Best CPU for Star Citizen in 2024

Here are the best CPUs for exploring the world of Star Citizen

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Star Citizen is a multiplayer space exploration, trading, and combat simulation game. While the game is still under development, it has a large player base even in its Alpha state. If you want to try the game for yourself, here are the best CPUs for Star Citizen in 2024.

The developers did not specify a processor needed to run the game. Instead, the site just simply state “Quad-core processor” as the requirement for the CPU. To be on the safe side, we’ll be recommending recent processors from both Intel and AMD.

Best CPU for Star Citizen in 2024

Here are the best CPUs for Star Citizen:

Best CPU for Star Citizen – Intel Core i7 13700K

Intel Core i7-13700K

Cores

16

Threads

24

Base speed

P-cores 3.4 GHz / E-cores 2.5 GHz

Boost speed

P-cores 5.4 GHz / E-cores 4.2 GHz

Cache

24MB

TDP

125 W / 253 W boost.

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Specs:

• Boost Clock: 5.4GHz
• Total Cores/Threads: 16/24
• Socket: LGA1700
• TDP: 125W

Star Citizen can be a highly CPU-intensive game, and the performance scales well with higher end processor. This is one of the few cases where having the Intel Core i7 13700K makes sense of the Core i5 13600K for gaming. 

While the 13600K will still give you admirable performance, this is a game that simply performs better with higher-end hardware. The universe and all the elements in this game can be quite taxing on both the CPU and GPU, so the Intel Core i7 13700K is a safe bet.

This is a CPU that will handle the game well for years to come. Even when the game eventually embraces a full-fledged release, the 13700K should have no problems with meeting Star Citizen’s requirements.

In fact, it should perform admirably. Right now, the 13700K paired with a 3060 Ti will give you a solid high refresh rate experience at 1440p. As optimization improves, performance will only get better.

Best Budget CPU for Star Citizen – Intel Core i5 13600K

Intel Core i5-13600K

Cores

14

Threads

20

Base speed

P-cores 3.5 GHz / E-cores 2.6 GHz

Boost speed

P-cores 5.1 GHz / E-cores 3.9 GHz

Cache

20MB

TDP

125 W / 181 W boost.

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Specs:

• Speed: 5.1GHz (Boost Clock)
• Cores/Threads: 14/20
• Socket: LGA1700
• TDP: 125W

Of course, while the i7 above will perform much better, you can still get away with the Core i5 13600K. Especially considering the 13600K outperforms last generation’s i9 processor. This is a CPU that is excellent in terms of gaming performance, and punches well above its price point.

Seriously, while it may not compete with the higher-end CPUs this generation, it doesn’t need to. The 13600K performs exceptionally well in Star Citizen for a mid-range processor.

Final Word

So, if you want the best possible performance for Star Citizen, consider getting the Intel Core i7 13700K. However, if you are on a tighter budget, then the Intel Core i5 13600K will do you just fine. Both of them won’t disappoint, so the decision ultimately comes down to your budget.