Best CPU for Garry’s Mod

Best CPU for Garry’s Mod? Let's find out

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Released by Facepunch studios all the way back in 2006 and published by none other than Valve itself, Garry’s Mod is a popular physics sandbox all about exploration and experimentation. This is the best CPU for Garry’s Mod.

Now Read: Best CPU for gaming

There aren’t really any objectives or aims, so you’re free to mess around and have fun. Garry’s mod actually originated as a mod for Half-Life 2 but was later developed into its own game using the same engine. That’s why we see a lot of similarities and assets from other Valve games.

Best CPU for Garry’s Mod

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What are the CPU requirements for Garry’s Mod?

As a game released in 2006, Garry’s Mod has minimal system requirements. In fact, here’s what the devs have listed down as the recommended processor for the game:

“CPU: 2.5 GHz Processor or better”

To be clear, they’re talking about a single-core processor with a clock speed of 2.5GHz here, the likes of which used to exist back around in the 2000s. Single-core processors don’t really exist in the mainstream market today. You’d have to search hard to find one. 

Because of how strong today’s processors are compared to the ones around 20 years ago, almost every computer today will be able to run Garry’s Mod without a problem. 

There is a nuance here, though: Mods. Adding and running mods changes the game’s CPU utilization by an unpredictable amount. Usually, it’s nothing major, but certain mods can be pretty demanding on the CPU, whether that be due to poor code optimization or game-breaking changes. 

A game like Garry’s Mod is best experienced with mods, so we recommend going with a decent entry-level to the mid-range processor so you can run the game smoothly even if you spawn in a ton of objects or play on a server that’s loaded with add-ons. 

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Best CPU for Garry’s Mod – Intel Core i5 13400F

With the above in mind, we believe the best CPU for Garry’s Mod is the Intel Core i5-13400F. Released only recently in January 2023, this new Core i5 CPU features 10 cores and 16 threads based on the hybrid core architecture Intel introduced to us last year. 

Intel Core i5-13400F

Brand

Intel

CPU Model

Core i5

CPU Speed

4.6 GHz

Platform

Windows

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The CPU has a 4.6GHz max clock speed, which is nothing impressive by modern standards, but it’s very respectable when put up against CPUs from only a few years ago.

With a 4.6GHz boost clock, the Core i5-13400F is able to offer you a very comfortable gaming experience in 2024 at 1080p and 1440p resolutions and high 144FPS and 240FPS framerates in the more undemanding titles like Garry’s Mod. 

Because the processor has 16 threads, it has enough resources to dedicate to any mods you may wish to add to the game. Even if you join an overloaded server, you’ll likely be fine unless the server itself is bugged. 

We’re recommending the “F” edition of the i5-13400 processor in this case because it’s best to pair this chip up with a mid-range dedicated GPU such as a GTX 3070. 

Even for a game like Garry’s Mod, the iGPU in the standard edition 13400 will prove to be lacking, even at 1080FPS. So you may as well go for the F edition and save some extra cash while doing so. 

Lastly, before you go with the 13400F, know that it has a rather high 154-watt TDP. You’ll want to make sure you have a powerful PSU to support this unreserved power usage and a decent cooling solution to prevent the CPU from overheating under load.