12 Best Budget CPU to Buy in 2024

Looking for a budget CPU for your PC build? You have come to the right place. We have included several options for budget CPUs you can buy in 2024. This list includes affordable processors from both Intel and AMD, so you will easily find suitable options to upgrade your PC. We will be looking at the best budget processors under the $250 price range in this list. But, you will also find several options under $150, and even cheaper ones under $50 here.

Table of Contents

1. AMD Ryzen 5 7600 & 7600X – Best Budget AMD CPUs for AM5

• Manufacturing Process: 5nm
• Core (C) / Thread (T) Count: 6C / 12T
• Base / Turbo Frequency:
  • 3.80 GHz / 5.10 GHz (7600)
  • 4.70 GHz / 5.30 GHz (7600X)
• TDP (Base):
  • 65W (7600)
  • 105W (7600X)
• Integrated GPU: Yes, Radeon Graphics
• CPU Socket: AM5
• Stock Cooler Included:
  • Yes, AMD Wraith Stealth (7600)
  • No (7600)

The Ryzen 5 7600 and 7600X are two of the cheapest AM5 CPUs in the market. I’m quite eager to have AMD release many more affordable CPUs for the AM5 socket. The Ryzen 5 7600 and 7600X both are excellent budget CPUs, and I consider them the best budget AMD CPUs to buy right now. You get 6 cores and 12 threads, and it’s fast for any task you throw at it, whether it be for content creation or gaming.

The performance is as per modern standards. The multi-core performance is on par or sometimes stronger than older Ryzen 7 chips (due to each core being stronger), so don’t take the Ryzen 5 branding lightly. It is also available for under $200 at times. AMD has also added an integrated GPU on the new Ryzen 7000 CPUs, which is a welcome addition.

If you are looking for a budget processor that features both a capable CPU & GPU, look towards the Ryzen 8000G APU, which we will talk about later. If you have a CPU cooler already, pick the Ryzen 5 7600X. But if you are looking for a CPU with a stock cooler, the Ryzen 5 7600 includes one.

Pros	Cons
Promised upgrade path to Ryzen 8000	Only compatible with DDR5 Motherboards (AM5 Socket)
Most affordable AM5 CPU
Fast multi-core & single-core performance

Buy from Amazon: Ryzen 7 7600X ($220.44)
Buy from BestBuy: Ryzen 7 7600 ($229.00)

2. Intel Core i5 14500 – Best Budget Intel CPU for LGA 1700

• Manufacturing Process: 10nm
• Core (C) / Thread (T) Count: 14C / 20T, 6 P-Cores + 4 E-Cores
• Base/Turbo Frequency: 2.60GHz / 5.00GHz (P-Cores)
• TDP (Base): 65W
• CPU Socket: LGA 1700
• Integrated GPU: Yes, Intel UHD Graphics 770
• Stock Cooler Included: Yes, Intel Laminar RM1

The 14th Gen Core i5-14500 is an excellent choice for those who want a budget-centric Intel CPU. Due to Intel’s limited upgradability potential on LGA 1700, this CPU sits a notch below its Ryzen competitor. But performance-wise, this is the overall best-performing CPU on this list and should receive heavy consideration from you under the $250 price range.

The Core i5-14500 comes with Raptor Lake features like Intel Thread Director and the hybrid P-Core and E-Core design. There are 14 cores and 20 threads and its performance is quite comparable to the Core i7-12700!

This 14th Gen Intel CPU is on par with the Ryzen 5 7600 overall, however, it is much better than the Ryzen 5 7600 in terms of multi-core performance. The CPU delivers impressive gaming and content creation performance. Moreover, being a new-gen processor with overall faster cores, it’s better than some older i7s (counting from 11th Gen).

Pros	Cons
Fast multi-core & single-core performance	Upgrade path limited
Offers highest multi-core CPU performance in this price range
Compatible with both DDR4 & DDR5 RAM motherboards (LGA 1700 Socket)

Buy from Amazon: Intel Core i5-14500 ($239.99)

3. AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D – Best Budget Gaming CPU for AM4

• Manufacturing Process: 7nm
• Core (C) / Thread (T) Count: 8C / 16T
• Base/Turbo Frequency: 3.0 GHz / 4.10 GHz
• TDP (Base): 150W
• CPU Socket: AM4
• Integrated GPU: No
• Stock Cooler Included: No

AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D came out recently as the latest addition to the Ryzen 5000 series. This is a more affordable CPU compared to the Ryzen 7 5800X3D and is available for under $250, making it the best budget gaming CPU! The onboard 3D V-Cache accelerates performance in games and benchmarks suggest it is even faster than the Intel Core i5-13600K!

