Best New Gaming CPU for 2012

Review of the Latest Desktop Processors for PC Gaming

Settling for a less than adequate processor is the last thing you want to do when building a gaming computer. You can have the fastest graphics card in the world but if you don't have an equally good CPU, then you're computer will bottleneck with your CPU's capabilities. To avoid this problem I generally try to spend about the same amount of money on both my processor and CPU and set aside 40-50% of my overall budget to these two pieces of hardware.

This year has been a solid year for processors as we've received new processors for both Intel and AMD. I'll highlight a few of the the better ones for gaming below and give you a few tips for saving money on your gaming rig.

Best Intel Gaming Processor 2012

Intel i7-2700k Vs. i7-2600k

Recently released in November of 2011 the i7-2700k has made some strong waves against the popularity of the i7-2600k, especially since its price drop; however, you'll have to determine whether the slight increase in clock speed is really worth the extra cash.

Operating Frequency - Speed

In looking at performance benchmarks the second generation i7-2700k is on par with many processors twice its price, an example being the i7-970 (see CPUbenchmark.net). The standard clock speed for it is 3.5GHz and one of the things that gamers really like about it is just how easily it can be overclocked to speeds in excess of 4.0GHz. For those of you who aren't overclockers this processor comes with Intel Smart Response Technology which automatically boosts the CPU to up to 3.9GHz whenever additional processing power is needed.

Cores and Hyperthreading

The i7-2700k comes with 4 cores of processing power and when performance dictates those cores can be used as 8 threads. This is especially useful for those of you who do significant amounts of multitasking; however, during gaming sessions you probably wouldn't notice the difference.

Compatibility

Intel's second generation of "i" series standard processors are compatible with LGA 1155 socket motherboards, so if you get a motherboard with the right amount of pins, then you're good to go as far as compatibility. GEN3 Z68 chipset motherboards are also forwards compatible with Ivy Bridge CPU.