What is the best cheap CPU for gaming overall?

The best cheap CPU for gaming overall is AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, with an overall score of 8.41 points, 12 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.6 GHz, and a price of around £260. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a high-performance Zen 4 desktop processor featuring 12 cores, 24 threads, a 4.7 GHz base clock, and a 5.6 GHz max boost frequency. Built on a 5nm process for the AM5 socket, it includes 76MB of total cache (64MB L3), supports DDR5-5200 memory, and provides 28 PCIe 5.0 lanes alongside integrated Radeon graphics. Best value alternative: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, with an overall score of 8.56 points, 6 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.4 GHz, and a price of around £180.

Which cheap CPU for gaming offers the best value for money?

The cheap CPU for gaming offering the best value for money is AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, with an overall score of 8.56 points, a value-for-money score of 8.87 points, and a price of around £180. The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a mid-range desktop processor based on the 4nm Zen 5 architecture, featuring 6 cores, 12 threads, and a 32MB L3 cache. It operates at a base clock of 3.9 GHz with a max boost speed of 5.4 GHz on the AM5 socket, supporting modern technologies like PCIe 5.0 and DDR5-5600 memory. Runner-up: AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, with an overall score of 8.69 points and a price of around £260.

Which cheap CPU for gaming has the best reviews?

The cheap CPU for gaming rated highest by independent reviewers is AMD Ryzen 5 7600, with a review score of 8.6 out of 10, an overall score of 8.18 points, and a price of around £130. The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is a Zen 4 architecture desktop processor featuring 6 cores and 12 threads with a 3.8 GHz base clock and a 5.1 GHz max boost clock. Built on a 5nm TSMC process for the AM5 socket, it includes 32MB of L3 cache, supports DDR5-5200 memory, and provides PCIe 5.0 connectivity, all within a highly efficient 65W TDP. Best value alternative: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, with an overall score of 8.56 points and a price of around £180.

What is the best cheap 6-core CPU for gaming?

The best cheap 6-core CPU for gaming is AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, with an overall score of 8.56 points, a boost clock of up to 5.4 GHz, and a price of around £180. It also has 12 threads and comes with 32 MB of L3 cache. Runner-up: AMD Ryzen 5 9600, with an overall score of 7.84 points, a boost clock of up to 5.2 GHz, and a price of around £170.

What is the best cheap 8-core CPU for gaming?

The best cheap 8-core CPU for gaming is AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, with an overall score of 8.69 points, a boost clock of up to 5.5 GHz, and a price of around £260. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core, 16-thread desktop processor built on the advanced Zen 5 architecture and a 4nm TSMC process. It features a base clock of 3.8 GHz and a boost clock up to 5.5 GHz, supported by 40 MB of total cache (32 MB L3) and a remarkably low default TDP of 65W. Runner-up: AMD Ryzen 7 7700, with an overall score of 8.35 points, a boost clock of up to 5.3 GHz, and a price of around £210.

What is the best cheap 16-core CPU for gaming?

The best cheap 16-core CPU for gaming is Intel Core i7-13700F, with an overall score of 7.9 points, a boost clock of up to 5.2 GHz, and a price of around £260. Sixteen physical cores make the Intel Core i7-13700F a strong pick for heavy work like video editing and rendering. It scores 37724 in PassMark multi-core tests, and the 5.2 GHz boost clock keeps single-task speed high too. Best value alternative: Intel Core i9-12900K, with an overall score of 8.43 points, a boost clock of up to 5.2 GHz, and a price of around £280.

What is the best cheap LGA1700 CPU for gaming?

The best cheap LGA1700 CPU for gaming is Intel Core i5-14600K, with an overall score of 8.33 points, 14 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.3 GHz, and a price of around £220. The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh processor featuring a hybrid architecture with 14 cores (6 Performance-cores and 8 Efficient-cores) and 20 threads, reaching a maximum turbo frequency of 5.3 GHz. Key specifications include 24 MB of L3 cache, a 125 W base TDP (peaking at 181 W), and support for both DDR4-3200 and DDR5-5600 memory on the LGA 1700 socket. Best value alternative: Intel Core i5-13600K, with an overall score of 8.52 points, 14 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.1 GHz, and a price of around £200.

What is the best cheap Intel Core i5 CPU for gaming?

The best cheap Intel Core i5 CPU for gaming is Intel Core i5-14600K, with an overall score of 8.33 points, 14 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.3 GHz, and a price of around £220. The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh processor featuring a hybrid architecture with 14 cores (6 Performance-cores and 8 Efficient-cores) and 20 threads, reaching a maximum turbo frequency of 5.3 GHz. Key specifications include 24 MB of L3 cache, a 125 W base TDP (peaking at 181 W), and support for both DDR4-3200 and DDR5-5600 memory on the LGA 1700 socket. Best value alternative: Intel Core i5-13600K, with an overall score of 8.52 points, 14 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.1 GHz, and a price of around £200. Explore our dedicated best Intel Core i5 CPUs guide for full model rankings.

What is the best cheap Intel Core i7 CPU for gaming?

