Buying a PC processor is all about balance: How much performance do you need, versus how much you have to spend? At PCMag, we've been testing desktop processors for decades, so we have the experience and expertise to tell you which select chips are the outstanding budget options. Every chip that comes through PC Labs gets subjected to a lengthy board of benchmark tests; we evaluate each one for performance in applications and games, as well as its thermal and power-consumption aspects. The best current budget processors that we recommend for most people are AMD's Ryzen 7 7700X (on Socket AM5) and Intel's Core Ultra 7 270K Plus (on LGA 1851). Beyond those two, though, we have other budget chips to recommend based on specific price targets, platforms, and use cases. Read on for those picks, as well as detailed buying advice and spec charts to make an informed decision on one of these CPUs.
Overview
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![Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus]()
Best Budget Intel CPU (LGA 1851)Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus
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![AMD Ryzen 7 7700X]()
Best Budget AMD CPU (AM5)AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
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![Intel Core i5-14600K]()
Best Budget Intel CPU (LGA 1700)Intel Core i5-14600K
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![AMD Ryzen 7 5700X]()
Best Budget AMD CPU (AM4)AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
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![Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus]()
Best Budget Intel Gaming CPUIntel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus
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![AMD Ryzen 5 7600]()
Best Budget AMD Gaming CPUAMD Ryzen 5 7600
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![AMD Ryzen 5 8600G]()
Best Budget CPU for Powerful Integrated Graphics (AMD or Intel)AMD Ryzen 5 8600G
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![AMD Ryzen 5 5500]()
Best Ultra Budget CPU (AMD or Intel)AMD Ryzen 5 5500
You Can Trust Our Reviews
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
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![Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus]()
Best Budget Intel CPU (LGA 1851)Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus
Pros & Cons
Why We Picked It
Intel's Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is, in many ways, the best processor that Intel currently sells; it fundamentally changes what buyers can expect for $299. It has a fast clock speed, a large core count, a capable IGP, and a relatively budget-friendly price. The refreshed Arrow Lake design dramatically improves gaming frame rates with a discrete graphics card, while maintaining excellent multicore productivity performance, putting the 270K Plus surprisingly close to far pricier Ryzen 9 and Core Ultra 9 chips. Plus, it works on the leading-edge LGA 1851 socket, making it an easy value pick for anyone building or upgrading an Intel desktop.
Who Its For
Mainstream PC gamers: Intel itself declared the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus as its fastest gaming processor to date. It lives up to that reputation, and it will provide you with excellent performance in games paired with a discrete GPU.
Set-it-and-forget-it PC builders: The 270K Plus is one of the fastest mainstream-grade processors that we have tested in recent years. Its test scores in the benchmarks we ran are among the best in the industry. If you need a fast processor for any task, the 270K Plus should be at the top of your list of candidates, if you can afford to adopt the LGA 1851 platform.
Specs & Configurations
Base Clock Frequency 3.7 Bundled Cooler None Core Count 24 Integrated Graphics Intel Xe LPG Integrated Graphics Base Clock 2000 L3 Cache Amount 36 Lithography 3 Maximum Boost Clock 5.5 Socket Compatibility Intel LGA1851 Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating 250 Thread Count 24 Unlocked Multiplier? Learn More Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus Review -
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![AMD Ryzen 7 7700X]()
Best Budget AMD CPU (AM5)AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
Pros & Cons
Why We Picked It
AMD released the Ryzen 7 7700X as part of the first generation of AMD processors on AMD's AM5 platform, and it remains a competent processor for many tasks. Its price has fallen thanks to pressure from the newer Ryzen 9000 series, making this once midrange chip budget-friendly. Its eight-core, SMT-enhanced design is more than enough CPU grunt for most mainstream users. Combined with support for AMD’s forward-looking AM5 platform and DDR5 memory, the 7700X is an ideal entry point for builders who want premium-class, reasonably future-proof performance without overspending.
Who Its For
Budget-strapped AM5 PC builders: The Ryzen 7 7700X's eight SMT-enabled CPU cores give it potent performance for running heavily threaded applications and games.
