Picking the right processor for your PC mostly depends on what you plan on using the computer for. Whether you have a large or small budget, you might be surprised by how fast cheap CPUs are. Under the right conditions, a midrange or even low-end chip can provide a similar gaming experience to one that's much more expensive.
The assortment of budget CPUs has gotten a lot better over the years. Even a relatively low-end chip can now deliver enough performance to handle what used to be demanding tasks. Additionally, a lot of these cheap CPUs have other advantages, including wide compatibility with plenty of motherboards, bundled stock coolers, and more. Unlike older low-end CPUs, budget shoppers can now find plenty of value in many of these newer affordable options.
These are the best cheap CPUs in 2023
Ryzen 5 5600
A good all rounder for less than $150
The Ryzen 5 5600 is a great 6-core, 12-thread CPU. It might be a previous-generation product, but it now presents a great value considering its performance.
- Good multi-threaded performance
- Good gaming performance
- Cheap and includes stock cooler
- Uses old AM4 socket and has a short upgrade path
AMD processors have shown significant performance improvements over the years. The company now has some of the best CPUs, particularly gaming CPUs, but also some great budget choices. The Ryzen 5 5600 is from the previous generation, but given the price now, it's worth buying if you're on a budget.
This is one of the fourth-generation desktop processors from AMD built on the 7nm Zen 3 platform. It's a six-core, 12-thread chip clock at a boost clock of 4.4GHz with a 65W TDP and a Wraith Stealth, which is an excellent stock cooler, in the box. It has 35MB of combined L2 and L3 cache, which is significantly higher than the cheaper Ryzen 5 5500 which also lacks PCIe 4.0 support. It's worth remembering, though, that you will need a dedicated GPU to use one of these, as older Ryzen CPUs without a G suffix don't have integrated graphics.
There are a few key things that make the 5600 a great value other than its low price tag. Firstly, using the AM4 platform means you can pair it with an older, cheap motherboard, which in turn support cheap DDR4 memory rather than DDR5. The Ryzen 5 5600 is also unlocked to support overclocking, as are all B and X class AMD motherboards. Gains will vary and depend on CPU quality and the motherboard, but with a modest overclock to both CPU and memory, it's possible to push your budget system even further.
While there are more powerful CPUs out there in 2023, it's still worth considering the Ryzen 5 5600 mainly because of how effectively it handles a lot of demanding workloads for just $150 or less. For gaming, it stands as a viable alternative to some more expensive CPUs and its single- and multi-threaded performance is still acceptable. However, being on the AM4 platform does limit its upgrade path, which is the tradeoff for buying this CPU at a discount. Intel's competing chips on the LGA 1700 platform by contrast have a better upgrade path, albeit for a higher price.
AMD Ryzen 5 5500
A cut-down 5600 for less than $100
The Ryzen 5 5500 is a low-end AMD CPU that has six cores, 12 threads, and 16MB of L3 cache, half that of its higher-end but more expensive counterpart, the Ryzen 5 5600.
- Good multicore performance
- Decent gaming performance
- Super low price
- Half the L3 cache of the 5600
- AM4 platform means short upgrade path
Perhaps you thought the Ryzen 5 5600 looked nice but cost too much for your liking. Thankfully, there's an alternative: the Ryzen 5 5500. For the average user, the 5500 is simply a cheaper 5600 that has all of the major selling points and makes some sacrifices that you probably won't mind too much. At the time of writing, it can be found for just $100.
The 5500 shares many similarities with the 5600. It's a 7nm, Zen 3 CPU with six cores and 12 threads, comes bundled with a Wraith Stealth cooler, and plugs into AM4 motherboards that support DDR4 RAM. The 5500 has a slightly lower boost clock than the 5600, 4.2GHz versus 4.4GHz, but that's not a huge difference. What is a big difference is the size of the L3 cache; the 5600 has 32MB of L3 while the 5500 has just 16MB. That's a big difference and can affect performance in many applications, especially gaming. Still, the 5500 is more than capable of 60 FPS or higher in almost every game.
Another thing the 5500 is missing is PCIe 4.0, which normally wouldn't be a big deal for a budget PC but it's worth bearing in mind that AMD's budget RX 6400 and RX 6500 XT graphics cards need PCIe 4.0 in order to perform optimally. If you want to use the 5500, we recommend avoiding the 6400 and 6500 XT and sticking with an RX 6600 or better.
At about $100, it's hard to ignore the 5500 even if it does have some compromises attached to it. It's 90% or more of the performance of the 5600 for 70% of the money, and the money saved by opting for a 5500 can make a big difference in a budget PC. We recommend the 5500 if you're not overly concerned with high framerates or the lack of PCIe 4.0 support.
