I knew this was coming — I just didn’t expect it to happen quite just yet. It turns out that some of the best processors are on their way toward retirement, because eight-core CPUs are slowly becoming the go-to, leaving their six-core counterparts in the rear view mirror. The information comes from a trustworthy source, too. Does this mean it’s time to ditch your six-core CPU, then? Not quite — but maybe. Below, I’ll explain why.
CPU-Z is a system validator and a free profiling tool that gives you a lot of useful information about your computer’s hardware. Unsurprisingly, its main focus is on the CPU, with useful information such as the manufacturer name and model, number of cores, and clock speed.
Today, CPU-Z released a new report based on its findings, and it’s clear that eight-core CPUs are on the rise — largely thanks to the success of AMD’s Ryzen 7 9800X3D (and its previous iterations). Intel’s last few generations tend to sport more cores, so only really budget-oriented CPUs offer just eight or fewer. For the rest of them, you’ll find more cores; for example, the Intel Core i5-14600K isn’t the priciest CPU in the world, but it still sports a total of 14 cores.
According to the latest CPU-z stats for the first quarter of 2025, eight-core CPUs are now the most popular, sitting at a 24.7% share — up 32.6% from last year. Six-core chips now make up 22.5% of CPU-Z data, with a -6.9% reduction compared to 2024.
This is followed by four-core CPUs and dual-core CPUs, both of which are likely found in budget PCs and smaller devices, such as tablets (CPU-Z also works on Android). Next come the big hitters, with 12-core and 16-core CPUs, followed by 10-core and 14-core chips. All of those (bar the 12-core) saw a modest increase compared to last year, but they still don’t make up a lot of the data.
Surprisingly, the most popular CPU to appear in testing was the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. In a way, this isn’t that shocking given that this is an excellent CPU, but the reality is that it’s pretty pricey and was quite hard to come by initially. Now that it’s in stock more often than not, it’s clear that gamers may have flocked toward it and upgraded their PCs to the new gaming beast. But still, the modest Ryzen 5 5600X from two generations ago takes the second place with a 2.1% share and an -8.9% reduction compared to last year; the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and the Ryzen 7 5700X3D are both close, though.
Finding a CPU that offers more than eight cores isn’t easy in the CPU-Z report. In fact, only one chip does that, and barely so — the Core i5-12400F scores a measly 1.3% share. Every other CPU in the top ten sits at eight cores or fewer.
The data from CPU-Z is interesting, and it’s definitely indicative of a larger trend — but it’s important to keep a few things in mind.
First, CPU-Z only gets data from people who use the tool. Oftentimes, this tool will be used by power users more than casual users. This means that the data might have underrepresented the number of six-core CPUs still out there. AMD keeps making six-core CPUs, and they’re still picked up for both daily drivers and gaming purposes, not to mention all the laptops, tablets, and other devices that definitely fall below eight cores.
With that said, six-core CPUs are growing less popular. They’re bound to be. When AMD announced the Ryzen 9000 series, I was mildly surprised to see the return of the six-core Ryzen 5 9600X. With the increasing demands for multi-threaded workloads, six-core CPUs often just don’t cut it for power users anymore. They still do a good job in budget-oriented PCs, though, although if I were to personally build one, I might pivot to Intel for the number of cores.
This new data might have you feeling like it’s time to upgrade, but the reality is that you should only upgrade once your PC or laptop just doesn’t cut it anymore.
There’s no particular reason why a six-core CPU might not be enough now if it was enough in 2024. However, over time, you might run into more CPU bottlenecks. This is especially important if you’re a gamer and you use one of the best graphics cards. I’m firmly against pairing great GPUs with budget CPUs — it’s often better to meet in the middle.
I will say this, though. The next time you pick out a device or build a PC, consider scaling up to eight cores — especially if you tend to run multiple things at once and want them all to run smoothly.
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.