When I was assembling my first gaming PC, I wondered about how many CPU cores do I need for gaming and streaming. Are you planning to buy a new gaming PC and wondering how many cores do you need for streaming, then don’t worry, I have done some good research to let you know my experience and learnings to get you the best gaming PC configuration.
So, How many CPU cores do I need for gaming and streaming? For gaming and streaming, you need 4 CPU cores or more. Where for gaming you need a minimum of 4 CPU cores and more if the game is coded for higher threads. For streaming, you need a CPU processor with a logical core that supports GPU performance.
You also need to understand how the number of cores, logical core state, and choosing the CPU processor can affect the overall gaming and streaming experience. I have done some research on it and you will find the answers to the next questions that arrive in your mind before you choose the best CPU for your gaming PC.
Best ways to find out how many CPU cores do I need for gaming
There are 4 ways to find out how many CPU cores do I need for gaming and I will explain to you step by step. I have found so many answers on the web and videos explaining the right number of CPU cores but I have to dig dive into these four factors before I consider any number for the final decision.
I am a regular gamer and sometimes do prefer to stream my favorite games while playing new missions or multiplayer online. I certainly wanted the CPU processor to handle the requests and give me the best gaming performance as well.
Choosing the CPU processor
A CPU is a central processing unit that processes tasks at hand by your inputs. Since gaming is a high-performing task and streaming along with it requires a much more powerful CPU processor. I personally use the intel core i7 8th gen CPU processor which has eight cores where they are better for sustaining the gaming and streaming tasks.
But if you are a regular gamer and want to get the best configuration for your budget gaming PC then you should get at least an Intel Core i5 processor which has four cores to handle the regular gaming tasks.
Logical vs Physical core
Most of the CPU processor comes with physical cores and you could get the logical core that works as an extra core which is in-build in a CPU core. Intel has started adding logical cores to certain models. These logical cores are called hyper-threading.
The definition goes as Hyper-Threading is a technology used by some Intel microprocessor s that allows a single microprocessor to act like two separate processors to the operating system and the application programs that use it.
Also Read: How to Choose A Gaming Motherboard? 10 Best Factors To Consider
Gaming performance
We all gamers are ultimately stuck to one thing when it comes to PC configuration which affects gaming performance. Since nowadays game developers are more focused on taking advantage of high core and modern CPUs. You will see more future games that will be based on high requirements with high-end CPU cores.
If you are configuring your budget PC and want to get the best CPU performance and also make sure future-proof gaming then you should go for more than four CPU cores that will ensure you can play next-gen games on your PC.
GPU performance hold-up
In another word, you can call this bottlenecking. Yes, please make sure your GPU performance should not be stagnated or hold up due to the CPU cores that you are choosing to set on your gaming PC. This is one of the factors which you need to consider while you select the CPU processor and the cores.
Since your GPU performance widely depends on the graphic card, you should make sure you have the best and latest graphics card to boost the GPU performance. If you are not adding any graphic card then make sure you should check the GPU and CPU pairing and analyze the benchmark for the performance.
Also Read: What Is The Best OS For Gaming PC? 7 Best Ways To Find
How many cores do you need for streaming
For streaming and high-end work such as video editing and rendering will require six to twelve CPU cores that can sustain the streaming and game simultaneously. You can also add more CPU cores to boost the threads for additional workload and keep the CPU load balanced.
Most games are optimized by the developer to work around four CPU cores and an additional two more cores for the streaming. Hence the computer with the configuration of the Intel Core i7 processor with a minimum of 8 GB RAM should be sufficient for the games and the streaming at the same time.
Best CPU for gaming
The best CPU for gaming you can choose from are Intel Core i9, i7, i5 AMD Ryzen 5, 7, 9. These CPU processors are excellent for gaming performance. The additional cores will be helpful for the other tasks easily by switching from gaming.
CPU such as Intel Core i9 and AMD Ryzen 9 will have threads ranging from 16 – 24 which will be the best selection if you plan to stream games on regular basis, edit videos, and needs less rendering times. If you just want to be ready with future-proof gaming with great performance on a budget PC then I would recommend going for Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5.
| CPU | Cores | Threads |
| Intel Core i9 9900K | 8 | 16 |
| Intel Core i7 9700K | 8 | 8 |
| Intel Core i5 9400F | 6 | 6 |
| AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | 12 | 24 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | 8 | 16 |
| AMD Ryzen 5 3600 | 6 | 12 |
How many cores does Fortnite use
Fortnite requires a minimum of two CPU cores to get the best performance and anything above that will be added on and will depend on the screen resolution and other PC configurations such as RAM and graphics card to boost the performance and visual experience.
You can play Fortnite by using Intel Core i3 which has dual-core and can give you the best experience in 1080p screen resolution. This is the best option you can choose for the budget PC and for similar games but won’t be sustainable for high-end games.
Games that use more than 4 cores
There are games that use more than 4 cores where multiple CPU cores are utilized for the games with other AI activities and commands. These games are Witcher 3, GTA 5, CIV 5, Ashes of the singularity, Cities Skyline, PUBG, Scum, Battlefield V, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Project Cars 2, Hitman, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Forza Horizon 4, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
I have included a few games in the above list whereas game developers are taking advantage of the high gaming PC processors to optimize their games. You should be aware and make sure to have a high number of CPU cores to make sure your PC is future-proof for the gaming experience.
Related questions about how many cores do you need for gaming?
It would be great if you are finding the best options to build your budget PC and get answers to the questions like how many CPU cores do I need for gaming. I have given the best ways to decide based on your preference in this article.
But, there are other questions that should be answered so that you will have a better understanding of your own requirements based on your preference and knowing the limitations of the CPU processors.
Also read: How to Choose A Gaming Laptop? 12 Best Factors To Consider
Are more CPU cores better for gaming?
Yes, most of the games are built to use multiple cores and are effective with streaming. Some games are programmed to use only one or two cores but having more CPU cores will help in some other tasks like video editing and rendering.
How many cores and threads do I need for gaming?
You will need a processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, at the minimum a 6 core 12 thread unit if you want to make a gaming PC that will sustain you into the next 4–5 years without the need for major upgrades with the graphics card or new Processor.
Are 4 cores enough for gaming?
Yes, most of the games use four and more CPU cores and are recommended with minimum and should be fast CPU cores. You can get the CPU with a hyper-threading model which will add up and boost the gaming performance.
Since four CPU cores may not be future-proof where new games will use multi-cores and you should have CPU cores that have high threads capacity. These CPU processors are costly and will help you to sustain gaming PC performance in the future.
I hope you have found the answer to how many CPU cores do I need for gaming. Please share your feedback and suggestions in the comment section below.
Also read: How to Choose a Gaming PC? 9 Best Factors To Consider
