Which processor is better in 2019? Intel's Core i7 vs AMD’s Ryzen? Which is the best gaming processor and which CPU should you buy right now?

In recent years, AMD has been unafraid to push back against a dominant Intel by talking up not just the value-per-dollar but also the high-end performance that end users can find in their next-generation Ryzen processors.
The first wave of AMD Ryzen CPUs offered 8 cores and 16 threads and superiority when it came to the price-tag. The second pushed things even further, with the Ryzen-powered Threadripper 2 rocking a staggering 32 cores and 64 threads. With the third iteration of Ryzen well on the way, we figured now would be a great time to take stock and run the numbers.

Which CPU is best: Intel or AMD Ryzen?

You’ll see many multi-page reviews on the internet with all kinds of benchmarks, complex overclocking scenarios and interminable technology-based theorizing regarding which is best but we’re taking a slightly different approach.We'reing things one at a time, and breaking them into discrete sections. If you want a big spreadsheet that shows the difference in clock speed between Intel and AMD Ryzen CPUs, we've got that. If you want a breakdown of the price-difference between AMD Ryzen and Intel CPUs, we've got that. If you want a benchmark-to-benchmark comparison, we've got that.

And if you’re the kind of person who just wants to buy the best CPU in terms of performance, features and value, we’ve got you covered too. The following

buyers guide is all about getting to the difference in a nutshell between these two CPU options.

Intel Core - In a nutshell

Generally speaking, Core i7s are better than Core i5s, which are in turn better than Core i3s. Core i7 does not have seven cores nor does Core i3 have three cores. The numbers are more of an arbitrary way to distinguish between their relative processing powers than a specific designation based on core count or clock speed or anything technical like that.

Then you’ve got the new Core i9. Introduced in 2017, the Core i9 series is a super-high end range of processors that boasts incredibly high thread and core-counts. The top-end Core i9-7980X (Amazon) touts 18-cores (clocked at 2.6Ghz) and can handle 32 threads at once while the cheapest option - the i9-7900X boasts 10 cores (capable of serving 20 threads) and a base clock speed of 3.3GHz.