Which processor to buy in 2021? TOP-5 models from Intel and AMD with a price tag of up to $200

No matter how we've been kicking Intel for the last couple of years (and there's something there), we can't help but admit that the Comet Lake family, despite the outdated technical process, turned out to be a sight. Not everywhere, of course, but in the low-cost segment so exactly. A great example of this is the relatively new low-cost Core i3 10100, which for its $100 plus offers a nimble quad-core with multithreading and turbo boost. Compare this with the peasant Core i3 two years ago, in which all these charms were not, and the price tags on the stratum were almost twice as high.

Considering that a year ago, just 4 cores were the norm for the younger Core i3 models, now these processors are coming on the heels of the older Core i5, which, under the pressure of Ryzen competitors, had to rapidly increase the cores and at the same time become cheaper. Therefore, the main question is what are eight streams with a maximum frequency of 4.3 GHz capable of? Let's just say a lot. In fact, this is the same Core i7-7700 with a slightly truncated cache (6 MB vs. 8 MB), which two years ago was called the flagship stone and the optimal processor for games. Even with a simple motherboard on the H410 chipset and inexpensive dual-channel memory, this low-cost employee will be able to unlock the potential of a GeForce GTX 1080 Ti-level graphics card.

Putting aside the modest possibilities and dubious prospects for overclocking, the Core i3-10100 is perfect for an entry-level and even mid-level gaming computer. Given the very democratic price tag, its closest competitors in the AMD camp will be the Ryzen 3 3100, which actually became the first really inexpensive processor in the AMD Matisse line. It is supported by a more modern technical process, slightly higher performance, support for PCI-E 4.0 lines and the good old AM4 socket. But at the same time it costs almost a third more expensive and go find it on the market.

When we talk about the universal coolness of most Ryzen processors, we usually praise the performance, rejoice at a bunch of cores and new chips like PCI-E 4.0. And only occasionally in conversation is mentioned the rather cool AMD Vega integrated graphics, which turned the existence of the Intel HD platform into one big joke. But there is one catch, this pleasure costs money and with a powerful external graphics card, few people need the second internal one. And there is no demand — there is no supply, so finding a powerful Ryzen with Vega on board is still a challenge.

The situation was partially saved by the "new" Ryzen 5 3350G PRO, which actually belongs to the last generation of Picasso and is actually a slightly improved version of the old Ryzen 5 2400G from the Raven Ridge family. It uses the same 4 cores with multithreading enabled and a free multiplier, the same Vega 11 graphics, and the same modest 4 MB of cache-the third level. In fact, the technical process has improved (it was 14 nm, it became 12 nm) and the frequency has increased a little during auto-acceleration. At the same time, the price difference is almost twofold, for an old man 2400G in some stores they ask for almost $ 300 and this is the complete opposite of the concept of adequate value formation.

Thanks to the 65 W heat package, Ryzen 5 3350G PRO will allow you to assemble the system on an AM4 socket in a small case, for example, for a compact gaming computer — even with a Wraith Stealth cooler, quiet enough and very efficient. In principle, a graphics card is not needed, since the built-in Vega 11 core, if desired, allows you to get acquainted with most current games at low graphics settings and 1080p resolution. In terms of performance, this is almost the level of GT 1030, which, although it lacked stars from the sky, but at the same time confidently pulled any esports games and did not die when launching Far Cry 5.

The Core i5-9400F is the junior six—core processor of the Coffee Lake Refresh family, the ideological heir to the terribly popular Core i5-8400, which was loved for its combination of attractive price and decent performance. With the Core i5-9400F, history repeated itself: thanks to the same formula "6 cores + a price tag below $200", this processor remains one of the most popular in the Intel line, bypassing the newer Core i5-10400, which, although it has acquired multithreading, has also grown in price.

Given the abundance of various versions that Intel has flooded the market with (regular Core, with index K, with index F, etc.), the Core i5 9400F model with a disabled video core and an extremely tempting price tag just below $150 is of the greatest interest. If we compare the Core i5 9400F with other 6-core chips, then in fact the only competitor will be a special 12-nm version of the old Ryzen 5 1600. Both show excellent performance in games in Full HD resolution and will allow you to work with projects of medium complexity in conditional Reaper or Photoshop.

