Programming is no longer an abstract concept with it being embraced by people from all walks of life due to it being both a great teacher in terms of logical reasoning and thought process as well as it being ingrained in most modern science and finance-centric workloads in 2024.
While some coding use cases and applications are simple, others can require significant amounts of computing power to function well. Users running frameworks and software stacks often feel the need for a faster CPU for a variety of use cases including, but not limited to, game development, financial modeling and data science.
Modern CPUs are by and large faster than their predecessors by an order of magnitude each year, but the gaps are often shrinking generation by generation, leading to users being both choosier when it comes to upgrades and having to do a significant amount of research to know which CPU to opt for, for their code-centric needs. The team at Game Rant aims to rectify this by doing research and ranking the best CPUs for coding at different budget and performance tiers.
AMD Ryzen 7 9700X
The Efficient All-Rounder
The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a mid-tier offering in the latest Ryzen 9000 series of CPUs, and it brings eight cores, 16 threads, and a boost clock speed of 5.5 GHz. The new chip is more efficient than its previous generation counterpart, and it supports more DDR5 RAM clocked at 5600 MHz.
The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core, 16-thread CPU that replaces the outgoing AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and dials up the competition versus Intel’s current-gen 14600K and 14700K CPUs, even as it leans slightly higher versus the former when it comes to pricing.
It comes with AMD’s new Zen 5 architecture under the hood that offers a 16% IPC uplift combined with a bolstered FPU pipeline that allows it to do great in benchmarks that require AVX-512 instructions to function.
It does offer, on average, up to a 10% gain in most applications versus its predecessor even as it offers significant efficiency gains, especially at its stated 65W TDP. It is also a direct beneficiary of an upcoming Windows 11 scheduler update that further increases its performance gains versus competing CPUs.
Note: The CPU above also benefits from a free 2-game bundle as part of an ongoing AMD promotion including the following titles: Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 & Unknown 9: Awakening.
Intel Core i5-14400F
Value-centric Core-Heavey Player
Intel Core i5-14400F is a revised edition of the i5 13400F that brings higher clock speeds for the same price. The Raptor Lake Refresh architecture helps it improve in overall performance while retaining its power efficiency. The i5 14400F brings 6 performance and 4 efficient cores, resulting in a total of 16 threads.
The Intel Core i5-14400F is not a new CPU by any measure. It is simply a higher-clocked and rebadged Core i5 13400F CPU, but that is not necessarily a bad thing given its current value proposition. It comes in a 10-core 16-thread configuration with its 6 performance cores leading the way for both gaming and productivity workloads, including coding applications across the board.
It does come locked out of the box and can not be overclocked as a result, even as it skips on an iGPU to get a lower price than the standard option, which might make it the best contender for users skipping a discrete GPU in their PC build due to the added cost it tacks on to get a GPU as an entry-level display adapter instead.
The Core i5 14400F does have a few distinct advantages - it comes with a stock cooler and works with both DDR4 and DDR5-based LGA 1700 motherboards. This makes it cheaper and more versatile when it comes to deployment, allowing it to be paired with cheaper motherboards and memory while skipping on a discrete cooling option that brings down the price of most PCs built around it.
AMD Ryzen™ 9 7950X3D 16-Core, 32-Thread Desktop Processor
16 Cores Of Zen 4
The 16-core, 32-thread desktop AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor is AMD’s answer to a resurgent Intel 13th generation processor lineup as it attempts to wrest back the gaming crown with the same technology that made the last generation 5800X3D such a powerful CPU.With 128MB of L3 cache on offer, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D leverages its 3D V-Cache muscle in gaming as well as its powerful new Zen 4-based cores in productivity to make for a potent enthusiast-grade CPU in the offing.
For users needing a powerful CPU that can both offer great productivity performance and game reasonably well, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D does both exceedingly well, albeit at a high asking price as it aims to cater to what AMD describes as “creators”.
What makes the 16-core, 32-thread Zen 4 based CPU a different beast is its supersized and stacked L3 cache that allows it to perform certain tasks (gaming in particular) much better than its competition. This also directly results in better performance in game engines and rendering/encoding software, even as it runs more efficiently than most of its direct competitors.
Intel Core i9 14900K 24-Core, 32-Thread CPU
24-Core Juggernaut
The Intel Core i9 14900K 24-Core, 32-Thread CPU is Intel’s highest-end 14th generation CPU and offers the highest boost clocks for a consumer-grade CPU from Intel to date, clocking in at an impressive 6 GHz natively.It succeeds the limited-release Intel Core 13900KS as the first mainstream 6 GHz CPU, even as it brings a large power draw and thermal requirement to reach said clock speed.
The Intel Core i9 14900K is a bolstered Core i9 13900K with Intel’s APO optimizations and AI overclocking offerings that see it push past 6GHz on single-core clock speeds, making it one of the most potent Intel CPUs to date for gaming. It is also one of the fastest productivity CPUs money can buy in 2024, offering some of the highest multi-core scores in the industry as it muscles its way through most workloads.