PC builders with future-proofing concerns: As AMD intends to keep the AM5 platform alive for several more years, the Ryzen 7 7700X could make a lot of sense for a new PC build you intend to keep long-term. The 7700X should provide adequate performance that will satisfy most people now, and when you eventually need something faster, you will likely be able to upgrade the CPU without having to build a whole new PC.
Specs & Configurations
Base Clock Frequency 4.5 Bundled Cooler None Core Count 8 Integrated Graphics AMD Radeon Graphics Integrated Graphics Base Clock 2200 L3 Cache Amount 32 Lithography 5 Maximum Boost Clock 5.4 Socket Compatibility AMD AM5 Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating 105 Thread Count 16 Unlocked Multiplier? Learn More AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Review -
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Credit: Michael Justin Allen Sexton
![Intel Core i5-14600K]()
Best Budget Intel CPU (LGA 1700)Intel Core i5-14600K
Pros & Cons
Why We Picked It
When the Intel Core i5-14600K was new, it was among the best gaming processors you could buy. It's a few years old at this point, and Intel's newer Core Ultra 200S processor line (especially the 250K Plus and 270K Plus) has arrived to supplant it, but the 14600K remains a deeply capable processor.
The 14600K is particularly potent for gaming and can, at times, outperform Intel's newer chips in select titles. It's also on the mature LGA 1700 platform, for which plenty of budget motherboards are available--and on which you can use budget-friendlier DDR4 RAM. That's a big deal during these days of DDR5 at such high prices.
Who Its For
Budget-bound PC gamers: The i5-14600K thrives inside a gaming PC. Intel's new Core 200S Plus processors provide faster CPU performance for most tasks, but the 14600K can top them for gaming with a discrete card. Intel has also reduced its price, which makes it just cheap enough to be considered for a budget gaming PC.
LGA 1700 upgraders: The 14600K is an easy drop-in upgrade. Just know that Intel doesn't bundle a cooler with it; you'll have to supply the fan or AIO.
Specs & Configurations
Base Clock Frequency 3.5 Bundled Cooler None Core Count 14 Integrated Graphics Intel UHD Graphics 770 Integrated Graphics Base Clock 1550 L3 Cache Amount 24 Lithography 7 Maximum Boost Clock 5.3 Socket Compatibility Intel LGA 1700 Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating 181 Thread Count 20 Unlocked Multiplier? Learn More Intel Core i5-14600K Review -
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![AMD Ryzen 7 5700X]()
Best Budget AMD CPU (AM4)AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
Pros & Cons
Why We Picked It
In its time, the Ryzen 7 5700X was one of the fastest processors ever released for AMD's AM4 platform. (Indeed, we dubbed it a PCMag Best of the Year product pick back in 2022.) It has eight SMT-enabled CPU cores, giving it a total thread count of 16, and it operates at a peak clock speed of 4.6GHz. That's enough muscle for the vast majority of everyday users, and then some.
A nice side perk? AMD's AM4 platform is the newest AMD platform that broadly supports DDR4 memory, which adds incentive to buying a 5700X amid the ongoing memory crisis, if you also need to buy RAM. (DDR5 memory pricing has gone through the roof.) Plus, the 5700X's reasonable power consumption and thermal design let you get potent performance with modest air cooling.
Who Its For
PC owners stuck on AM4: The Ryzen 7 5700X has sufficient processing power to be useful for just about any task. You'll find faster options out there, but the 5700X presents a deep value for its price, and it is fast enough for most tasks, including content-creation workloads and games. And it's an easy drop-in upgrade for many AM4 boards with a BIOS update.
Budget-strapped content creators: Eight full-power cores and 16 threads for this price? Yes, please.
Specs & Configurations
Base Clock Frequency 3.4 Bundled Cooler None Core Count 8 Integrated Graphics None L3 Cache Amount 32 Lithography 7 Maximum Boost Clock 3.6 Socket Compatibility AMD AM4 Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating 65 Thread Count 16 Unlocked Multiplier? Learn More AMD Ryzen 7 5700X Review -
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Credit: Michael Justin Allen Sexton
![Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus]()
Best Budget Intel Gaming CPUIntel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus
Pros & Cons
Why We Picked It
Intel's Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is arguably the best-value budget processor that Intel currently sells. The chip has a total of 18 CPU cores (six Performance cores, and 12 lower-power ones) that hit a peak clock speed of 5.3GHz. It's an excellent performer while running content creation apps, transcoding media, and running games, making it well-suited for any task. It also has a relatively powerful integrated graphics processor that is useful for gaming without a graphics card.