The best cheap Intel Core i7 CPU for gaming is Intel Core i7-13700F, with an overall score of 7.9 points, 16 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.2 GHz, and a price of around £260. Sixteen physical cores make the Intel Core i7-13700F a strong pick for heavy work like video editing and rendering. It scores 37724 in PassMark multi-core tests, and the 5.2 GHz boost clock keeps single-task speed high too. Best value alternative: Intel Core i7-12700K, with an overall score of 8.34 points, 12 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.0 GHz, and a price of around £240. See our complete best Intel Core i7 CPUs guide for in-depth comparisons and alternatives.

What is the best cheap Intel Core i9 CPU for gaming?

The best cheap Intel Core i9 CPU for gaming is Intel Core i9-12900K, with an overall score of 8.43 points, 16 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.2 GHz, and a price of around £280. The Intel Core i9-12900K is a high-performance desktop processor from the Alder Lake generation featuring a hybrid architecture with 16 cores (8 Performance-cores and 8 Efficient-cores) and 24 threads. Key specifications include a maximum turbo frequency of up to 5.20 GHz, a 30 MB Intel Smart Cache, and support for both DDR5-4800 and DDR4-3200 memory on the LGA 1700 socket. For more top-rated options, check our best Intel Core i9 CPUs guide.

What is the best cheap Intel Core Ultra CPU for gaming?

The best cheap Intel Core Ultra CPU for gaming is Intel Core Ultra 7 265, with an overall score of 7.86 points, 20 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.3 GHz, and a price of around £270. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a high-performance desktop processor from the Arrow Lake-S series featuring a hybrid architecture with 20 cores (8 Performance-cores and 12 Efficient-cores) and 20 threads. Built on the TSMC N3B 3nm process for the LGA 1851 socket, it offers a max turbo frequency of 5.3 GHz, 30MB of L3 cache, and 36MB of L2 cache, with a base TDP of 65W and a maximum turbo power of 182W. Best value alternative: Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, with an overall score of 8.21 points, 14 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.2 GHz, and a price of around £190.

What is the best cheap AMD Ryzen 5 CPU for gaming?

The best cheap AMD Ryzen 5 CPU for gaming is AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, with an overall score of 8.56 points, 6 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.4 GHz, and a price of around £180. The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a mid-range desktop processor based on the 4nm Zen 5 architecture, featuring 6 cores, 12 threads, and a 32MB L3 cache. It operates at a base clock of 3.9 GHz with a max boost speed of 5.4 GHz on the AM5 socket, supporting modern technologies like PCIe 5.0 and DDR5-5600 memory. Runner-up: AMD Ryzen 5 9600, with an overall score of 7.84 points, 6 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.2 GHz, and a price of around £170. Browse our dedicated best AMD Ryzen 5 CPUs guide to compare all evaluated models.

What is the best cheap AMD Ryzen 7 CPU for gaming?

The best cheap AMD Ryzen 7 CPU for gaming is AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, with an overall score of 8.69 points, 8 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.5 GHz, and a price of around £260. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core, 16-thread desktop processor built on the advanced Zen 5 architecture and a 4nm TSMC process. It features a base clock of 3.8 GHz and a boost clock up to 5.5 GHz, supported by 40 MB of total cache (32 MB L3) and a remarkably low default TDP of 65W. Runner-up: AMD Ryzen 7 7700, with an overall score of 8.35 points, 8 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.3 GHz, and a price of around £210. Check out our in-depth best AMD Ryzen 7 CPUs guide to view detailed specifications and ratings.

What is the best cheap Intel CPU for gaming?

The best cheap Intel CPU for gaming is Intel Core Ultra 7 265, with an overall score of 7.86 points, 20 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.3 GHz, and a price of around £270. It also has 20 threads and comes with 30 MB of L3 cache. Best value alternative: Intel Core i5-13600K, with an overall score of 8.52 points, 14 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.1 GHz, and a price of around £200. Explore our dedicated best Intel Core CPUs guide for full model rankings.

What is the best cheap AMD CPU for gaming?

Leading the cheap AMD lineup for gaming is AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, delivering an overall score of 8.41 points, 12 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.6 GHz, and retailing for around £260. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a high-performance Zen 4 desktop processor featuring 12 cores, 24 threads, a 4.7 GHz base clock, and a 5.6 GHz max boost frequency. Built on a 5nm process for the AM5 socket, it includes 76MB of total cache (64MB L3), supports DDR5-5200 memory, and provides 28 PCIe 5.0 lanes alongside integrated Radeon graphics. Best value alternative: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, with an overall score of 8.56 points, 6 cores, a boost clock of up to 5.4 GHz, and a price of around £180. See our complete best AMD CPUs guide for in-depth comparisons and alternatives.

10 best cheap CPUs for gaming in 2026 (35+ compared)

Which brands make the best cheap gaming CPUs?

Market Leaders

The best cheap gaming CPU brands are as follows.

Intel Overall score: 7.8 points
AMD Overall score: 7.7 points

How much do cheap gaming CPUs cost?

