Intel Core i7-12700K Desktop Processor 12 (8P+4E) Cores up to 5.0 GHz Unlocked  LGA1700 600 Series Chipset 125W

The last time I was this happy with an Intel CPU in terms of performance-per-dollar was the 4770K.

This CPU is fast! Its great. Just be careful when youre inserting it into the motherboard and you should be good to go. It runs at a decent temperature in my Fractal case with Arctic 280 AIO. No bottlenecking in my games paired with DDR5 and a 3080 12GB GPU.

Ive bounced over years from AMD to INTEL and at one point settled back to INTEL. I typically go for the i7 processors to get more life out of my systems (rather than i3 or i5 processors). I have gotten many more years than thought out of systems and still show good usability even after 6 years. The processor installs easily provided you have some knowledge in building computers. No blue screening to report used with ASUS Z690M-Plus motherboard and G.SKILL memory.

If you are using this hard, get a large cooler, it has many cores and they can generate heat. That done, it is great.

This is the most anyone should need for a while as of 2022 (at least for gaming).

i7 is so much more affordable than i9 and probably not that big of a performance difference

My three cents:

Installed much easier than I thought it would, and it works like a charm. However, I thought i was a bit expensive..

The best value processor get it 340$

Paired with a Noctua D15 and the Elite AX Z690, this thing is insane. Massive step up from my i7 6700k.