Processors have come a long way since the days of Pentium 3 and Windows ME. Today
we are spoiled for choice, lost in a luxurious sea of hex and quad core processors
capable of so many calculations a second it’s enough to make your head spin.

For anyone interested in building the ultimate gaming rig, I’ve compiled a
list of the hottest hexa and quad core processors from camp Intel and AMD.

If money is no object, the Intel i7 980x Extreme Edition is the current best on
the market, but the price leaves a lot to be desired. The rest of the CPU’s in
the list offer top of the range power for your gaming rig while not breaking the
bank.

Six Core Monsters

If you want to make your gaming rig future-proof for six-core based applications and games then the hexa-core processors are the way to go. For most people however, the quad cores should suffice.

If you want bang for buck, the AMD Phenom II x6 1090t is a no brainer weighing in at $279.99, but if money is no object, hands down the king of the hill is the Intel i7 980x Extreme Edition. But this processor is pretty overpriced and you can get acceptable performance from the AMD six cores.

Personal six-core recommendation: AMD Phenom II x6 1090t

Intel i7 980x Extreme Edition

	Number of cores	6	$999.99
	Clock speed	3.33 GHz
	Cache	12 MB SmartCache
	Socket type supported	FCLGA1366
Complete spec sheet

Intel i7 970

	Number of cores	6	$899.99
	Clock speed	3.2 GHz
	Cache	12 MB SmartCache
	Socket type supported	FCLGA1366
Complete spec sheet

AMD Phenom II x6 1090t

	Number of cores	6	$279.99
	Clock speed	3.2 GHz
	Cache	L2 3MB, L3 6MB
	Socket type supported	AM3
Complete spec sheet

AMD Phenom II x6 1055T

	Number of cores	6	$199.99
	Clock speed	2.8 GHz
	Cache	L2 3MB, L3 6MB
	Socket type supported	AM3
Complete spec sheet

Quad cores for us lesser mortals

Lower on the food chain, we have the four core processors.

The current spate of DX11 games rarely (if ever) use more than 4 cores, so at this stage it might be more prudent to stick to these quad cores. Six cores won’t mean a lot, unless you’re involved in heavy video editing and multitasking.

Of those listed below, the i7 950 processor has dropped in price by 50% in the past few days, so without hesitation, that is our recommendation if you’re building your new gaming pc or just upgrading your processor.

Intel i7 960

	Number of cores	4	$569.99
	Clock speed	3.2 GHz
	Cache	8 MB SmartCache
	Socket type supported	FCLGA1366
Complete spec sheet

Intel i7 950

	Number of cores	4	$331.28
	Clock speed	3.06 GHz
	Cache	8 MB SmartCache
	Socket type supported	FCLGA1366
Complete spec sheet

Intel i7 930

	Number of cores	4	$289.99
	Clock speed	2.8 GHz
	Cache	8 MB SmartCache
	Socket type supported	FCLGA1366
Complete spec sheet

AMD Phenom II 965

	Number of cores	4	$165.99
	Clock speed	3.4 GHz
	Cache	L2 2MB, L3 6MB
	Socket type supported	AM3
Complete spec sheet

AMD Phenom II 955

	Number of cores	4	$149.99
	Clock speed	3.2 GHz
	Cache	L2 2MB, L3 6MB
	Socket type supported	AM3
Complete spec sheet

Honourable Mention

I’d look out for a price drop of the i7 920, Intel will surely have to slash the cost of this two year old processor with the recent drop in price of the i7 950. So keep an eye on that one.

How much would you spend on your dream rig? Are you sold on six cores?

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Related links:
Amazon.com Chimes in with i7 950 Price Drop
If Mount Olympus Made Graphics Cards
AlienBEware: Why You SHOULD build Your Own Gaming PC