The Top 10 Best-Selling x86 Processors Of 2013

Chips Galore

While 2013 was a down year for PCs in general, there were still plenty of x86 processors sold during the 12-month span. According to data from the NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y.-based market-research firm that provides data from leading technology distributors, here are the 10 top-selling x86 chips of last year. Note: All processors listed are boxed versions of the CPU.

10. Intel 2.9GHz Pentium G2020

The Pentium brand is still alive and well at Intel. The company's Pentium G2020 dual-core processor, launched in the first quarter of 2013, comes with a 512-KB Level 2 cache and a maximum of 32 GB of memory. The 64-bit chip also comes with Intel HD Graphics support. The boxed version of the Pentium G2020 is listed for $64.

9. AMD 3.5GHz Athlon FX-6300
Intel dominates the chip market, but AMD has a few offerings that have performed quite well in the desktop space. First up is the six-core Athlon FX-6300 processor, which comes with 6 MB of total Level 2 cache and can boost its clock speed to 4.1GHz in Turbo mode. The 64-bit, 32nm chip also comes with AMD's virtualization technology and sells for approximately $115.

8. AMD 4GHz Athlon FX-8350

AMD's second entry on this best-seller list is the eight-core 4GHz Athlon FX-8350, which can run at 4.2GHz in Turbo mode and comes with 8 MB of total Level 2 cache. Like the Athlon FX-6300, the FX-8350 also sports AMD's virtualization technology. Originally released in October 2012 at an MSRP of $195, the chip is still gaining traction in the market.

7. Intel 3.4GHz Core i5-4670K

Intel's fourth-generation Core processors, code-named Haswell, racked up several wins in 2013. The first is Intel's 3.4GHz Core i5-4670K, a quad-core chip with 1 MB of Level 2 cache and a top clock speed of 3.8GHz with Intel's Turbo Boost mode. The 22nm chip also comes with 6 MB of Intel Smart Cache and Intel HD Graphics 4600. Launched in the second quarter of last year, the Core i5-4670K is priced at $243.

6. Intel 3.5GHz Core i7-3770K

Based on Intel's third-generation Core series, dubbed Ivy Bridge, the quad-core 3.5GHz Core i7-3770K was launched in the second quarter of 2012. And even though it's a generation behind the Haswell chips, the Core i7-3770K is still a popular choice with its Turbo Boost clock speed of 3.9GHz. The processor, which sells for $342, also comes with 8 MB of Intel Smart Cache and features Intel's HD Graphics 4000 engine.

5. Intel 3.4GHz Core i7-3770

The Intel Core i7-3770 processor is similar to the Core i7-3770K version in many respects. While the i7-3770 version has a standard clock speed of 3.4GHz instead of the K version's 3.5GHz, both models come with a Turbo Boost speed of 3.9GHz. Intel's K models also come with an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. For a slightly lower clock speed and no unlocked multiplier, the i7-3770 goes for approximately $305.

4. Intel 3.5GHz Core i7-4770K

Another Haswell chip, this quad-core processor comes with almost identical technical specifications to the Ivy Bridge-based i7-3770K released in 2012 (the "4" in the product model number refers to the fourth-generation Core architecture). Both chips come with an unlocked multiplier for overclocking, and both come with 3.5GHz base clock speeds with 3.9GHz Turbo Boost speeds. The key differences for the Core i7-4770K are higher performance from the Haswell architecture and improved graphics support with Intel HD Graphics 4600. The Core i7-4770K was released in the second quarter of last year for $350.

3. Intel 3.2GHz Core i5-3470

Here's further proof that Intel's Ivy Bridge architecture for the third-generation Core series is still the gold standard (and there's more to come). Released nearly two years ago, Intel's quad-core 3.2GHz Core i5-3470 chip features a Turbo Boost speed of 3.6GHz plus 6 MB of Intel Smart Cache. The chip also comes with Intel HD Graphics 2500. While there's no unlocked multiplier for overclocking, the Core i5-3470 is still a workhorse processor with an affordable price tag of $195.

2. Intel 3.4GHz Core i5-3570K

Another Ivy Bridge Core i5 model that's still going strong, the quad-core 3570K model features a standard 3.4GHz clock speed with a 3.8GHz Turbo Boost speed plus an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. The chip also comes with 6 MB of Intel Smart Cache and Intel HD Graphics 4000. Even though it was released in the second quarter of 2012 for an MSRP of $235, the Core i5-3570K is still one of the best-selling x86 processors around.

1. Intel 3.3GHz Core i3-3220
The top-selling x86 chip for 2013 according to the NPD Group may come as a surprise, as the processor has fewer cores than most processors on this list. But the Intel Core i3-3220 dual-core Ivy Bridge processor, which was released in the third quarter of 2012, is still a popular choice for affordable, entry-level desktops. The chip boasts 3 MB of Intel Smart Cache and comes with Intel HD Graphics 2500. While the Core i3-3220 lacks Intel's Turbo Boost feature, the dual-core process has an attractive price tag of just $125.