It does this by pushing its thermals and power limits alike to drive its 24-core offering to do more than the competition. At the same time, there are concerns about the reliability of Intel’s CPUs, which seem to have had multiple microcode fixes rolled out over the last few months to counteract hardware failures in addition to Intel extending its warranty to a much longer 5-year period to mitigate issues that users might have.
For those wanting the best Intel CPU available to them for coding, gaming or other productivity tool use cases, the Intel Core i9 14900K is, to date, one of the strongest candidates on offer.
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
Zen 5’s Finest Desktop-Class CPU
The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X desktop CPU is the top-of-the-line offering in the latest Ryzen 9000 series of processors. It comes with 16 cores, 32 threads, and a boost clock speed of 5.7 GHz. The CPU has 64MB of L3 cache and a TDP of 170W. It delivers considerably higher multi-core and single-core performance than the Ryzen 9 7950X at the same power draw, which is a testament to its efficiency and IPC count gain claims.
The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X is a 16-core, 32-thread CPU that offers the highest end desktop-class Zen 5 CPU available to consumers from Team Red to date. It offers increased IPC counts, better efficiency and clock speeds that match its 7000 series sibling but comes at a higher asking price than what the latter currently commands at most retailers.
The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X does also offer improved AVX-512 instruction set performance, in addition to offering significantly better gaming and productivity performance versus its non-X3D Zen 4 counterparts. At the same time, it is one of the most expensive CPUs core-for-core at the highest end of the spectrum and does not conclusively beat both Intel’s and its own last-gen X3D sibling in certain gaming-focused benchmarks, making it a situational, but likely future-proof CPU choice for programmers needing the extra cores for their testing and deployment needs.
AMD Ryzen 5 8600G 6-Core, 12-Thread CPU
Value-For-Money APU Play
The AMD Ryzen 5 8600G 6-Core, 12-Thread CPU is a powerful entry-level gaming APU that combines AMD’s efficient and performant mobile Zen 4 cores with a capable iGPU in the shape of the AMD Radeon 760M.It packs in acceptable gaming performance at a price point that decimates most of its comparable discrete GPU and CPU combinations even as it is one of the first CPUs or APUs that pack AMD’s Ryzen AI tech to support on-chip AI acceleration.
Users looking for a cheaper all-in-one solution that does bring a bit of heft to the iGPU side of the equation can opt for the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G that offers a hexa-core Zen 4 mobile configuration married to a capable Radeon 760M iGPU that many 7000 series Ryzen-based laptops tend to feature.
It has a rated TDP of 65W and comes with a stock cooler despite being an overclockable processor. The APU runs quite efficiently while allowing for a plethora of 3D accelerated applications to run under the hood even as it does limit the number of available PCI-E 4.0 lanes to a future discrete GPU.
All in all, the Ryzen 5 8600G’s pricing, efficiency and value for money combined make it a great APU to recommend for coders that do not need an oversized CPU offering but do need a faster iGPU sans the cost that most discrete options come with.
Things to Consider When Buying a CPU for Coding
Single-Core Performance: While modern frameworks and code requirements can entail a significant performance requirement in terms of the number of cores, many users run and code applications that overwhelmingly depend on one or two major threads. This means that a fast single-core CPU will generally pull ahead of its competition for users aiming to use it in coding environments.
Core/Thread Count: A higher core count and a corresponding thread count indicates that a CPU can handle large multithreaded applications better. Coders leveraging game development, 3D rendering software or solutions such as machine learning are some of the best examples of where a high core count and/or thread count can allow a CPU, and by proxy its user to pull ahead of competing solutions in terms of code compilation, execution and debugging.
Thermal needs: Not all CPUs are built the same. While most modern CPUs are much more power efficient than their predecessors, they can still consume large amounts of power, especially for all-core workloads and when pushing higher clock speeds. It is important to therefore, address the thermal needs that this entails, with some CPUs requiring large and powerful CPU coolers, often liquid cooled, to avoid thermal throttling, which does directly affect the final cost of an upgrade or PC build for coding needs.
FAQ
Q: Is An Intel or Ryzen CPU better for coding?
Due to the plethora of CPU options out there from both competitors at different price points, one can not point to an individual CPU maker as better for coding. Intel does offer a mix of value for money and higher clock speeds to coders via its Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs while AMD is offering higher IPC counts and better efficiency as part of its new Zen 5 architecture.
Q: What is the best CPU for coding?
There is no universal “best CPU” for coding as user requirements can vary across the board when it comes to certain tasks but some of the best overall CPUs for the task including AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X and Intel’s Core i9 14900K with the former’s Ryzen 7 7950X3D CPU a possibly better candidate for game development.
