The important question when hunting for the best gaming CPU, is how many CPU cores for gaming is optimal. Especially, if the gamer is upgrading a building a new gaming system and they are looking forward to using the best. Since the next best won’t do, the response to this question is considered to be critical to the success of the games that will be played in the near future.
As we get started with the appropriate response, there are a few things that both the novice and seasoned gamers should know. So, here is a little history about the CPU (central processing unit) or brain of the gaming system that relates to its overall performance.
Single Core and Dual Core — Related to the History of Gaming
Way back in the day, things with gamers were quite a bit different since the resources available in this area were limited to single core and dual core processors. In fact, single core processing units only was on the scene and it allowed gamers to play various activities efficiently and effectively. Simply put, the performance that single core and dual core gave was really good at that time. However, when the gamers had access to single core cpu’s, they did not have the capability of multi-tasking so there were some tight limitations. While this was true, the single core capabilities served its purposes by the highest speed that it could switch from one task to the next. So, it was at that time, that single and dual core were the norm and acceptable for the games that were being released to those who were advocate gamers.
See our review of the best AIO water coolers for CPU’s to help keep your CPU cores cool, and open up the potential for overclocking.
Today’s Gaming Performance —- Dependent Upon Quad Core and above Capabilities
On the other hand, due to the fact that gaming systems have changed so dramatically over the years, the dual core technology is no longer enough to satisfy the thirst of a gamer that wants more with their gaming experience. In fact, these groups of gamers want as much as they can get, especially if the gaming world says that more is actually available and needed to be the best. For instance, dual core CPU’s functionality has been replaced with quad-core as the norm for the average gamer. Also, with the types of gaming software available, gamers need the quad core as a viable option to keep up with the industry. In fact, once a gamer adds more to their gaming systems than their quad core capabilities, they may find that they are in a situation where they begin to break even in performance. In short, a quad core CPU is normally what a gamer needs to update and enhance their gaming systems.
Related: When building your new gaming PC you’ll want to grab some of the best thermal paste available, to keep those CPU temperatures down!
Quad Core is not the Top Level for CPU Versions — More Cores Available and Technological Advances
If you look at the technical sites today, you will find that technology offers each gamer more options that Quad Core CPUs. In fact, over the years, quad core cpu’s have been left behind in favor of the following technologies.
- 6 Core CPUs
- 6 Cores/6 Hyper Thread
- 8 Core CPu’s
- 8 Cores/8 Hyper Thread
Though this may true, the versions above the quad core may not be what is highly recommended for gamers. Instead, when it comes to 6 Core CPUs and higher, you most likely find that gamers have noted that there is a bottleneck in performance. This bottle neck normally refers to the fact that the higher upgradable CPUs that begin 6 Core and above are usually too much for the GPU. Simply stated, the higher cores will not boost the performance enough to recognize that the 6 core or above warrants making this kind of purchase. In fact, the only gamers that may persist in pushing the envelope in this area are those that do not mind spending the extra money that it will take to purchase the more expensive versions.
