separate units within the processor that are working together to calculate results. Usually the higher the core count, and the thread count, the better the multitasking performance. GHz or gigahertz refers to the clock speed of the processor. This usually gives a general idea of how good the performance of the processor is, although it shouldn’t be taken as gospel or the only factor.
MORE: The Best PC and Laptop Deals in January 2023
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About The Author
Best CPU for DCS (2023)
As a PC gamer, the CPU (along with the motherboard and RAM) used to be the last thing on my upgrade list. For most PC games, the CPU is still rarely the bottleneck. On average, I used to upgrade the GPU 3 times before doing a single CPU upgrade.
But that has changed with DCS in general and VR specifically. VR will bottleneck both your CPU and GPU. After quite a bit of testing and tinkering getting DCS to run optimally, I have shortlisted the following CPUs. But first, lets look at what DCS does to your CPU.
DCS is not like those other games
The vast majority of games out there are bound by your GPU (graphics card). The higher the resolution, the truer this becomes. But this is not the case for DCS. DCS still uses a very outdated engine that does things very differently. What this means is that CPU choice for DCS, especially in VR, matters a lot.
Even if Windows Task Manager doesn’t show your CPU to be bottle-necked, it still likely is. Know that Task Manager averages the CPU utilisation over the course of the tick time. So if you had 100% usage for the first half of the second and 0% for the second half, Task Manager will average it to 50% and show that. You can easily verify this using some advanced windows tools.
Check the following screenshot:
You are looking at CPU utilization over the course of 0.01 seconds (horizontal axis). As you can clearly see, the CPU is reaching 100% and bottlenecking for microseconds. But Task Manager will show the average and the average in this graph would probably be closer to 30% or something like that.
DCS still needs max single core performance. It does utilize the other cores for some very minor tasks, but the majority of stuff still happens on the main core.
The fact is that most game still use just one core heavily. Even if you see all cores being utilized, that is because of the same averaging effect mentioned earlier. Core1 gets used 100% for the first half of the second and then the task moves to Core2 (windows does this to allow cores to cool down). However, on Task Manager it will seem like Core1 was used 50% and Core2 was also used 50% because it will just average it!
Which are the Best CPUs for DCS?
Based on all of this testing, the conclusion is that you still need the fastest possible single-core CPU for DCS (and most other games as well).
Based on all of these facts, here are my top recommendations:
1. Best CPU for DCS (Premium)
Sale
AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800X3D 8-core, 16-Thread Desktop Processor with AMD 3D…
- The world’s fastest gaming desktop processor and first gaming processor with 3D stacking technology
- 8 Cores and 16 processing threads with AMD 3D V-Cache technology
Sale
Intel Core i9-12900K Desktop Processor 16 (8P+8E) Cores up to 5.2 GHz…
- The processor features Socket LGA-1700 socket for installation on the PCB
- 30 MB of L3 cache memory provides excellent hit rate in short access time enabling improved system…
The 12900K is the best consumer grade CPU for DCS right now. It over-clocks to 5.0 GHz easy-peasy and even goes beyond if you push it or get lucky with the silicon lottery.
That means you get the best single core performance and that is what you need. It is indeed expensive and it gets hot, which means you’ll need a 240mm or 360mm radiator to cool it down. I have used the Corsair Hydro for over 8 years now and it just keeps on kicking. This is the latest version of the Corsair Hydro ) . If you are looking for the best, this is it.
AMD’s Ryzens are actually better in many applciaitons but for such a core limited game like DCS, Intel is still king. However, you are paying a lot of extra dough for that last 2-3% of extra performance. The Ryzens have an advantage in terms of price-performance and they are also more upgrade-friendly. Which essentially means you don’t have to buy a new motherboard as often with AMD as you have to with Intel. The bottomline is you won’t go wrong with a top end AMD chip either.
2. Best CPU for DCS (Mid-range)
Sale
Intel Core i5-12600K Desktop Processor 10 (6P+4E) Cores up to 4.
9 GHz…
- Intel® Core® i5 Deca-core (10 Core) 3.70 GHz processor offers hyper-threading architecture that…
- The Socket LGA-1700 socket allows processor to be placed on the PCB without soldering
Sale
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 6-core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with…
- AMD’s fastest 6 core processor for mainstream desktop, with 12 processing threads
- Can deliver elite 100 plus FPS performance in the world’s most popular games
The 12600K hits the sweet spot in terms of price and performance. This is the default best option for most users. This is the chip that would be my final recommendation to a friend who was building a DCS rig. This chip has been one of the most popular gaming processors and with good reason. It gives you performance that is only slightly lower than the top dogs, but it does that at less than half the price. You can overclock to 5.
1 Ghz (maybe more or less depending on silicon lottery) without worrying about the tremendous heat that the i9 chips generate.
AMD also has a contender in this range and it offers even better price performance than the Intel. AMD has shaken up the CPU market quite a bit and in the mid range they actually outperform Intel these days. The benefit is not just in the price performance of the chip itself but also in motherboard longevity and saving on electricity costs. That might not seem like much, but if it adds up over time.