Price Guide

Cheap gaming CPUs cost between £90 and £170 depending on the model and generation.

At this price range, you usually get entry-level Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 processors, which are designed for budget systems but still handle modern games at lower settings. These CPUs focus on a balance between price and performance, so they trade higher core counts and advanced features for affordable pricing.

Some models closer to £170 can include more threads or higher boost clock speeds, which improve performance in newer games that use multiple cores.

The following chart shows how cheap gaming CPUs are distributed by price.

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How many cores and threads do cheap gaming CPUs have?

Price Guide

Cheap gaming CPUs have between 4 and 6 cores and usually 8 to 12 threads.

Entry-level models sit at 4 cores with 8 threads, while stronger budget options go up to 6 cores with 12 threads, which helps in modern games and multitasking.

This range means that most cheap gaming CPUs can handle popular titles smoothly and also run background applications at the same time. A 4-core 8-thread CPU can manage lighter or older games, but modern releases often use more threads, so 6-core 12-thread CPUs perform better in heavier workloads.

The following chart compares the number of physical cores in cheap gaming CPUs.

[vertical-chart-14285854666642524364068329894320053636212850796158]

What clock speeds do cheap gaming CPUs reach?

Price Guide

Cheap gaming CPUs reach clock speeds between 3.0 GHz and 4.5 GHz, depending on the model and generation.

Base clocks usually stay in the 3.0–3.6 GHz range, while turbo boost can raise speeds to around 4.0–4.5 GHz. These numbers vary by brand and architecture, since newer chips often achieve higher boost speeds with lower power usage.

Clock speed affects how fast a processor executes instructions, so higher boost speeds help games run smoother, especially in titles that rely heavily on single-core performance.

The chart below shows the boost clock distribution of cheap gaming CPUs.

[vertical-chart-14671605921509850542105375338303830412493654151790]

Do cheap gaming CPUs support overclocking?

Only some cheap gaming CPUs support overclocking. Processors with a “K” or “KF” suffix in their name unlock the multiplier, so users can raise the clock speed beyond the base specifications. Intel also sells “X” series CPUs that support overclocking, but entry-level models without these suffixes do not.

Overclocking also requires the right chipset, as Intel Z-series motherboards enable it, while H-series and B-series do not. Cheap CPUs usually ship with limited thermal capacity, so even if the model supports overclocking, the performance gain can be small compared to higher-end processors.

Extra cooling and stable power delivery are necessary because higher speeds increase heat and energy demand, and without proper hardware the system can become unstable.

How much power do cheap gaming CPUs use?

Price Guide

Cheap gaming CPUs use between 35 W and 65 W in most cases, although some higher-end budget models can reach 95 W.

The power rating usually depends on the number of cores and the base clock speed, as higher performance parts consume more energy. Intel Core i3 processors and AMD Ryzen 3 processors often fall into the lower range, while unlocked or higher clocked models sit closer to the upper range.

The stated power, called TDP (thermal design power), shows the heat a processor generates under standard load, but real power draw can be higher under heavy gaming or stress tests. A cheap CPU with 4 to 6 cores and moderate clock speeds usually stays close to its TDP value, while turbo boost modes can temporarily raise consumption.

Do cheap gaming CPUs work with DDR5 or only DDR4?

Price Guide

Cheap gaming CPUs work with both DDR4 and DDR5, but compatibility depends on the specific processor generation and socket type.

Budget-friendly processors like Intel's 12th generation Core i3 and i5 CPUs (LGA 1700) support DDR5 memory, while older generations such as 10th and 11th gen Intel processors (LGA 1200) only work with DDR4. AMD's budget Ryzen 5000 series processors (AM4 socket) support DDR4 exclusively, but the newer Ryzen 7000 series budget options (AM5 socket) require DDR5 memory.

10 best cheap CPUs for gaming in 2026 (35+ compared)

1. AMD Ryzen 9 7900X

2. Intel Core Ultra 7 265

3. AMD Ryzen 9 7900

4. AMD Ryzen 7 9700X

5. Intel Core Ultra 5 245K

6. AMD Ryzen 5 9600X

7. AMD Ryzen 5 9600

8. Intel Core i5-14600K

9. Intel Core i7-13700F

10. Intel Core i9-12900K

11. AMD Ryzen 7 7700

12. AMD Ryzen 5 7600X

13. Intel Core i9-12900F

14. Intel Core i5-13600K

15. AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 7745

16. Intel Core i5-13600

17. Intel Core i7-12700K

18. AMD Ryzen 5 7600

19. Intel Core i7-12700KF

20. Intel Core i5-14600T

Cheap CPUs for gaming: which one should you buy?

Best cheap CPUs for gaming by brand

Top picks of other review sites

What defines the best cheap CPUs for gaming?

Which brands make the best cheap gaming CPUs?

How much do cheap gaming CPUs cost?

How many cores and threads do cheap gaming CPUs have?

What clock speeds do cheap gaming CPUs reach?

Do cheap gaming CPUs support overclocking?

How much power do cheap gaming CPUs use?

Do cheap gaming CPUs work with DDR5 or only DDR4?

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