What makes a processor great depends on two factors: how much you want to spend on it and what you want to do with it. It doesn't seem logical to spend only 100 bucks on a processor destined to be at the heart of a gaming rig and you would probably be bonkers to spend 500 on a CPU only to do word processing.
Achieving the best possible value for your money is what we're after.
There's plenty of options available in the market, both from AMD and from Intel; and the concept of a best-value-for-the-money processor, while very much a debatable topic, is one worthy of debate. Obviously, your propensity to take things apart - and put them back together - as well as the specification of the rest of your system also come into play, but we digress.
There's also the fact that different options arise depending on where you are on the purchase curve: are you building a new computer or updating an existing one (and sticking to the existing motherboard).
And lest not forget the fact that some of us will be more confident than others when it comes to the art of overclocking while others may be tempted to buy second hand or burn-in CPUs. (The latter being chips pushed to their maximum operating temperature for stability testing.)
To make things simpler for everyone, we've decided to narrow down the list to the more popular sockets and stock keeping units. So, no server CPUs, soldered processors (embedded or laptop), obsolete sockets and, to pre-empt any further discussion, no non-x86 parts.
We also go for the cheaper SKU where possible (i.e. without coolers). Just bear in mind that stocks and prices change all the time - thanks, Amazon Dynamic Pricing.
As always, if you think there are better Intel/AMD alternatives, give us a shout in the comment section. Without further ado, here are our picks for the top 10 processors.
1. AMD A10-5800K
Piledriver cores and DX11 graphics
Processor Cores: 4 | Thermal Design Power: 100W | Graphics Controller: Radeon HD7660D | Clock Speed: 3.80GHz | Processor Socket: FM2 | L2 Cache: 4MB
Decent CPU performance
Some light gaming possible
Socket restrictions
Gaming performance is ultimately mediocre
This first choice is likely to be a bit controversial because it involved spending $120 (£70, about AU$160) on an APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) that is more than three years old and has been built on an older 32nm manufacturing process. That, combined with the fact that it has a relatively high TDP of 100W explains why its turbo boost speed only hits 4.2GHz, a less-than-stellar 10%, boost although you should be able to overclock it further if you swap the bundled HSF for something beefier. The A10-5800K integrates a Radeon HD 7660D GPU, pushing its core count to 12 and the boxed edition comes with a three-year warranty. Ultimately, the USP here is an all-in-one, overclockable chip for a good price.
2. AMD FX-9590
Among AMD's best to offer
Processor Cores: 8 | Thermal Design Power: 220W | Graphics Controller: None (requires discrete GPU) | Clock Speed: 4.7GHz | Processor Socket: AM3+ | L2 Cache: 4 x 2MB
AMD FX-9590
Premium choice for AMD fans
Fast base clock speed
Old architecture
Rather high TDP
This is one of the best processors AMD has to offer to its consumer fans. This is a 2-year-old, Vishera-based product that has been etched on a 32nm technology - not even the 28nm one used by its own APU - and has a pretty high TDP. Why include the FX-9590 in this list? To quench the thirst of AMD loyalists, mostly. With a total of 16MB cache (there's 8MB L3 in there, too) and a speedy base clock speed of 4.7GHz.