3. Best CPU for DCS (Entry Level)
Sale
INTEL CORE I3-12100F DESKTOP
- Intel Core i3-12100F Desktop Processor 4 (4P-0E) Cores Up to 4.3 GHz Turbo Frequency LGA1700 600…
Sale
AMD Ryzen™ 5 5500 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with…
- Can deliver fast 100 plus FPS performance in the world’s most popular games, discrete graphics card.
.. - 6 Cores and 12 processing threads, bundled with the AMD Wraith Stealth cooler
The older Ryzens still offer the best performance per dollar. These options are the minimum I would urge you to consider for DCS if you intend to play in VR. You can of course go lower but there will be stuttering as the CPU gets bottlenecked quite a bit.
These budget chips can go up to 4.4 or 4.5 GHz and some push it a bit higher than that. But they have other limitations like cache that makes them slower than the other top end chips.
Intel also has a few offerings at this price point. The 12100F goes up to 4.3 GHz but some push it a tiny bit higher than that. It’s also a viable option and the decision boils down to your budget.
About the Author
My top 4 gaming processors in my opinion
This content has been written by a website visitor and has been rewarded.
Choosing a processor for games is always a difficult question.
Currently, AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors and 13th generation Intel Core processors offer fantastic performance, and even better chips are on the way. If you’re on a budget and looking for maximum performance, then read no further, just find the highest clock speed and as many cores as possible.
recommendations
The trouble starts when you want the best gaming performance for a reasonable price. Some processors stand out in particular in terms of price, performance, and additional features. Here are the best processors for gaming PCs today.
Contents
Intel Core i3-12100F Best Budget Gaming Processor
Intel Core i5-12400 Best Gaming Processor Near Budget Price
Intel Core i9-13900K-the best high-performance gaming processor
Ryzen 5 5600G-the best gaming processor with built-in graphics
Intel Core i3-12100f-Best Budget Processor
at the presentation of Intel Raptor Lake lake th generation, only four chips were introduced.
The cheapest processor among them has a factory price of $319, which is hardly a budget price. The previous generation products are still popular in the market due to their price competitiveness. There are several options in the $100 to $135 price range, but one processor is the most compelling. According to gaming benchmarks from sites like Tom’s Hardware and TechSpot, the Intel Core i3-12100F ($110) delivers significantly higher frame rates than similarly priced AMD counterparts. In addition, its gaming performance is on par with the latest generation Intel Core i5-11600K, which costs twice as much. However, designed as a cheaper version of the Core i3-12100 ($135), it doesn’t include integrated graphics. If you need to save money on a good enough graphics card, you might be better off picking a chip from AMD, which we’ll discuss next.
The Intel Core i5-12400 is the best gaming processor with an almost budget price
The mid-range CPU is a good option that eliminates many problems for PC gamers.
If you don’t need the high core counts that expensive processors offer, you can get pretty much the same gaming performance for a few hundred dollars less. This is due to the fact that most of the computing load during games is taken by the video card.
The Intel Core i5-12400 has a factory price of about $200, which strikes the right balance between performance and economy. To date, there is no comparable successor from Intel (and neither are AMD competitors), the i5-12400 is still the best on the sub-$300 market.
Citing gaming benchmarks from Guru3D reviews, PC Gamer, etc., the Core i5-12400 has a slight frame difference between the $320 Core i5-12600K and the $589 Core i9-12900Kdollars at 1080p, 1440p and 4K. You don’t even have to upgrade to Windows 11 to get the most out of the chip.
In addition, the i5-12400 processor is slightly superior to AMD’s competitor, the Ryzen 5 5600. If you’re upgrading from an older AM4 B450 motherboard, it may be more cost effective to use AMD (especially since AMD recently cut prices significantly), but otherwise
Intel Core i9-13900K is the best high performance gaming processor
Whether you need more cores for your workload, or you need a future-proof system, or just want the highest frame rate in any situation, choose the 16-core, 32-thread Intel Core i9-13900K.
Price $589. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, which sells for $550, is also worth a look, but if you’re primarily focused on gaming, it’s a bit unwise to spend that kind of money on a 12-core processor.
However, if you’re thinking about energy bills (which is strange when buying a top-end chip for quite a lot of money), you should think twice. The latest AMD and Intel architectures increase both performance and power consumption. The Ryzen 7000 and 13th Gen Raptor Lake consume massive amounts of power, delivering incredible performance.
If you want the best framerate possible in a game, but don’t need as many CPU cores or are concerned about energy bills, take one step down and choose the Core i7-13700K (from $409) or even the Core i5-13600K (from $319). The i7-13700K has the same core count as the i9-13900K, but slightly fewer threads at 24. The i5-13600K has been reduced to 14 cores, but it’s a good choice for high-performance gaming as it performs gaming benchmarks comparable to flagship Intel Core i9 processor-12900K latest generation.
