We update our guide to the best processors on the market that we can buy right now for less than 120 euros, and this time we are going to limit ourselves to the first-hand market, that is, to new products because, with the prices that we can find right now, it is possible to buy a CPU with good performance at a price really affordable.
In this guide I am not going to limit myself to choosing the best processors for gaming within that price range, but I am also going to include those that may be a good choice for assembling other types of PCs, including. from basic office PCs to multimedia and eSports setups.
Next to each of the chosen best processors for less than 120 euros you will find their key specifications, and also a summary of their strengths and weaknesses.. This will help you to be a little clearer about what you can expect from each of them and which one would better suit your needs. As always, if you have any questions you can leave them in the comments.
Best processors for less than 120 euros
1.-Intel Celeron G5905 for 48.99 euros.
This processor is ideal for setting up a PC for office, web browsing and multimedia for very little money. It falls into the Comet Lake-S generation, which means it uses the same architecture as the Core Gen10s, which means its IPC is borderline good, and it has an integrated GPU Intel UHD Graphics 610.
Also Comes with a heatsink from homeso with this chip we won’t have to invest money in either the graphics card or the cooling system. We will have solved CPU, GPU and cooling for only 48,99 euros.. Overall it is a quite competent chip, as long as we are aware of its limitations, since in the end although it has a good IPC it only adds two cores and two threads.
Specifications
- Comet Lake-S generation (14 nm++).
- Socket LGA1200.
- Two cores and two threads at 3.5 GHz.
- 4 MB of L3 cache.
- Intel UHD 610 integrated GPU.
- Fan included.
- 58 watts TDP.
Positive points.
- Very economical.
- Single-wire performance.
- Integrated GPU and fan included.
- Proficient with undemanding tasks.
Negative points.
- Only two cores and two threads.
- No turbo mode.
2.-AMD Ryzen 5 4500 for 63.95 euros.
With the Ryzen 5 4500 we raise the bar quite a bit, and we find ourselves with a processor that will allow us to assemble a fairly powerful PC for very little money. Now that it has come down so much in price it is an excellent option.since we are talking about a chip that has 6 cores and 12 threadsand therefore reaches the optimal level for current games.
This processor is based on the Zen 2 architecture and. comes with an AMD Wraith Stealth fan.which makes it an even more interesting value for building a gaming PC with a very tight budget, but capable of offering a good level of performance. Its operating frequencies are not very high, and it has only 8 MB of L3 cache, but for the price it has right now it is the best in its range. You have it discounted to 63,95 euros.
Specifications
- Zen 2 generation (7 nm).
- Socket AM4.
- Six cores and twelve threads at 3.6 GHz-4.1 GHz.
- 8 MB L3 cache.
- No integrated GPU.
- Fan included.
- 65 watts TDP.
Positive points.
- Very economical.
- 6 cores and 12 threads for only 64 euros.
- Fan included.
- Capable of running current games.
- Price-performance ratio.
Negative points.
- Inferior performance to Ryzen 5 3600.
- Low L3 cache.
- Limited to PCIe Gen3.
3.-AMD Ryzen 5 3600 for 82.99 euros.
This processor was one of the best AMD has ever released, and it still remains a very capable chip thanks to its good IPC and its configuration of 6 cores and 12 threads. It is undoubtedly an all-rounder solution that will hold up to any current game without any problems, and will even be able to offer a fairly reasonable experience in relatively intensive multithreaded applications.
Now that we can get it for only 82.99 euros is a really interesting option, because it costs less than the Ryzen 5 5500, exceeds it in some cases and on top of that it allows us to. access to the PCIe Gen4 standardwhich is essential for mounting inexpensive graphics cards that are limited to PCIe Gen4 x8 or x4. It comes without fan, but we can get a ARTIC Alpine 23 from only 11,99 euros.
It is one of the best processors we have on the market for less than 100 euros for socket AM4, and do not worry, that said fan. is able to hold the type perfectlyAfter all, we are talking about a 65 watt processor.
Specifications
- Zen 2 generation (7 nm).
- Socket AM4.
- Six cores and twelve threads at 3.6 GHz-4.2 GHz.
- 32 MB of L3 cache.
- No integrated GPU.
- Fan not included.
- 65 watts TDP.
Positive points.
- Good price.
- 6 cores and 12 threads.
- Good IPC.
- Good performance for the price.
- It can handle professional games and applications.
- PCIe Gen4 x16 (with a compatible motherboard).
Negative points.
4.-Intel Core i3-12100F for 101,99 euros.
This is one of the best quad-core, eight-threaded processors available, and one of the most powerful processors on the market right now.It is only surpassed by the Intel Core i3-13100F and its derivatives. It is a very good choice for gaming because of its high IPCsince it uses the Golden Cove architecture, and it is also manufactured on the Intel 7 (10 nm) SuperFin node.
At the general level is less versatile than the Ryzen 5 3600 because it has fewer cores and threads, but if our goal is to build a gaming PC with a tight budget and have the possibility of making the jump to the DDR5 memory and the PCIe Gen5 standard. is certainly an excellent choice, especially now that it has come down in price.