Plus, Intel’s gaming-focused tweaks—including faster interconnects, higher memory support, and the new iBot optimization technology—help it punch well above its class, especially at 1080p and 1440p. Indeed, the 250K Plus is such a good value that it's often sold for $20 or $30 above its $199 MSRP.
Who Its For
Budget-minded PC gamers: The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is a powerful budget gaming processor with midrange performance. Its low price, coupled with its excellent speed, makes it a highly competitive option for any modern gaming PC.
The average PC builder or upgrader: In testing the Ultra 5 250K Plus, we found it capable of delivering excellent performance in a wide range of tests. Its performance is competitive with much pricier processors, and its low price makes it a hard offer to refuse for any budget PC, gaming or otherwise.
Specs & Configurations
Base Clock Frequency 4.2 Bundled Cooler None Core Count 18 Integrated Graphics Intel Xe LPG Integrated Graphics Base Clock 1900 L3 Cache Amount 30 Lithography 3 Maximum Boost Clock 5.3 Socket Compatibility Intel LGA1851 Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating 159 Thread Count 18 Unlocked Multiplier? Learn More Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus Review -
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![AMD Ryzen 5 7600]()
Best Budget AMD Gaming CPUAMD Ryzen 5 7600
Pros & Cons
Why We Picked It
The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is a highly capable hexa-core processor based on AMD's "Zen 4" microarchitecture. It supports SMT technology that enables it to operate a dozen threads at a time, and its 65-watt TDP makes the processor relatively efficient. And for gaming, it keeps pace with some pricier processors—especially at 1440p and 4K, where the graphics card matters more.
Also, it's on the company's newest socket (AM5), so building a budget gaming PC around this chip should give you upgrade runway for the years to come, so long as AM5 stays on the market in future CPU lines. (We think AM5 has a little more life.) AMD bundles a capable cooler, too.
Who Its For
Budget gamers already on AMD: The Ryzen 5 7600 is a capable gaming processor that was able to keep up with many other chips in our internal testing. It will show its age if you use it to run games at high refresh rates, but otherwise, it should perform reasonably well when paired with a midrange graphics card.
Family-PC shoppers: AMD's 7600 is affordable and thoroughly midrange with its six SMT-enabled CPU cores. It doesn't stand out as being particularly exceptional. Still, this chip's overall performance should more than satisfy your needs in a family PC where you'll use it for anything from playing games to filing taxes to doing homework.
Specs & Configurations
Base Clock Frequency 3.8 Bundled Cooler AMD Wraith Stealth Core Count 6 Integrated Graphics AMD Radeon Graphics Integrated Graphics Base Clock 2200 L3 Cache Amount 32 Lithography 5 Maximum Boost Clock 5.1 Socket Compatibility AMD AM5 Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating 65 Thread Count 12 Unlocked Multiplier? Learn More AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Review -
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![AMD Ryzen 5 8600G]()
Best Budget CPU for Powerful Integrated Graphics (AMD or Intel)AMD Ryzen 5 8600G
Pros & Cons
Why We Picked It
The AMD Ryzen 5 8600G is an unusual bird in the desktop processor market. As part of AMD's Ryzen 8000G series of processors, the 8600G features a relatively powerful integrated graphics processor (IGP), a hallmark of the AMD G series. This IGP is not powerful enough to compete with a modern graphics card, but it is faster than any Intel IGP on its desktop processors.
Indeed, the 8600's is the second-fastest IGP that AMD offers for desktop customers, only surpassed by the more expensive Ryzen 7 8700G, which usually falls outside our $300 limit for budget CPUs. In this case, being second-best might actually be best, as the 8600G's lower price makes it more appealing for a budget PC. (It's in the budget market where having a strong IGP is the most alluring: no money, no need for a graphics card!)
