The best budget Intel CPU is the cheapest it’s ever been right now
(Image credit: Intel)
The goal for putting together any budget gaming PC is to make sure each component you choose gives you the best gaming bang for your gaming buck. Outside of your graphics card, the CPU will factor in a lot of your cost. Thankfully, Amazon has got a sale on the Intel Core i5 12400 desktop processor for only $175 , the cheapest we’ve ever seen this CPU.
The 6-core, 12-thread Intel i5 12400 is already one of the best budget CPUs you can buy right for less than $250. When it is on sale, it usually goes for around $200. The $175 sale price is an all-time low and practically a steal. Keep in mind you this CPU requires a newer chipset and socket, which means you’ll need a motherboard upgrade if weren’t planning one already. Luckily there are now some cheaper chipsets for 12th Gen Intel chips, such as the B660 and H610.
Performance-wise, it keeps up with the Ryzen 5 5600X , AMD’s budget CPU, which is also on sale at Newegg , just if you’re looking to build an all AMD budget gaming system.
In our review of the i5 12400, we dug into its overall stock performance and the fact it runs cooler than the Ryzen 5 and offers better overclocking potential. The i5 12400 shows that you don’t need to spend a fortune to have a decent gaming experience. It received our Editor’s Pick award and a 95% score. That’s a pretty big deal.
Intel Core i5 12400 | 6 cores | 12 threads | 4.4GHz |$237 $175 at Amazon (save $62)
The Intel Core i5 12400 was already a steal at its regular price, so shaving over $60 off it makes it an irresistible upgrade for any budget PC build.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X | 6 cores | 12 threads |3.7GHz |$299 $200 at Newegg (save $100)
Just in case you were looking for a decent deal on a budget AMD CPU, this Ryzen 5 offers slightly better stock performance than the i5 12400 but is also slightly more expensive even with the discount.
Check our best CPUs for gaming to see how these two budget CPUs stack up against some of their more expensive, power-hungry cousins.
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Jorge is a hardware writer from the enchanted lands of New Jersey. When he’s not filling the office with the smell of Pop-Tarts, he’s reviewing all sorts of gaming hardware from laptops with the latest mobile GPUs to gaming chairs with built-in back massagers. He’s been covering games and tech for nearly ten years and has written for Dualshockers, WCCFtech, and Tom’s Guide.
Best Intel CPU in 2022 (Gaming, Budget, Overclocking, Workstation)
Understanding the fundamental specifications of a hardware component is one of the most important things to know when purchasing PC products.
Learning the specifications of a processor (and how each spec affects the performance of your build) will ensure your next purchase is right for your specific needs.
Below, we’ve taken the time to layout most of the specifications that come with a processor, and how each can affect you from a gaming, workflow, and general-use scenario.
Cores And Threads
For the most part, modern-day processors are made up of cores and threads. A core is a physical processor within the CPU. A thread, on the other hand, is a virtual core designed to help the CPU handle multiple tasks.
In the 21st century, processors can be equipped with well over 16 cores (with double the threads), making them infinitely better than yesteryear’s offerings when it comes to gaming, workflow scenarios, and general use.
As a general rule, the following guidelines are recommended when purchasing a new processor:
- 4 Cores – General use, light browsing, and very light gaming
- 8 Cores – Decent for gaming, moderate multi-tasking, and all general-use purposes
- 16 Cores + – Enthusiast level CPU.
Handles pretty much everything you can throw at it. Very good for rendering, multi-tasking, and other CPU intensive processes
Clock Speed
Next up is the clock speed. Clock speed (or sometimes cycle speed) refers to how many cycles a core will perform every second. It’s the physical speed of your processor and is measured in gigahertz (GHz) – i.e. millions of cycles. So, a CPU that has a 3.6GHz clock speed, performs 3.6 million cycles per second.
A lot of modern-day processors come equipped with two separate clock speeds – a base and boost speed. This means a particular CPU can automatically overclock its core(s) to that particular speed in order to achieve optimal performance. It usually does this when in highly demanding CPU scenarios, such as gaming.
Another factor to consider when looking at clock speed is overclocking. When referencing Intel, overclocking can only be performed when using a “K” rated CPU. So, for example, take the 10900 vs the 10900K.
In this scenario, these two CPUs are very similar. However, the 10900K is overclockable, whereas the 10900 is not.
Overall, whether you’re gaming or doing high-intensive workflows, you always want to get the highest clock speed your budget can afford.
Cores And Clock Speed Combined
Whilst both cores/threads and clock speed are important on their own, it’s safe to say that uniting them will give you a much better idea of how well they perform in different scenarios. Taking into consideration both specifications of a processor will not only tell you how good it is for gaming, but also how well it handles intense multi-tasking scenarios as well.
Generally speaking, if you’re into gaming, you can get away with fewer cores if the clock speed is fast enough. That being said, for multi-tasking and workflows, you want as many cores as possible. Whilst this might sound a little confusing, it’ll all become much clearer when we get to our recommendations.
