With cost serving as a major factor in building, upgrading, or purchasing a PC, choosing the right CPU often comes down to finding the one that offers the best bang for your buck.
CPU stands for "Central Processing Unit." The CPU is the primary component of a computer that processes instructions. It runs the operating system and applications, constantly receiving input from the user or active software programs.
In the desktop CPU world, the two main players on the market are AMD and Intel, and while the latter definitely had the undisputed lead throughout the 2010s, the situation changed drastically in the past few years.
So, which is better for gaming in 2020?
Most buyers will be better off buying an Intel 7th Generation (or above) processor like the Core i7 7700K (Amazon) as it costs $200 less than Ryzen’s best 1800X (Amazon) processor and, as far as most general-usage tasks go, it performs better. It also doesn’t require having your PC set up for Maximum Performance - which is not healthy for power bills.
AMD deserves a great deal of credit for coming back from nowhere to match Intel and produce some interesting technology but its claims of matching Intel for dramatically less money are somewhat misguided. If we’re talking general day-to-day usage, Intel’s platform is both faster and cheaper.