Who Its For
Budget-strapped PC gamers: The 8600G's strong IGP is its most attractive feature, making this chip a workable option for a budget gaming PC. Modern graphics cards provide far more performance, but they also cost hundreds of dollars. The 8600G is powerful enough to run many modern games without one, significantly reducing the cost of building a PC while also giving you enough processing power to run games enjoyably—albeit at lower graphics settings. One caveat: The fastest DDR5 RAM you can afford will help this processor achieve the best performance, and DDR5 is dear these days.
Compact system builders: The 8600G is also appealing for compact, small-form-factor (SFF) PCs. Building a PC in a case that is too small to accept a graphics card severely limits what hardware you can use. Some faster processors would work for a build like this, but the 8600G's speedy IGP provides the second-most graphics power you can squeeze into an SFF PC.
Specs & Configurations
Base Clock Frequency 4.3 Bundled Cooler AMD Wraith Stealth Core Count 6 Integrated Graphics AMD Radeon 760M Integrated Graphics Base Clock 2800 L3 Cache Amount 16 Lithography 4 Maximum Boost Clock 5 Socket Compatibility AMD AM5 Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating 65 Thread Count 12 Unlocked Multiplier? Learn More AMD Ryzen 5 8600G Review -
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![AMD Ryzen 5 5500]()
Best Ultra Budget CPU (AMD or Intel)AMD Ryzen 5 5500
Pros & Cons
Why We Picked It
AMD launched the Ryzen 5 5500 as a budget processor for its aging AM4 platform, just before it released its AM5 platform. The 5500 comes equipped with six "Zen 3" CPU cores, on the newest core architecture that AMD released for the AM4 platform. Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) support enables each CPU core to run two processing threads simultaneously. The 5500 isn't a particularly fast processor when compared with newer processors released by AMD and Intel, but it provides reliable performance for many day-to-day tasks.
Best of all, though, is the price: We've seen it regularly for below $100. Not bad for a six-core/12-thread chip, and a far cry from the Athlons and Celerons and Pentiums that roamed that price range not that long ago. The 5500 kicks them to the curb.
Who Its For
PC builders or upgraders on the tightest budgets: The Ryzen 5 5500 doesn't stand out as exceptional at any one thing, except that it is super-cheap and regularly on sale for less than $100. Its performance is more than adequate for many uses, such as web browsing, watching digital content, schoolwork, and various other simple tasks. You could also use it in a low-end gaming PC. While it may not be the best option for any one thing in particular, it's the lowest-priced processor you should probably consider in 2026, and it's also the most affordable option for those who don't need anything faster.
Specs & Configurations
Base Clock Frequency 3.6 Bundled Cooler AMD Wraith Stealth Core Count 6 Integrated Graphics None L3 Cache Amount 16 Lithography 7 Maximum Boost Clock 4.2 Socket Compatibility AMD AM4 Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating 65 Thread Count 12 Unlocked Multiplier? Learn More AMD Ryzen 5 5500 Review -
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Best For | Best Budget Intel CPU (LGA 1851) | Best Budget AMD CPU (AM5) | Best Budget Intel CPU (LGA 1700) | Best Budget AMD CPU (AM4) | Best Budget Intel Gaming CPU | Best Budget AMD Gaming CPU | Best Budget CPU for Powerful Integrated Graphics (AMD or Intel) | Best Ultra Budget CPU (AMD or Intel) | Best Budget Intel CPU (LGA 1851) | Best Budget AMD CPU (AM5) | Best Budget Intel CPU (LGA 1700) |
Core Count | 24 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 24 | 8 | 14 |
Thread Count | 24 | 16 | 20 | 16 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 16 | 20 |
Base Clock Frequency | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
Maximum Boost Clock | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 3.6 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 5 | 4.2 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.3 |
Unlocked Multiplier? | |||||||||||
Socket Compatibility | Intel LGA1851 | AMD AM5 | Intel LGA 1700 | AMD AM4 | Intel LGA1851 | AMD AM5 | AMD AM5 | AMD AM4 | Intel LGA1851 | AMD AM5 | Intel LGA 1700 |
Lithography | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
L3 Cache Amount | 36 | 32 | 24 | 32 | 30 | 32 | 16 | 16 | 36 | 32 | 24 |
Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating | 250 | 105 | 181 | 65 | 159 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 250 | 105 | 181 |