Note that you should buy this processor only if you are looking for a CPU that gives you maximized gaming performance. Those who seek better CPU computing performance in general (single-core/ multi-core) look towards non-3D V-Cache processors.

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D CPU features 8 cores and 16 threads with a boost clock of 4.10GHz. By the way, since this processor doesn’t come with a stock cooler, so check out the best CPU coolers to buy here!

Pros	Cons
Best CPU for maximized gaming performance	Upgrade path is limited
Compatible with a wide range of AM4 motherboards	Not as fast compared to non-3D V-Cache variants

Buy from Amazon: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D ($244.00)
Buy from BestBuy: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D ($249.00)

4. AMD Ryzen 7 5700X – Best Budget Multi-Core CPU for AM4

• Manufacturing Process: 7nm
• Core (C) / Thread (T) Count: 8C / 16T
• Base/Turbo Frequency: 3.40GHz / 4.60 GHz
• TDP (Base): 105W
• CPU Socket: AM4
• Integrated GPU: No
• Stock Cooler Included: No

AMD Ryzen 7 5700X offers you the most amount of cores in the budget price segment. To put it simply, you get 8 cores and 16 threads, and it offers a ton of performance at an attractive price. Compared to the launch price of $299, people can now buy the CPU at nearly a 30% discount.

The Ryzen 5 5700X is the best CPU under $200 with its high core count. This is one of the budget CPU options if your preference is a processor that would benefit workloads like content creation since the higher multi-core performance will come under use. Gaming is also great on these CPUs.

Also, since this CPU is supported on the AM4 socket, if you have an older AMD motherboard such as B450 or B350 you can easily upgrade to this CPU as long as the VRMs on your motherboard are sufficient for it.

Pros	Cons
Decent multi-core & single-core performance with high core count	Upgrade path is limited
Compatible with a wide range of AM4 motherboards

Buy from Amazon: Ryzen 7 5700X ($168.49)
Buy from BestBuy: Ryzen 7 5700X ($209.00)

5. AMD Ryzen 5 5600 & 5600X – Best Value AMD CPU for AM4

• Manufacturing Process: 7nm
• Core (C) / Thread (T) Count: 6C / 12T
• Base/Turbo Frequency:
  • 3.70GHz / 4.60 GHz (5600X)
  • 3.50 GHz / 4.40 GHz (5600)
• TDP (Base): 65W
• CPU Socket: AM4
• Integrated GPU: No
• Stock Cooler Included: No

The Ryzen 5 5600X (and Ryzen 5 5600) are the best value-for-money CPUs you can buy, even in 2024. They both feature a 6-core and 12-threaded design, which is well-balanced. These have also gotten a significant price drop from their original price of $299 (5600X) and offer excellent value.

One disadvantage of this CPU is that it doesn’t have integrated graphics. If you are looking for a cheap AM4 AMD CPU, this might not be the cheapest option, but it’s worth paying the premium to get the Zen 3 cores. These CPUs offer enough performance for a variety of tasks, be it for creative or gaming use cases.

The Ryzen 5 5600 & 5600X CPUs also perform better than the newly launched Ryzen 5 5700 (non-X), which is a little weird, but you can read about it here. These Ryzen 5 processors are pretty much the best affordable CPU for gaming!

Pros	Cons
Strong single-core performance, decent at multi-core	Upgrade path is limited
Compatible with a wide range of AM4 motherboards

Buy from Amazon: Ryzen 5 5600X ($154.08)
Buy from Amazon: Ryzen 5 5600 ($134.99)

6. Intel Core i5 12400 & i5-12400F – Value Intel CPU for LGA 1700

• Manufacturing Process: 10nm
• Core (C) / Thread (T) Count: 6C / 12 T
• Base/Turbo Frequency: 2.50GHz / 4.40GHz
• TDP (Base): 65W
• CPU Socket: LGA 1700
• Integrated GPU: Yes (i5-12400), No (i5-12400F)
• Stock Cooler Included: Yes

The Core i5-12400 & Core i5-12400F are essentially direct competitors to AMD’s Ryzen 5 CPUs we discussed above. You get 6 cores and 12 threads here as well, and the architecture packs enough punch in every core making this CPU a reliable option to consider buying in 2024.

If you prefer Team Blue, this is the value budget CPU you can get from Intel. You can easily consider this CPU for your mid-range PC and get decent performance in the Adobe Creative Suite or gaming.