Intel Core i5-12400F
A modern CPU with good performance in every category
Intel's Core i5-12400F is a 12th-generation CPU with six P-cores and comes at discount compared to the regular Core i5-12400. Like all F chips though, the 12400F has no integrated graphics.
- Great performance in most applications
- Comes with a stock cooler
- Has a good upgrade path
- No integrated graphics
In theory, Intel has totally replaced its 12th-generation CPUs with new 13th-generation models that hit the same great price points that 12th-generation chips did. However, there is a noticeable gap between the $100 Core i3-13100(F) and the $200 Core i5-13400(F). Thankfully, 12th-generation CPUs are still cheap and the Core i5-12400F slots in right between Intel's lowest-end 13th-generation chips at just around $160 or so.
The 12400F comes with six P-cores only, which are plenty fast enough but don't quite match the multicore prowess of the 13400(F), which has the same six P-cores plus four E-cores. However, this is still two more P-cores than the 13100(F), which means you'll see roughly 50% higher multi-threaded performance. Additionally, the 12400F has a boost clock of 4.4GHz, right between the 13100(F) and the 13400(F). The main reason why Intel is offering the 12400F at such a low price besides for it being old is the fact that it's an F class chip with no integrated graphics, however.
The main rival of the 12400F in terms of price is AMD's Ryzen 5 5600, which is a little cheaper and is very similar as it comes with six cores, an included stock cooler, and even hits the same 4.4GHz boost clock. However, there are two things that work in the 12400F's favor: it's a little faster than the 5600 in single- and multi-threaded workloads (though slightly slower in games) and uses the LGA 1700 platform, which has a much better upgrade path than the 5600 on the AM4 platform.
It's weird that Intel didn't make a 13th-generation replacement for the 12400(F) and just allowed a big hole in the 13th-generation lineup, but as long as the 12400F is still around, that's totally fine. The 12400F is a very good CPU that trades blows with AMD's best budget chips in terms of performance and value, but certainly has a distinct advantage when it comes to upgradeability and future proofing.
Intel Core i3-13100F
A recent quad-core CPU that's good for gaming
Intel's Core i3-13100F is an entry level CPU with four P-cores and no integrated graphics.
- Comes with four P-cores
- Includes stock cooler
- Long upgrade path
- No integrated graphics
If you only have about $100 to spend on a CPU or don't really need anything too powerful, Intel's Core i3-13100F is a great choice. It doesn't have the best performance in games and applications that need raw horsepower, but it'll do the job in a low-end gaming PC while providing the kind of upgrade path that you can't get with Ryzen 5000 CPUs.
Although the 13100F is branded as a 13th-generation CPU, it's actually a refresh of the Core i3-12100(F) with a slightly higher boost clock. It has four P-cores that clock in at a max 4.5GHz, and having just four P-cores means its multi-threaded performance is quite low. The similarly priced Ryzen 5 5500 has six cores and although these are older cores, they still tend to beat the 13100(F) in anything multi-threaded. However, the 13100F does have a slight edge in single-threaded tasks thanks to its more recent architecture.
The 13100F's low price, sufficient gaming performance, and upgrade path are more than enough to offset poor multicore performance. Thanks to being an F-class chip with no integrated graphics, the 13100F costs just $100 or a little more (the regular 13100 costs around $130 to $150). If you're just gaming, you'll be happy enough with the 13100F's performance, which is on par with the 5500 that costs about the same. The biggest advantage for the 13100F is the LGA 1700 platform, which crucially has a much better upgrade path than AM4, which is what Ryzen 5000 CPUs are on.
The 13100F isn't quite on par with the 5500 if we're just looking at performance, but it makes up for that with its longer upgrade path. As long as you're mostly just gaming, you won't be able to tell a major difference between the 13100F and the 5500, which makes the 13100F a somewhat more appealing option if you have ambitions to upgrade to a faster CPU in the future.
Intel Pentium Gold G7400
A modern dual-core chip with a low power draw and good performance
The Intel Pentium Gold G7400 costs less than $100 but it matches the general performance of a lot of other high-end chips from previous generations.
- Has integrated graphics
- Comes with stock Intel cooler
- Decent enough performance for basic tasks and gaming
- 12100F and 13100F cost about the same
Intel may have finally laid the Pentium brand to rest, but one of its final versions is one of the best cheap CPUs on the market. The Intel Pentium Gold G7400 features two cores and four threads based on the 10nm Golden Cove core architecture. It's an entry-level dual-core chip that trades blows with AMD's cheapest processors.