Integrated Graphics | Intel Xe LPG | AMD Radeon Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 770 | None | Intel Xe LPG | AMD Radeon Graphics | AMD Radeon 760M | None | Intel Xe LPG | AMD Radeon Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 770 |
Integrated Graphics Base Clock | 2000 | 2200 | 1550 | 1900 | 2200 | 2800 | 2000 | 2200 | 1550 | ||
Bundled Cooler | None | None | None | None | None | AMD Wraith Stealth | AMD Wraith Stealth | AMD Wraith Stealth | None | None | None |
Buying Guide: The Best Budget CPUs for 2026
The most significant factors in picking the right desktop CPU revolve around what you plan to use it for and how often. You don’t need a high-octane AMD Ryzen 9 or Intel Core Ultra 9 to browse the web or write text documents. As long as you limit yourself to a reasonable number of tabs in a browser and a productivity program or three at a time, you can do both of these things well enough on a basic processor for well under $200, paired with 8GB of RAM. You can even run games with one of these low-end chips in conjunction with a graphics card, though you will be limited to playing older titles, with graphics settings turned down to keep clear of the limits of the CPU.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)This is just what to expect with desktop CPUs at the very bottom of today’s market. A slightly better budget CPU will do all of these things with more spark, and you can find some of AMD’s Ryzen 5 and Intel’s Core i5 chips, both robust classes of CPU, under the $200 price line. We’ll talk more about what to expect with each set of processors in this price range a little further on in this article. Before doing that, though, let’s review a little general shopping advice you should remember while shopping for a cheap CPU.
The Budget CPU Basics
Modern-day processors comprise several portions on the chip die, the most important of which are the CPU cores. These components drive performance for most applications, determined by their underlying architecture and the speed at which they operate.
At the simplest level, a computer schedules work on its CPU cores in a single-file line. Having additional cores, in essence, opens up additional lines and allows for more work to be pushed through simultaneously. Following that, you can think of clock speed as the speed at which that line of instructions moves through the processor. The faster it goes, the faster the work is completed. The more cores in operation at a time, the better, if the software can leverage them. The more cores operating at full tilt at one time, the more heat is released and the more power consumed. That can sometimes be a limiting factor on performance.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)Many other aspects of a processor can affect its performance: various types of cache, the underlying architecture, and much else. It’s not necessary to know about all of these, but here's one you should be aware of: Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT). This feature is also known as Hyper-Threading on Intel processors.
SMT enables a single CPU core to open two lines for work to queue up, rather than requiring two discrete cores to do the same. (Think of a toll plaza that suddenly has twice as many booths open as before, to deal with the traffic.) The processor isn’t able to work on tasks from both lines simultaneously, but if the processor gets stuck waiting on more data to load for one task, it enables the core to work on a different task while that data is loaded. A CPU core working with SMT isn’t on par with two actual, physical cores, but it still performs much better in most tasks than an equivalent set of CPU cores without SMT support.
Understanding AMD and Intel Processor Numbers
It’s beyond the scope of this article to go over all of the relevant CPU architectures that underpin budget chips. You can check out our overall guide to the best CPUs and our individual CPU reviews for more information on this topic. To make comparing budget processors easier, however, you should know how to tell newer processors from older ones. Both AMD and Intel use numbers to identify their processors.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)For AMD desktop CPUs, the first digit in the five-character model number reflects the processor's generation, with the digits following indicating the CPU’s relative performance level in that generation. The generations are not entirely straightforward, though, as AMD's numbering scheme is not 1:1 with the actual generation...