Well, I say mid-range because of the price and the fact that better processors have since come out. But this CPU is strong even in 2024, and a well-balanced option to buy for many. Before you buy it though, ensure you select the i5-12400 if you are not getting a discrete GPU. But if you have a GPU in your PC, you can consider the i5-12400F instead.

Pros	Cons
Strong multi-core & single-core performance	Upgrade path limited till Intel 14th Gen (LGA 1700)
Compatible with DDR4 & DDR5 RAM motherboards

Buy from Amazon: Core i5-12400 ($159.49)
Buy from Amazon: Core i5-12400F ($148.99)

7. Intel Core i3 14100 & i3-14100F – Cheapest 14th Gen CPU

• Manufacturing Process: 10nm
• Core (C) / Thread (T) Count: 4C / 8T
• Base/Turbo Frequency: 3.40 GHz/ 4.50GHz
• TDP (Base): 60W
• CPU Socket: LGA 1700
• Integrated GPU: Yes (i3-13100), No (i3-13100F)
• Stock Cooler Included: Yes

The Core i3-14100 and 14100F are the cheapest Intel CPUs you can buy that are part of the new 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh lineup. Now that we are in the i3 territory, multi-core performance is not that substantial, but you could still get away with using it for some light content creation workloads. The gaming performance potential with these CPUs is still quite satisfactory and will serve you well with a budget or even a mid-range graphics card.

So, for many people, the performance won’t be too far behind when compared to a Core i5. You get 4 cores and 8 threads, and in the past, i3 variants did not feature these many cores. It’s great to see you can get a quad-core CPU that is hyper-threaded as well in the form of an Intel Core i3. I very well remember that my first desktop CPU was an i3-6100, and it only had 2 cores and 4 threads.

Pros	Cons
Strong single-core performance	Upgrade path limited till Intel 14th Gen (LGA 1700)
Compatible with DDR4 & DDR5 RAM motherboards

Buy from Amazon: Core i3-14100 ($139.99)
Buy from Amazon: Core i3-14100F ($119.99)

8. AMD Ryzen 5 8500G – Best APU Under $200

• Manufacturing Process: 4nm
• Core (C) / Thread (T) Count: 6C / 12T
• Base/Turbo Frequency: 3.50 GHz / 5.0 GHz
• TDP (Base): 65W
• CPU Socket: AM5
• Integrated GPU: Yes (Radeon 740M)
• Stock Cooler Included: Yes

The Ryzen 5 8500G is an APU – a specialized processor that also focuses on offering you a decent bit of graphical horsepower in addition to the CPU power. You can read all about CPU vs APU here. The onboard Radeon graphics are quite decent on the new AMD Ryzen 8000G processors, being capable of entry-level gaming without a dedicated GPU.

Overall, the processor provides capable performers for mid-range PCs. Buy this CPU for its special use-case: you won’t need dedicated graphics as it has in-built Radeon graphics which perform better than most other iGPUs of other best budget CPU options.

You can upgrade your PC build with a GPU while still utilizing the Ryzen 5 8500G, but note that its performance is worse than CPUs costing similar but without a capable iGPU like the Radeon 740M that this Ryzen APU from AMD features.

Pros	Cons
Decent multi-core & single-core performance for the price	Lower overall performance compared to non-APU options
integrated Radeon GPU is better than most iGPUs, capable of entry-level gaming

Buy from Amazon: Ryzen 5 8500G ($179.00)
Buy from BestBuy: Ryzen 5 8500G ($179.00)

9. AMD Ryzen 5 4600G – Best Affordable APU At $100

• Manufacturing Process: 7nm
• Core (C) / Thread (T) Count: 6C / 12T
• Base/Turbo Frequency: 3.50 GHz / 5.0 GHz
• TDP (Base): 65W
• CPU Socket: AM4
• Integrated GPU: Yes (Radeon Graphics with 7 cores)
• Stock Cooler Included: Yes

AMD’s Ryzen 5 4600G is an excellent processor to buy for around $100. While the Ryzen 3 3200G costs less, this is a more worthy budget CPU with stronger performance. This particular processor is also an APU, so it doesn’t just give you a good-budget CPU. There is a relatively decent integrated Radeon GPU in this APU. If you need an integrated GPU to be included with your processor, then this should receive more consideration than the Ryzen 5 5500 listed below.

It features 6 cores with 12 threads, and a boost clock going up to 4.20 GHz. Paired with faster memory (the sweet spot for DDR4 is 3200/3600MHz), the APU will perform better. The included Radeon graphics also offers some entry-level gaming potential.

You can also consider upgrading from this model to something in the Ryzen 5000 series, including the options listed above.

