Compare processors

Pick two processors to see their specifications side by side, or scroll down for the full list of everything we hold. Nothing here is a score or a ranking: these are the manufacturer’s stated figures, and what they mean for your machine is left to you.

Every processor we hold

Sort by any column, or search by name. The same figures the comparison above uses, for the whole library.

Reading the columns

Cores and threads. Cores are physical; threads are what the operating system schedules on. A processor with more threads than cores supports simultaneous multithreading, which helps workloads that parallelise and does very little for those that do not.

Base and boost clock. Base is the speed the processor sustains under a full load on every core. Boost is the peak on a small number of cores with thermal headroom available. Real behaviour sits between the two and depends on the cooler, the case and the workload.

TDP. A thermal design figure the manufacturer publishes for cooler selection, not a measurement of power draw. Intel and AMD define it differently and neither definition matches what a wall meter reports under load.

Socket. The physical and electrical interface. A processor fits only boards with a matching socket, and a matching socket does not by itself guarantee the board supports that processor: firmware matters too, which is why the PC Builder checks the pairing rather than assuming it.

Why there is no performance ranking

A ranking that ordered these parts by speed would need benchmark results measured under comparable conditions, across a workload that represents what you actually do. We do not hold those measurements, and inventing a score from published specifications would produce a number that looks authoritative and means nothing.

Core count and clock speed do tell you something real: a sixteen-core part will finish a parallel job faster than a four-core one of the same generation. They tell you very little about two similar parts from different manufacturers, and nothing at all about how either behaves in a specific game.

For that, read reviews that publish their test methodology and the exact configuration they measured.

Choosing a processor as part of a whole build? The PC Builder checks socket, memory generation, cooler clearance and power draw as you select, and explains every result.