Socket Types
Whilst most – if not all – of the CPUs in this guide are from the same socket family, it’s still worth discussing how it can affect your purchasing decisions.
Basically, the socket is the mounting point on your motherboard that holds the CPU in place. It is one of the most important factors when pairing a CPU with a motherboard, as each socket is unique and will not support other types.
One area I feel Intel falls a little short when referencing socket type is backward compatibility. With AMD, they’ve ensured that their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Ryzen CPUs are all designed using the same AM4 socket. That, in turn, allows consumers to use older, last generation motherboards with their new CPU.
However, Intel, on the other hand, are not so accommodating. Unfortunately, most of the time when Intel releases a new CPU, it comes equipped with a whole new socket to boot. That means users will have to physically go out and purchase a new motherboard if they want to use the latest hardware.
For example, the 9th gen Intel CPUs were designed around the LGA1151. However, the latest 10th gen CPUs are designed around the LGA 1200, meaning you can’t use your old Z470 motherboard with the newer CPU.
The same kind of rule applies for Threadripper motherboards too, with that range of CPUs having an entirely different socket altogether.
So, the lesson is, always to ensure the motherboard and CPU are compatible via socket type. If not, you could have a very expensive paperweight on your hands.
TDP
TDP stands for thermal design power (or sometimes thermal design point) and is the maximum amount of heat generated by the CPU itself. Basically, it’s telling you what kind of cooling solution you need to run this CPU efficiently.
Many low-end budget cooling solutions will only dissipate around 65W TDP. Meaning, if you buy a high-performance CPU that requires 95W TDP dissipation and decided to use a low-end 65W TDP cooler, your CPU won’t be running at optimal temperatures.
Remember to always check the specs of a CPU before you complete your build list. If not, you might end up with a slow running CPU that isn’t properly cooled – leading to a whole host of other issues.
TOP-7. The best processors with integrated graphics. June 2022. Rating!
Author Anatoly Vorontsov Reading 7 min. Views 5.9k. Posted by
Updated
Hello everyone! Video cards are rapidly becoming cheaper and today many models can be purchased at very good prices. But in general, the price tags are still very high, if you do not compare them with what it was a month ago, for example. And not only video cards are getting cheaper, but also processors, including solutions with integrated graphics, which today can handle even large triple-A games. In this review, I’ve rounded up the top 7 processors with integrated video cores that are great if you want to wait for even more price drops, but want to build a computer today.
A opens the list of Athlon 3000G from AMD. This is the most budget processor for today, on which you can play online projects and even relatively modern and quite demanding games. By the way, we recently had an ultra-budget assembly on this stone, I advise those who have not seen it to look at it. There I showed in detail what Vega 3 built into this APU is capable of. As for processor performance, here we have the minimum adequate level for a modern PC. There are only 2 cores, but at least 4 threads and they just save the situation, preventing the chip from turning into an unusable relic of the past. Low power is good with corresponding heat dissipation. The TDP Athlon 3000G does not exceed thirty-five watts. By the way, if desired, the CPU can be overclocked, like the built-in video core, and get an additional performance boost at the cost of a slight increase in electricity consumption.
AMD Athlon Gold 3150g
- SOCKET: AM4
- Architecture: Zen+
BACTIONS: 4
: 4
: 4
GHz
9 GHz the previous one. This is Athlon Gold 3150G, and in terms of the video core it does not differ in any way from the previous stone. However, in games, its integration will still be faster due to the increased maximum frequency of RAM. The processor itself switched to the new Zen + architecture and received a smaller process technology of 12 nanometers. There is no multi-threading here, but 4 physical cores were delivered, which is better than two cores and four threads. The base frequency of the processor has not changed, but now there is automatic overclocking to three point nine tenths of a gigahertz. Ultimately, the APU turned out to be significantly more productive than its brother from the previous generation. And the free multiplier allows you to get a little more power through overclocking.
AMD RYZEN 3 3200G
- SOCKET: AM4
- Architecture: Zen+
- Litography: 12 nm
- Number of cores: 4
- TurboBoost frequency: 4.
0 GHz - Free multiplier: yes
- Video core: Vega 8 1250 MHz
- TDP: 65 W
ACTION Number of Fully GHz
We rise a little higher in price and meet the familiar 32 Ryzen0G 3. I suggest considering the updated version on Zen + cores, because this stone is noticeably more powerful than the base version and has a more subtle technical process. On the processor side, this APU is not much more powerful than the previous chip. Here we have the same 4 cores and 4 threads, but at slightly higher frequencies. But with the built-in is a completely different conversation. Unlike Athlon, here we already get an eight-core Vega 8, also with a higher frequency. It gives a new level of performance in games, especially when overclocking memory, overtaking even the initial discrete video cards of past generations such as the GTX 1050 and GT 1030. The main thing is to take care of fast enough memory and its amount, which should be enough for all the needs of both the system and the video core .