If we are talking about more serious tasks like daily installation in 4K, then six cores without Hyper-Threading are unlikely to be enough for 100%. Here it will already make sense to fork out a little for an unlocked multiplier, virtual cores and a high-quality turntable offered by competitor Ryzen 5 3600. Otherwise, these are processors of plus or minus one level, Intel is traditionally slightly better in games (the difference is 5-7%), and AMD drags in resource-intensive applications, ahead of its competitor by 8-15%.

Given the wild popularity of the Ryzen 5 3600, prices for it do not even think to decrease. On the contrary, compared to the beginning of last year, they even increased and at the beginning of 2021, most stores are asking almost $ 300 for it. In principle, the price is fair, but the status of the "people's" processor, as it was with the Ryzen 5 2600, does not smell here. But if there is a plan to build a system based on the Zen 2 core (or Ryzen Matisse), then a junior Matisse 3500X can be an excellent plan B.

It boasts the same six cores, an unlocked multiplier, factory overclocking, and the same 32 MB of third-level cache. The only difference is that the Ryzen 5 3500X has no additional virtual cores. The operating frequencies of the cores start from 3.6 and, if necessary, can rise to 4.1 GHz. Thanks to the unlocked multiplier, the operating frequencies can be raised a little more, reaching the same 4.2 GHz as the older Ryzen 5 3600X. And even a little higher. However, you can't catch up much here, since the Matisse line is not strong in overclocking, almost all the juices were squeezed out of it at the production stage. If you still decide to do overclocking, be sure to take care of a high-quality cooling system (the OEM version of the cooler does not have one at all) and an appropriate motherboard with a good power subsystem and a VRM radiator, which will fully be able to reveal the capabilities of this processor.

In general, the Ryzen 5 3500X was a success. For just $150, you get an optimal gaming (and not only) six-core processor with a classic AM4 socket and all the latest AMD developments on board, like support for fourth-generation PCI-E lines. Thanks to the increased number of Zen+ cores and the added cache in most games and many resource–intensive applications, it bypasses another popular Ryzen 2600 processor by 10-12%. Lagging behind the older Ryzen 5 3600 in heavy tasks for rendering and compiling usually does not exceed 20%. As for gaming tests and comparisons with Intel, then the red Ryzen is a little behind the Core i5-9400F, but at the same time it easily levels this difference due to manual overclocking, which Intel simply does not have. Considering all that has been said, we would recommend buying this option, and not the usual Ryzen 5 2600X.

The brand new 6-core/12-thread Core i5 10400, which was released as part of the Intel Comet Lake family, is one of the most performant processors in the category up to $200. Moreover, he gets into it completely right at the expense of the F-version of the processor, which has the graphics core disabled and, accordingly, the price tag is slightly lower. It seems that AMD and Intel have finally changed roles, the former are now taking the rap for technical progress, and the latter are lagging behind on all fronts, but they keep the public's interest due to the constant price reduction.

In addition to the increased number of computing blocks, the Comet Lake family got multithreading support, slightly increased those frequencies and volumes of third-level cache memory and, of course, moved to a new LGA 1200 socket because ... well, you understand. Here Comes The Money. Nevertheless, despite the snail's pace of Intel's technological progress, these minor improvements, together with price balancing, allowed us to impose decent competition on both the past and the current generation of Ryzen. What do we have in the end? A bundle of 6+6 cores with a maximum clock speed of 4.3 GHz in resource-intensive applications is expected to be inferior to the slightly more expensive bestseller Ryzen 5 3600. However, the gap is relatively small and regardless of the type of task (compiling, rendering, archiving), the advantage of the AMD processor rarely exceeds 15%.

But in games, the Core i5-10400 wins a convincing victory, providing about a 10% advantage in the number of FPS. The only fly in the ointment was too soft turbo boost. If the Core i7 multicore monsters in manual mode easily knock out the coveted 5 GHz, the performance of this Core i5 rises very carefully and slowly, which makes it difficult for him to keep even 4 GHz on all cores at the same time. However, this is not surprising, with such Core i5 capacities, 95% of users would be enough for their eyes, and the older Intel series would become the lot of enthusiasts.