It goes without saying that choosing or building the best PC for your computing needs means choosing the right processor that can handle your most important computing tasks, whether it’s gaming, video editing, or everyday productivity. In this comparison guide, we’ll take a closer look at two of today’s most popular processor brands: Intel vs. AMD Ryzen.

When comparing AMD Ryzen vs Intel processors, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not really a question of which is better. They’re both great processors in their own right, and generally speaking, PCs using either one will perform well.

But if you have specific computing needs in mind or you plan on using your PC primarily for one specific task, there are real performance differences between AMD Ryzen processors and Intel processors. Intel generally excels at more resource-intensive tasks like video editing and gaming, but AMD Ryzen processors are generally a better value when it comes to graphics and for those who plan on using their PC primarily for productivity tasks and little else.

When we put together our list of the best gaming processors, it was obvious that we had to give Intel’s Core i9-9900K processor the top spot as “Best Overall.” And that was because, in addition to being “the fastest mainstream CPU available today,” it features an 8-core, 16-thread setup that’s beneficial for multitasking if you plan on playing games and performing other tasks like video editing or streaming. And that’s not to mention Intel’s best gaming processor also has a base clock speed of 3.6GHz with 5.0GHz turbo unlocked speeds.