AMD RYZEN 5 5600G
- SOCKET: AM4
- Architecture: Zen 3
- Litography: 7 Nm
- Number: 6
- TurboBoost frequency: 4.4 GHz
- Free multiplier: yes
- Video core: Vega 7 1900 MHz
- TDP: 65 W
3.
9 GHz
I bypassed the Ryzen 3 in the fourth and fifth generations, because the price tags there are comparable to the same 5600G, and the performance is obviously lower. Our pebble is built on the Zen 3 architecture and has the top 7 nanometer process technology today. This made it possible to fit 6 cores and 12 threads at frequencies up to four point four gigahertz in a TDP of 65 watts. Integrated graphics in the face of Vega 7 received not 8, but 7 cores, but what kind. They are built on a new architecture and are capable of overclocking up to nineteen hundred megahertz, which, coupled with support for much faster memory, takes the gaming experience on an integrated graphics card to a new level. With the 5600G, you can comfortably play any modern game even in FullHD resolution. And after overclocking the memory and video core, you can even try to raise some settings.
As for the processor part, its performance today is enough for any task, so when the opportunity arises, you can simply buy a discrete graphics card and play any game at ultra-settings without changing the processor.
AMD RYZEN 7 5700G
- SOCKET: AM4
- Architecture: Zen 3
- Litography: 7 Nm
- Number: 8
- Turbo Boost frequency: 4.6 GHz
- Free multiplier: yes
- Video core: Vega 8 2000 MHz
- TDP: 65 W
900
3.8 GHz
5700G. Its 8 cores and 16 threads at frequencies up to four point six gigahertz provide excellent performance at the level of top-end CPUs, quite a bit behind the same 5800X. At the same time, the built-in Vega 8, which runs at a frequency of 2000 megahertz in stock, pulls any modern games in FullHD resolution without any problems.
And if you connect FSR technology, you can even count on 60 frames per second in most current triple-A projects. Coupled with a TDP that does not exceed 65 watts in stock, you get an extremely powerful and energy-efficient processor with excellent integration, which in many large single games outperforms the GTX 1050 by as much as 2 times, provided there is enough fast RAM.
Intel Core i5-12500
- SOCKET: LGA 1700
- Architecture: ALDERLAKE-S
- LITOS: 6
- COMPLOUKS: 6
- COMMUNICATION TOLIDAY: 6
- Number clock frequency: 3.0 GHz
- TurboBoost frequency: 4.6 GHz
- Free multiplier: no
- Video core: UHD 770 1450 MHz
- TDP: 117 W
Finally, I decided to leave a couple of processors from Intel. Their embedded cores, although they still do not bypass AMD solutions, but in the twelfth generation the top UHD 770 comes close to Vega 6 in some games, and in some places even outperforms the competitor.
These are, of course, isolated cases and, in general, red integrated cores are still much faster, but the trend is nevertheless positive. You can play many current projects on the UHD 770, but there is no need to talk about eSports disciplines. At the same time, Intel’s 12th generation processors themselves turned out to be extremely powerful and the same 12500 will be enough for you to perform tasks of almost any level.
Intel Core i9-12900k
- SOCKET: LGA 1700
- Architecture: ALDERLAKE-S
- LITOGRAPHIS: 10 Nm
- clock frequency: 3.2 GHz
- TurboBoost frequency: 5.2 GHz
- Free multiplier: yes
- Video core: UHD 770 1550 MHz
- TDP: 241 W
, then you can take Core i9-12900K. The video core here is the same as in the previous stone, but slightly overclocked. But the processor part here is the top-end to date.
In many games, the i9-12900K outperforms even AMD’s 32-thread monster Ryzen 9 5950X. Of course, subject to the presence of a top-end video card. In the meantime, the UHD 770 with a frequency of 1550 megahertz will allow you to play both undemanding projects and many modern games with beautiful graphics. The main thing is to take care of choosing a good motherboard and the best cooling, because even in stock, the new CPU can consume up to two hundred and forty-one watts.
Budget processor for the office and not only: Processor, Intel
The use of multi-core processors with high operating frequencies is not always economically justified. Moreover, the actual speed of the operating system and applications also directly depends on a number of other factors. For example, what kind of hard drive is used — a standard HDD or a modern fast SSD. For normal work with office programs, comfortable browsing the Internet and watching movies in Full HD quality, a cheap 9 processor is quite suitable.
0031 Intel Celeron G1820 . For now, this is considered the best budget option. In its price category, it has the best performance-to-price ratio of , and is not much inferior to more expensive models. This is a very good processor with integrated graphics for office systems or multimedia centers. Its integrated graphics card allows you to run games at their lowest settings and desaturated 3D. And the use of an external video card makes it possible for mid-level games.
Modern Celeron is practically the same Pentium . The Intel processor policy of heavily cut back is now implemented in the Atom processor series. The Celeron G1820 is characterized by low power consumption of and the ability to lower the supply voltage of its core. Therefore, it is acceptable to use it with passive cooling system without fans in silent small-sized micro-ATX systems.