Best CPU for Lost Ark?
Best CPU for Lost Ark? Let's find out
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Lost Ark is a popular free-to-play MMORPG that’s praised for its intense combat system and expansive open world. In this article, we’re finding out what the best CPU for Lost Ark is.
Having a suitable processor helps you avoid a bottleneck and keeps your game running smoothly. An action-packed game such as Lost Ark is relatively more prone to lag when there’s a lot going on, so having a powerful processor is a must if you’re looking to enjoy this game at its best.
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Best CPU for Lost Ark: Top picks
How strong a processor do you need for Lost Ark?
The developers of Lost Ark recommend you use an AMD Ryzen 5 or Intel Core i5 CPU. Now that doesn’t exactly tell us much, considering how massive the performance gap between older and newer generations of processors from these lineups is.
Just to illustrate this point, the earliest Core i5 processors were quad cores without hyperthreading and low, 3GHz-ish clock speeds. Core i5 processors today have more than a dozen cores and clock speeds higher than 5GHz, meaning they can offer many times the performance offered by older models.
After reviewing in-game benchmarks and performance statistics with various processors, it’s clear that Lost Ark is a moderately demanding title.
Older Core i5 processors, especially those without hyperthreading, will provide you with a playable framerate when there’s not a whole lot going on, but struggle when the action picks up, meaning you’ll encounter frame drops and lag spikes.
Older Ryzen 5 processors will fare comparatively well, but we recommend going with a recent, more powerful processor to make sure your gameplay experience doesn’t drop while taking on massive dungeons full of enemies or playing with a large party.
Best CPU for Lost Ark – Ryzen 5 7600
The CPU we’re recommending for Lost Ark is the Ryzen 5 7600. This is AMD’s latest addition to the Ryzen lineup, another 6-core, 12-thread gaming processor with a 5.1GHz clock speed and a TDP of 65 watts.
AMD Ryzen 5 7600 (Non-X)
Cores
6
Threads
12
Base speed
4.7GHz
Boost speed
5.3GHz
Cache
L3 32MB
Socket
AM5
For games such as Lost Ark, the Ryzen 5 7600 is perfect. Its 5.1GHz clock speed affords it excellent single-threaded performance, meaning gaming at high framerates is easy as long as you pair it up with a suitable GPU.
Lost Ark can be very graphically demanding as well, so we recommend going with something powerful, such as an RTX 3080. Find more options in our best GPU for Lost Ark article.
The 7600’s 12 threads provide your system with an excellent computational capacity for gaming. You don’t really need more threads for gaming alone – going above 12 threads doesn’t yield noticeable performance increases.
For Lost Ark, you’ll find that the 12-threaded R5 7600 runs the game comfortably while retaining a decent amount of resources for background processes and multitasking.
One of the highlights of the R5 7600 is its low power usage. With a mere 65-watt TDP, the 7600 is among the most energy-efficient processors around today and places a minimal load on your PSU and CPU cooler.
Speaking of the CPU cooler for the 7600, this chip comes with an AMD Wraith Stealth stock cooler in the box, so you won’t need to purchase an aftermarket cooler, further increasing the processor’s budget-friendliness.