- First gen = 1000
- Second gen = 2000
- Third gen = 3000 or 4000
- Fourth gen = 5000
- Fifth gen = 7000 or 8000
- Sixth gen = 9000
For example, AMD's Ryzen 7 5700G is part of the fourth generation of AMD Ryzen processors. Its overall performance is lower than that of the Ryzen 9 5900X. You shouldn’t rely solely on this number for information, but it can help you to distinguish older processors from newer ones and to compare processors within the same product line in a jiffy.
The numbering scheme for Intel desktop processors worked in much the same way until recently. The main difference is that Intel has more than 10 generations of its mainstream Core processors. (Intel's previous generations, dubbed “Rocket Lake," "Alder Lake,” and "Raptor Lake," are generations 11, 12, and 13/14; "Comet Lake," the preceding line, is 10th Gen.) . Through generation 14, Intel CPUs used a five-digit product ID number (example: the "10100" in the Intel Core i3-10100), and on these processors, the first two digits indicated the generation.
Intel's most recent desktop processor line, the "Arrow Lake" Core 200S series, introduced a revised naming scheme that restarted with chips using numbers in the 200 range. All of the Intel 200S-series processors are based on the Arrow Lake architecture and use the same socket, called LGA 1851. Intel will likely continue from here with future desktop CPUs, with the following Intel processor line likely to be called the 300S series, and so on.
Within a single generation, processors can be compared directly and straightforwardly: The one that operates at the highest clock speed and with the most cores generally performs the best, though that calculus can depend on the task at hand. (For example, some programs benefit from having the fastest possible speeds available on just one or two cores.) You can also roughly compare processors across multiple generations and compare AMD and Intel processors by looking at their core counts and clock speeds. Note, however, that this will only give you a relative approximation at best, and you should look at reviews with benchmark tests for more accurate, nuanced comparisons across chip families or between AMD and Intel.
What Are the Benefits of Buying a Budget CPU?
A first thought about that question: Even if you think you would benefit from a higher-end CPU, or if you would just like one but don’t want to shell out the money, temporarily going with a low-end CPU may be a sensible option. Like all things tech, CPUs become more affordable as they age. A CPU that costs $350 today may cost $200 or less in a year or two.
Building off this idea, you could buy a lower-end chip now and gain a reasonably snappy modern system. Then, when that configuration starts to feel sluggish in a few years, you might be able to upgrade to a stepped-up processor for the same platform at a more reasonable price. (More about platforms and motherboards in a bit.)
A second consideration is chip cooling. In the budget class for CPUs, you won’t need to pay for an aftermarket cooler for your processor. AMD’s and Intel’s stock coolers, which come in the box with their budget chips, are designed to keep those CPUs from overheating under normal operating conditions.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)Meanwhile, third-party coolers help people who want to overclock or use a quieter fan for their CPU. You won't find much performance benefit from buying one if you aren’t overclocking, and even if you did want to overclock, in most cases, you would be better off putting the money you would spend on that aftermarket cooler into buying a faster CPU to begin with. That is especially true with budget CPUs, since the price steps between them are smaller.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)Let’s discuss the various processor families worth considering for less than $300. For simplicity and ease of reading, we’ve opted to separate these CPUs into three broad groups by price:
- Less than $100
- From $100 to $200
- From $200 to $300
A special note on pricing: Unless otherwise specified, we are referring to list prices (MSRPs) for all processors throughout most of this article. These are the prices AMD and Intel set for their processors at launch. CPU prices from retailers aren't always consistent with these numbers. Demand for specific processors can vary due to their performance, competition, age, and price-to-performance ratio. This causes some chips to sell for less than their MSRP, while others can be inflated; availability for these latter chips may be spotty. Because of that volatility, we stuck predominantly to list prices in our discussion here, not current street prices, as today’s comparisons could become wholly irrelevant tomorrow. But sometimes street prices do make a big difference.
Ultra-Low-Budget Options (MSRPs Below $100)
We've placed a $100 ceiling on picks for the ultra-low-budget market segment for desktop CPUs, though new options there are dwindling. In this price range, you might benefit from checking out older, used options. You might still see Celeron and Pentium processors from Intel, and Athlon processors from AMD sold as new, but these are no longer relevant purchases in 2026.