With this chip we will be able to access a state-of-the-art platform for little money, and. we will have the door open for future upgradesas the LGA1700 socket is compatible with Core Gen13, and will be compatible with the Raptor Lake Refresh, known as Core Gen14. It is discounted to 101.99 euros.
Specifications
- Alder Lake-S generation (Intel 7, 10 nm SuperFin).
- Socket LGA1700.
- Four cores and eight threads at 3.3 GHz-4.3 GHz.
- 12 MB of L3 cache.
- No integrated GPU.
- Fan included.
- 65 watts TDP.
Positive points.
- Very high CPI.
- Single-wire performance.
- Fan included.
- Technically advanced.
- State-of-the-art platform, with DDR5 and PCIe Gen5.
Negative points.
- It does not reach the optimal level of 6 cores and 12 threads demanded already in some games.
5.-Intel Core i5-10400F for 104.99 euros.
One of the best processors to upgrade a PC based on the LGA1200 socket, and also to assemble a new low-cost but with a good level of performance. It has a configuration of 6 cores and 12 threads, and its IPC is quite good.so it is generally a more versatile and balanced chip than the Intel Core i3-12100F, although it loses out to the latter in cases where no more than four cores and eight threads are used.
You can smoothly run current gamesThe minimum recommended level of 6 cores and 12 threads is reached, and it comes with a fan that complies without problems, as long as we are not going to have the processor at 100% load. constantly and for long periods of time, since in these cases it will move in the range of 83 degrees C, and therefore it would be advisable to buy a more powerful fan, although not essential as it is still a safe value.
If we are going to use it for gaming and for other tasks where the workload never reaches 100%, the reference fan will give us values of. between 60 and 70 degreesWe can buy it for 104.95 euros.
Specifications
- Comet Lake-S generation (14 nm++).
- Socket LGA1200.
- Six cores and twelve threads at 2.9 GHz-4.3 GHz.
- 12 MB of L3 cache.
- No integrated GPU.
- Fan included.
- 65 watts TDP.
Positive points.
- Good CPI.
- Single-wire performance.
- Multithreaded performance.
- Fan included.
- Good price.
Negative points.
- Limited to PCIe Gen3.
- Obsolete platform with little room for upgrade.
6.-Ryzen 5 4600G for €104.99.
This chip is an interesting option for assembling a PC for undemanding games and eSport titles.It comes with an integrated GPU that is quite competent, and that will allow us to play many things without having to mount a dedicated graphics card, with the obvious savings that this entails.
In this regard it should be noted that, for comparative purposes, its integrated GPU can reach a level of performance. similar to what you would get with a GeForce GT 1030for your reference to help you estimate the final performance. Games like Valorant, League of Legends and DOTA 2 will run perfectly with the integrated GPU that comes with the Ryzen 5 4600G.
It also includes a fan, so we won’t need to buy anything else. With this APU we could assemble a PC for basic gaming and e-sports for only 200 euros.. It offers a very good value for what it costs, although if you can invest a little more the Ryzen 5 5600G APU is an interesting option as well. We can buy the Ryzen 5 4600G for €104.99, and it is one of the best processors with integrated GPU in its price range.
Specifications
- Zen 2 generation (7 nm).
- Socket AM4.
- Six cores and twelve threads at 3.7 GHz-4.2 GHz.
- 8 MB L3 cache.
- Radeon 7 integrated GPU with 448 shaders (Vega II, GCN 5.1).
- Fan included.
- 65 watts TDP.
Positive points.
- Good price.
- 6 cores and 12 threads.
- Price-performance value.
- Fairly competent integrated GPU in undemanding games, and previous generation titles.
- Fan included.
Negative points
- Inferior performance to the Ryzen 5 3600 in CPU.
- Low L3 cache.
- Limited to PCIe Gen3.
Final notes: is it worth buying such cheap processors for gaming?
The truth is yes, in fact in this list of the best processors for less than 120 euros we have three models that are an excellent choice to assemble a gaming PC for very little money, and without having to give up a good level of performance. I am talking about the Ryzen 5 3600, Core i3-12100F and Core i5-10400F.
Of the three, the one that will give the best gaming results is the Intel Core i3-12100F.With the latest price drop I think it is the best option of all those we have right now in the range of less than 120 euros if our goal is to play, not only for its performance, but also because, as I said, it opens the door to a next-generation platform and allows us to configure a PC with a longer life that we can upgrade with a fairly small investment.
The Ryzen 5 3600 would be an excellent choice especially for. giving a second life to a PC based on the AM4 platform that has, for example, a first- or second-generation Ryzen (Ryzen 5 2600 or lower), and the Intel Core i5-10400F is also a great option for upgrading a PC based on an Intel Celeron, Intel Pentium or Intel Core i3-10105 or lower.
I remind you that the Intel Core i3-12100F is only slightly slower than the Intel Core i3-13100F because the latter runs at a slightly higher frequency, but the differences between the two are minimal, and that it is not worth paying the 20 euros more that this one costs. With an Intel Core i3-12100F you would have no problem moving mid-range graphics cards.so you can build very competent and well-balanced gaming configurations for very little money.