The G7400 features a clock speed of up to 3.7GHz and 6MB of L3 cache within a 46W TDP package. Despite being an Alder Lake chip, it doesn't come with the hybrid combination of P and E-cores. That's reserved for more advanced parts, but two cores is surprisingly good for many uses as long as you don't expect too much. The G7400 also supports DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0, but realistically you're going to be using this CPU on a motherboard that uses DDR4 and without PCIe 5.0 devices. There's also integrated graphics, which aren't particularly fast but can do some light gaming and web browsing.
With two cores, the G7400 is about half as fast as the Core i3-13100(F) in multi-threaded workloads, but is relatively close in single-threaded workloads and gaming. Reviews indicate that the G7400 can still hit 60 FPS in most games if you're pairing it with a discrete card, which makes it a decent choice if you're building a PC with very limited cooling potential and space.
The only problem with the G7400 is the existence of the Core i3-13100F and Core i3-12100F, which only cost $100 which is barely any more than the G7400's usual $70 or $80. However, the G7400 has a much lower TDP and comes with integrated graphics, making it more ideal for lower-power PCs that won't use discrete graphics. If the 12100F or 13100F aren't viable options for some reason, the G7400 can be a good alternative.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
Good if you can't use a graphics card
The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G is a great APU combining strong CPU performance with best-in-class integrated graphics.
- Decently good single- and multi-threaded performance
- Good gaming performance
- Includes integrated graphics
- Weak upgrade path on AM4
- iGPU is showing its age
If you're building a PC that won't be using a discrete graphics card and need to rely on integrated graphics, you'll definitely want a Ryzen APU. Like regular Ryzen 5000 CPUs, Ryzen 5000 APUs are also going on sale, albeit with a slight premium for these chips' relatively powerful integrated graphics. The Ryzen 5 5600G is AMD's best APU and costs less than $150.
The Ryzen 5 5600G uses different silicon than the Ryzen 5600 and higher-end Ryzen 5000 CPUs, and that does have some performance implications. It does have the same six Zen 3 cores as the 5600 with the same 4.4GHz boost clock, but has just half the L3 cache, 16MB instead of 32MB. Additionally, the 5600G only has PCIe 3.0 support, which means no high-end PCIe 4.0 SSDs as well as poor performance on AMD's own RX 6400 and 6500 XT GPUs.
The integrated graphics on the 5600G has seven Vega Compute Units (or CUs) that clock in at 1,900MHz. To be clear, this iGPU isn't nearly as fast as the one found in the latest Ryzen 7040 laptop chips, but it's still good enough for 720p and even 1080p gaming. If you want extra performance, you can overclock the iGPU (which can hit the 2000Hz frequency range) and pair the 5600G with high-frequency DDR4 RAM, ideally 3,600MHz or at least 3,200MHz.
In games with a discrete GPU, the 5600G performs a little worse than the similarly priced 5600, but the integrated graphics can come in really useful if you can't afford a graphics card right now or are building a tiny PC that can't fit a discrete GPU anyways. Plus, the 5600G's single- and multi-threaded horsepower isn't really affected by the smaller L3 cache, so it's not just a wholly inferior version of the 5600.
Best cheap CPUs to buy in 2023: Final thoughts
Because of how competitive things are in the low-end between AMD and Intel, it's really hard choosing a single best cheap CPU and instead I'm selecting the best from each vendor. AMD's best budget chips is the Ryzen 5 5600 thanks to its good overall performance and support for PCIe 4.0. It doesn't have a great upgrade path since the AM4 platform ended with Ryzen 5000, but low prices for motherboards and DDR4 RAM can help make up for that.
Ryzen 5 5600
The Ryzen 5 5600 is a great 6-core, 12-thread CPU. It might be a previous-generation product, but it now presents a great value considering its performance.
Intel's competing budget CPU is the Core i5-12400F, which performs and costs a little more than the 5600, making it roughly a draw in bang for buck. However, the 12400F does have a big advantage in upgrade path, since the LGA 1700 socket has many more faster chips than the AM4 socket.
Intel Core i5-12400F
Intel's Core i5-12400F is a 12th-generation CPU with six P-cores and comes at discount compared to the regular Core i5-12400. Like all F chips though, the 12400F has no integrated graphics.
Alternatively, you can buy the Ryzen 5 5500 and Core i3-13100F for around $100. These CPUs have lower performance in general compared to the 5600 and 12400F, but their significantly lower price tags can be appealing if you're on a tight budget and still want good gaming performance at 1080p.
If you don't mind spending a bit more money or need more horsepower, we highly encourage you to check out some other options we've mentioned in our collection of the best CPUs and the best CPUs for gaming. Alternatively, you can also check out our entry-level PC build guide as well as the home/office work PC build guide to see how you can build an excellent rig for under $500 in 2023. As always, you can join our XDA Computing Forums to discuss your builds and get more recommendations for your new PC build from the experts in our community.