AMD's Ultra Budget Solutions
Over the years, AMD has released several successful budget processor lines, including the Duron, Sempron, and Athlon series, but those are obsolete now. The company's Ryzen 3 processors have also all but exited the market. AMD has released a couple of Ryzen 3 processors as manufacturer-only solutions, which are only obtainable in pre-built systems from vendors like Dell, HP, and Lenovo. The company hasn't released any Ryzen 3 CPUs targeted at end users to buy on their own since the AMD Ryzen 3 4100 launched in 2022.
Recommended by Our Editors
Instead of launching new budget processors, AMD has leaned on its older Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors to cover this market segment. This means if you want a budget AMD processor, the best option you will likely find will be Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors from the last few generations. A few of these older Ryzen 5 models are available for less than $100, but most aren't quite that cheap. But they are your best bet in this price range.
Intel's Ultra Budget Solutions
Intel takes a different approach to AMD in the lowest-end processor market. Where AMD relies on its older processors to handle the budget market, Intel has continued to produce some budget processors. The long-running Intel Celeron and Intel Pentium product lines have been sunset, replaced with what are known simply as Intel Processor models, with a capital "P." For example, the Intel Processor 300 launched in 2024 for $82. I would be hesitant to recommend one of these options, though, as significantly faster chips are available from Intel for just slightly more money.
Midrange Budget Processors (MSRP $100 to $200)
If you can manage the extra cash for a better CPU, AMD’s last-generation Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors provide significantly more performance than the ultra-budget options. You'll find several options from Intel as well, including older Core i3 and Core i5 processors that are also well worth considering in the budget CPU world.
AMD Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7
The Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors that stand out most in this market segment are mostly from the venerable AMD Ryzen 5000 series. Many of the AMD Ryzen 5 5000-series and even some Ryzen 7 5000-series processors are on sale at significantly lower prices than their original MSRP. These 5000-series chips rely on AMD's last-gen AM4 socket, for which motherboards are still widely available and can employ cheaper DDR4 memory. That's a big deal in this age of inflated RAM prices, especially for DDR5.
Intel Core i3 and Core Ultra 3 (and Some Core i5 and Core Ultra 5)
Intel’s Core i3 processors all have four CPU cores, whether looking at the 10th Gen through to the 14th Gen. (News has persisted of an eight-core Core Ultra 3 205 chip in Intel's newest "Arrow Lake" 200S line, as well, but it is still not showing any retail availability at this writing.) Pre-10th Gen Core i3 CPUs should be off your radar; the 10th and 11th Gen Core i3 processors are also too old to recommend for a new PC.
The 12th to 14th Gen of Intel LGA 1700 Core i3 processors are minimally viable options for a budget PC. (The same will presumably be true for the Core Ultra 3 205 on socket LGA 1851, if it ever emerges.) Core i3 availability is dwindling, though. Most of Intel's Core i3 processors also come with reasonably capable integrated graphics processors (IGPs). The UHD 730 Graphics silicon that powers most of the 12th to 14th Gen Core i3 processors can run games well enough for casual gamers. Newer games won't run well, but older games should be playable at low settings. (Based on its specs, the Ultra 3 205 IGP may present a modest punch-up over the older Core i3 IGP.) Mostly, though, the IGP on these processors is useful if you don't want to buy a graphics card.
A few Core i5 and Core Ultra 5 chips sneak in under $200; these are often "F" variants with no integrated graphics. Their availability comes and goes with sales; most Intel chips at these levels are in the $200-plus range.
Semi-Budget and Upper-End Budget Processors ($200 to $300)
As just noted, above the Intel Core i3 lines are a handful of Intel Core i5 and Ultra 5 processors that you might find below the $200 price line, depending on the day. You'll also find more Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 CPUs that cost a bit more than the models mentioned in the previous section, but they make up for it by offering improved performance. You won't find a unified feature set here for both Intel and AMD, so let’s dive straight into what each offers separately.
AMD Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7
AMD's Ryzen 7000 and 9000 series of processors significantly boost performance over the older Ryzen 5000 series. (Ryzen 6000 series was mobile-only.) Of course, they are also priced higher than previous generations of Ryzen processors. Not many of them fit into the budget market, as a result, but a few do. In particular, the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X stands out here, as it is part of the newest generation of AMD processors and can be found priced low enough to fit into a budget PC build. You will see more Ryzen 7 models in the $200-to-$300 range.