Ryzen 5 5600G — the best gaming processor with integrated graphics To cut costs, you can buy an APU or CPU with integrated high performance graphics. In particular, since AMD and Intel recently announced new processor lines, the price of the Ryzen 5 5600G (factory price $260) and Ryzen 7 5700G (factory price $360) have dropped significantly.
If you buy the Ryzen 5 5600G, you can enjoy most games at 720p or 1080p. Over the past few months, the price of the 5600G has dropped by almost half, and the 5700G by a third.
The key advantage of the Ryzen 5 5600G is that you can play games without spending money on a graphics card, but saving such an expensive purchase for later. The Ryzen 5 5600G is capable of running basic games with ease.
This material was written by a site visitor and has been rewarded.
Best Budget Xeon of 2018 — LGA1356 Gaming Processor
This time we’re not talking about the popular LGA1156 or LGA1366 server platforms.
To be honest, we ourselves recently learned about a rather cool alternative, which is also sold on AliExpress at an affordable price and is the best solution when compared to the above sockets. What is this mysterious processor? We will talk about the LGA1356 platform and the Intel Xeon E5 2440 processor.
This rather curious socket began to appear on AliExpress quite recently. This is most likely due to the fact that the Chinese from HUANAN have learned to make motherboards for it. Thus, this platform should now take first place among the budget «zeons» in terms of «price-performance», eclipsing the old ones on socket 1156 and 1366.
What is LGA1356?
The platform was released in 2012. It replaced socket 1366 and has a lot in common with the more efficient LGA2011, but is a bit simplified. In fact, this Socket is a good work on the bugs of the previous 1366: it has PCI 3.0, you can overclock the RAM, the northbridge does not overheat, and the ring bus is used.
In simple terms: eliminated all the jambs that arose earlier.
Also, the most powerful processors that the platform supports have 10 cores and 20 threads each, but they operate at a relatively low frequency. The maximum that could be allowed on 1366 is 6 cores and 12 threads.
There is also a second generation of processors on 1356 — with the addition «v2» at the end. They were made on the newer Ivy Bridge architecture on a 22 nm process technology. The previous generation has 32 nm, which affects higher power consumption and heating.
There are also disadvantages: unlike LGA1366, the multiplier on the processors is locked here, which makes overclocking impossible. But, to be honest, I don’t think that most users will do any overclocking at all, and the frequencies of socket 1356 processors are not bad even without overclocking.
Building a computer on this platform in 2018 costs about the same as on the old 1366. All things considered, building a system on an older socket makes no sense.
1356 vs 2011: what’s the difference?
How is the LGA1356 socket and processors different from the more expensive 2011? Firstly, the memory controller supports only 3 channels instead of 4. Secondly, there are significantly fewer PCI-E lines — 24 versus 40. Thirdly, there is only 1 QPI bus. But I do not think that you are interested in all these technical details.
If we talk about more understandable things, then the choice of processors for 2011 is 2-3 times larger: there are both high-frequency and multi-core processors. In 1356 processors, the frequencies are often lower, however, for a budget assembly, such processors are just right. Yes, and they pull the game well.
What’s in the games and what accessories to choose?
Since we are talking about games, it would be nice to show the tests of the most profitable processor on socket 1356 today in terms of price-performance ratio — Intel Xeon E5 2440 with 6 cores and 12 threads, which can be bought on AliExpress for about $37 .
To be honest, about a month ago I wanted to order a motherboard and a processor on this socket so that I could later make a video with tests, but plans changed, and some guys already did it for me.
In general, these components began to appear on Ali relatively recently, so it is not known what will happen to the prices further, but so far they are very attractive.
Speaking of motherboards, at the moment their choice is not very large, but every day new models appear. Who is familiar with motherboards from HUANAN , which are very popular in LGA2011 systems, knows firsthand about the quality of these components. I highly recommend buying boards from this particular manufacturer, as they are much cheaper than analogues and are not inferior to them in quality. The motherboard is not cheap — almost $100. But if you take into account the low price of processors and support for cheap server RAM, you get the most profitable assembly of a powerful personal computer.
BF 1 for max. settings (FullHD) — an average of 80 FPS. Video card — GTX 1060 (3GB)
If you have a good video card, which, by the way, we don’t recommend saving on, as well as buying video cards on AliExpress, you can play all the most demanding games on such a computer, including PUBG and Fortnite, at maximum settings. A good video card in my understanding — starting from the GeForce GTX 780 (970, 1060) and higher. Or cards similar in power from AMD (but it is more difficult with them — miners are buying them up more diligently).
Conclusion
The LGA1356 platform is a new hit in the used server processor market. The Chinese have learned how to make motherboards for this socket quite recently, so the prices for components are still very affordable. What will happen when demand increases many times is unknown, so you should hurry with the purchase.
The most optimal processor is Intel Xeon E5 2440 , and the motherboard is HUANAN X9D .