Top CPUs available in the latest socket designs.
Top CPUs available in the latest socket designs.
I've been off PC building for a while and need help understanding the latest sockets and chipsets for AMD and Intel. I'd appreciate recommendations on current CPUs that fit those sockets, especially for gaming. I'm planning to upgrade from my old 6800k and prefer modern options over outdated ones.
LGA1200 and am4 remain popular connectors. Intel is updating its release schedule with Rocket Lake later this month.
AMD's newest update brings Zen 3 (Ryzen 5000 lineup) to B550 and X570 boards, while Intel prepares its 11th Gen (Rocket Lake) for the Z590 chipset.
Ryzen launched in 2016 with the 1000 lineup, following years of AMD focusing on console processors. The supporting chipsets included A320, B350, and X370. The 2000 series brought in the B450 and X470 models. With the 3000 series arriving, only the X570 was available. MSI offered B450 motherboards to replace the pending B550. The B550-A line featured a few variants but remained exclusively OEM versions of the B450. Later, the B550 and A520 entered the scene, soon followed by the 5000 series. A 4000 series existed but was limited to OEM builds with only APUs. We’re now eager for some exciting 5000 series chipsets, though supply issues may delay that. Still worth supporting them—they managed to outsell Intel at certain stores and claimed performance leadership. Intel responded in 2017 with the 8th gen (Coffee Lake), adding a six-core chip at the top end and releasing new chipsets like Z370, B360, and H310/370. They also upgraded to eight cores at the high end and introduced the first mainstream i9. The transition kept using LGA 1151 but lacked compatibility with earlier 6th and 7th gen boards. Eventually they moved to LGA 1200 and the 10th gen, which felt a bit delayed. The 11th gen was reviewed early by AnandTech and didn’t quite impress, so perhaps hold off on big hopes. Thanks for joining my talk—maybe I’ll expand it in part 2!
2022 reports suggest AMD might launch Zen 4 using DDR5. This could happen later this year or next, depending on your upgrade plans.
Availability plays a big role here. AMD chips are tough to find right now, but it might be possible later this year. We'll have to wait and see how the market develops. Their performance is almost identical, so the main choice comes down to price—cheaper options seem to be the better bet at the moment.