Older Ryzen 7000-series processors are also worth checking out here, but it all depends on pricing. At the time of writing, you'll find less than a $20 difference between the Ryzen 5 9600X and the Ryzen 5 7600, with the former clearly being the better option.
Intel Core i5, Ultra 5 and Core i7
Intel has many options that fit into the $200-to-$300 price range. The best of these at the lower end is unquestionably the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus. This powerful processor delivers excellent overall performance and a highly capable IGP that's among the fastest on the market. The performance and features of the Ultra 5 250K Plus, along with its $199 price, make it easily the most recommendable budget Intel processor. (It's in this price class because, in practice, it's being marked up above $200 due to its popularity.) Its big brother, the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, may eke into this range at the other end, as well, with its $299 MSRP. It's equally excellent.
(Credit: Michael Justin Allen Sexton)Another interesting Intel option is the Core i7-12700K, which bounces around inside this price range and sometimes dips below $200. The pricing varies by retailer, but when it's at its lowest, the Core i7-12700K is an alluring option with relatively potent performance and no major bugs like the one that affected 13th Gen Raptor Lake processors. You might also be able to use it with cheaper DDR4 memory, if you need to buy RAM in these expensive times.
A Big Side Issue for Budget CPU Buying: The Platform
Before buying a processor, it’s also critically important to find a compatible motherboard, or at least assess what you own. As this is an unavoidable added expense if you don’t have a board in hand, you should always consider both the motherboard and CPU prices to determine what gives you the best value within your budget. RAM prices may also come into it.
Neither AMD nor Intel motherboards have a clear price advantage in every situation. Instead, what is best often depends on what sales are available at the time of shopping. Sometimes, you can score a CPU and motherboard combination at a discount. (Retailers like Micro Center frequently offer these specials.)
You also need to make sure you get a board compatible with the CPU you buy. The physical CPU socket is only the first layer of compatibility. AMD supports multiple generations of processors per socket, and you need to make sure the processor you buy is on the motherboard's supported list. Intel typically supports just two generations of processors per platform, and most motherboards will work with all CPUs in that platform. You may have to do a BIOS update to get newer CPUs to work, though. Check the specs before buying either a motherboard or CPU!
This isn’t the whole story, though. Socket compatibility does not guarantee core system-chipset-level compatibility. (In other words, just because a chip fits in the socket is no ironclad guarantee that it will work in the socket.) This can be tricky to unwind, but to make it simpler, we compiled the following charts that show which CPU classes are compatible with which motherboard chipsets.
Compatibility is the most important factor you consider when choosing a motherboard. Strictly speaking, if you follow the above chart, you shouldn’t have many problems—but you should also double-check the board’s product page before buying to ensure that it supports the specific, exact CPU you plan to buy. Motherboard manufacturers publish lists of compatible CPUs for every board they sell, and you should never buy a board without first verifying that the CPU you plan to buy is on that list. It’s vitally important, and your system will not work if you get it wrong—so don’t!
Features for this grade of motherboard are less critical when paired with a chip like a Ryzen 3 or Core i3, as even the most basic boards will include essentials such as integrated audio, Ethernet, and a healthy heap of USB ports. You may want to buy a better board for specific ports or for features’ sake, but if your budget doesn’t permit any kind of splurge, opt for the least-expensive board that supports the CPU you plan to buy and has the ports and slots you need. (Hint: For budget shoppers, this is often a mid-size MicroATX, rather than full-size ATX, board in a given line.)
Need More Info on Which Budget CPU to Buy?
Check out our links to deep-dive reviews of the CPUs recommended above and some other favorites. Our published reviews have more specific benchmarking details and information on their supported platforms. Note that if you're deeply budget-sensitive, previous-generation CPUs can still provide excellent value, especially if you happen to own a compatible motherboard. But sticking to the most modern generation you can afford, within reason, confers its own benefits that you gain from being on a newer platform.