Pros	Cons
Compatible with a wide range of AM4 motherboards	Upgrade path is limited
Decent multi-core & single-core performance for the price	Lower overall performance compared to non-APUs
integrated Radeon GPU is better than most iGPUs

Buy from Amazon: Ryzen 5 4600G ($114.99)

10. Intel Core i3-12100 – Best Modern CPU on a Budget

• Manufacturing Process: 10nm
• Core (C) / Thread (T) Count: 4C / 8T
• Base/Turbo Frequency: 3.30 GHz / 4.30 GHz
• TDP (Base): 65W
• CPU Socket: LGA 1700
• Integrated GPU: Yes (i3-12100), No (i3-13100F)
• Stock Cooler Included: Yes

Intel’s Core i3-12100 and i3-12100F are both excellent choices for a cheap CPU in 2024. These are the best affordable CPUs you can buy to slot into the LGA 1700 socket and are suitable for a budget to mid-range PC. This processor is strong for general tasks and gaming at 1080p, in fact, it actually won’t bottleneck much with a GPU like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050. Light use in content creation workloads works fine on this CPU.

Being Core i3s, they don’t offer a lot of multi-core performance but are quite decent for the price you pay. You get 4 cores and 8 threads, and this was not common in Intel Core i3 CPUs at some point in the past. But presently, Intel has been offering 4-cores in their i3 models for multiple generations.

Pros	Cons
Strong single-core performance	Upgrade path limited till Intel 14th Gen (LGA 1700)
Compatible with DDR4 & DDR5 RAM motherboards

Buy from Amazon: Core i3-12100 ($116.49)
Buy from Amazon: Core i3-12100F ($96.99)

11. AMD Ryzen 5 5500 – Best Budget CPU Under $100

• Manufacturing Process: 10nm
• Core (C) / Thread (T) Count: 6C / 12T, 6 P-Cores + 4 E-Cores
• Base/Turbo Frequency: 3.60GHz / 4.20GHz
• TDP (Base): 65W
• CPU Socket: AM4
• Integrated GPU: No
• Stock Cooler Included: Yes

AMD Ryzen 5500 is in an awkward position because while it’s part of the 5000-series lineup the performance is more in line with the 3000-series (like Ryzen 5 3600). It’s also marginally slower than the Intel Core i3 option listed above. It’s still a decent processor to buy for the price, powered by 6 cores and 12 threads.

Ryzen 5500 will perform decently with games or content creation workloads but expect nothing too special. Moreover, being an AM4 CPU, you can update the BIOS of an older generation motherboard such as B350/B450 and use this processor on it.

The only drawback is that integrated graphics (iGPU) is not included in this CPU. So if you are looking for a budget CPU that will also save you the cost of adding a GPU, consider other options such as the #9 option. Still, as I said it’s a decent CPU to buy for the price and one of the best budget CPUs under $100. There’s also the Ryzen 5 4600G available for under $100, but it’s better to spend the extra few bucks and buy the 5600G we have suggested in the list above.

Pros	Cons
Decent multi-core & single-core performance for the price	Upgrade path limited to Ryzen 5000 Series (AM4)
Compatible with a wide range of AM4 motherboards	Performance is slower than 12th Gen i3 but still decent

Buy from Amazon ($99.00)

12. Intel Celeron G5905 & G5900 – Cheapest CPU Overall

• Manufacturing Process: 14nm
• Core (C) / Thread (T) Count: 2C/2T
• Base Frequency: 3.50GHz (G5905), 3.40GHz (G5900) [no turbo boost]
• TDP (Base): 58W
• CPU Socket: LGA 1200
• Integrated GPU: Yes
• Stock Cooler Included: Yes

Going even lower, the Intel Celeron G5905 & G5900 processors are some of the cheapest CPUs you can buy, with a somewhat modern architecture (as close as it can get). While the 12th Gen Celeron processors also exist, they are available at an unreasonable price currently and if that changes, we’ll update this list accordingly. This is a 10th-gen CPU, so you’ll need to get an older motherboard for it.

You get a dual-core CPU that isn’t hyper-threaded either, so it’s just these two cores. These options are the bottom of the barrel when it comes to CPU performance but it works quite well for tasks such as web browsing, multimedia consumption, and light gaming. So, if you want to build a basic PC, this budget CPU is quite suitable and often sells for about $30.

Pros	Cons
Decent for entry-level PCs, intended for basic tasks	Only a dual-core CPU, not hyperthreaded either
One of the cheapest CPUs	Belongs to Intel 10th generation family, which is somewhat old in 2024

Buy from Amazon: Celeron G5905 ($44.99)
Buy from Amazon: Celeron G5900 ($41.23)

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