Best Gaming CPU under £100


When you're building a new PC, finding a good CPU is one of the main aims and considerations. Big Companies like Intel and AMD love to advertise their newest and most powerful CPUs with the highest prices characteristic of flagships, but the truth is, not many people need the newest, most powerful, or most expensive CPUs to power their computing needs. Here we're going to discuss some of the best CPU options for under £100, as that's a nice price for a good low to midrange gaming CPU. There are two main options here: to go for an older, second hand, higher end CPU, or to go for a more modern, lower end CPU. Both option have their own advantages and disadvantages, and we're going to try and compare these two options to find out which is best for you, depending on your situation. 


The first consideration may sound silly, but it is important. This price bracket of CPU simply isn't right for everyone, so before we find the best CPU in this contest, we need to know if that CPU would be well suited to your computing needs. If you're aiming for a computer costing more than around £650, you'll probably want a higher end CPU (Check out my 'best gaming CPU under £200' post). And, if you're upgrading an old office PC, the main concern will be the Graphics card, and the CPU will have to wait. Also, when upgrading, if you don't go for a CPU that fits the same motherboard, you'll need to upgrade that as well, so it might be better value to buy a slightly worse CPU so you don't need to upgrade to a new motherboard. 


Now, into the real discussion! If you're building a new gaming computer, a powerful CPU is debatably
the 2nd most important component of a PC (right after the graphics card), and the right balance of value and performance is always a key consideration. This post will compare 5 of the best options at this price, and discuss the benefits and disadvantages of each. Here we go!





  1. Ryzen 3 3200g (~£80)

    Advantages:

       - Fairly powerful integrated graphics

       - Lowish power consumption

       - Support for the long lived AM4 socket, enabling future CPU upgrades

       - Unlocked skew

    Disadvantages:

       - only 4 cores with no SMT 

       - less than ideal single core/gaming performance

The Ryzen 3 3200g, released in July 2019 has Vega 8 graphics running at 1250 MHz, with decent overclocking headroom on the iGPU. It also has good enough gaming CPU performance that you could upgrade to an entry level GPU like an RX 580, or GTX 1660/1650 Super. The CPU could even then be later upgraded due to its use of the AM4 platform, allowing for an upgrade to a CPU like the Ryzen 5 3600, or even a 5th gen Ryzen part if paired with a 400 series motherboard or newer. Overall, this CPU is probably best suited to someone building a cheaper first rig, with a possibility of upgrading to a dedicated Graphics card in the future. 




  2. Ryzen 3 3100 (~£95)

    Advantages:

       - Good budget gaming performance

       - 4 core 8 threads

       - Decent single core performance 

       - Good overclocking headroom

    Disadvantages:

       - More expensive option than others

       - No iGPU

The Ryzen 3 3100 has some of the best gaming performance of the CPUs considered here, and can even be overclocked a fair bit too. Its use of the AM4 platform allows for an easy upgrade from a previous CPU, or to a newer CPU, like a 5th Gen Ryzen 3 CPU if they're ever released, or higher 3rd gen Ryzen part, like the 3600. The only downside of the 3100, is its higher pricing compared to the other CPUs considered here. With an MSRP of £100, and an average retail price of just under that, it is at the very top of this price category. This CPU is best suited to someone who is targeting an impressive entry level, or low midrange, gaming PC, probably around £550-£600.





 3. Core i3 10100F (~£90)

     Advantages:

       - Best stock gaming performance in this price range

     Disadvantages:

       - Locked skew

The Core i3 10100F offers impressive value at its price point, and at stock, it can outperform the Ryzen 3 3100 in gaming, however the 3100 is unlocked allowing it to edge ahead when overclocked due to the locked nature of the 10100F. The LGA 1200 socket allows for an upgrade to the great value 10400F, or even its more expensive + high performing 11400(F) successor, however if you have a little extra money, it might be worth just choosing the 10400F to begin with, due to its far superior performance for around a £40 price jump.

This skew is best for someone targeting a high performance entry level PC, but without the time to overclock. If however, you're upgrading a Ryzen rig, then just go with the Ryzen 3 3100, due to its compatibility with older motherboards, and it's ability to overclock.



  4. Core i5 9400(F) (~£80)

     Advantages:

       - 10100 like gaming performance

       - Use of the LGA 1155v2 platform allows for an upgrade from an 8th or 9th Gen Core i3 part.

     Disadvantages:

       - Only 6 threads (6 Cores, no HT)

       - Not great for Video editing etc. 

On the second hand market, the 9400, released in October of 2018 should be available for under £100, and if you have a 9100, 8400 or 8100 build, then this could be a nice upgrade, but if you're building a new PC, or if you're doing any kind of video editing, then this probably isn't the best choice, due to its lack of hyperthreading, although 6 cores means this isn't as big of a problem as it could be. This CPU is probably best for someone looking for a cheapish CPU upgrade for an older, lower end 8th or 9th gen Intel core i3 for a gaming PC that genuinely needs a better CPU. If however, you're upgrading from something like a 8400, the performance gains won't be staggering, and potentially aren't worth it, although if you really need a replacement CPU at this price point, and you get a good deal, this could be worth it. 





  5. Core i7 4790K (~£80)

     Advantages:

       - A good upgrade for an old office PC with a 4th gen Intel core i3

       - Decent performance considering how old it is

       - Good overclocking headroom

     Disadvantages:

       - Runs very hot, and consumes a fair bit of power, especially when overclocked

The 4790k is generally available for around £100 or less on the second hand market, and if you're upgrading an older office machine, it can offer good value, due to not needing a new motherboard. Unfortunately, those OEM boards probably won't be up to overclocking, so the 4790K's main selling point isn't fully utilised. The 4790k doesn't offer the same performance as the other CPUs considered here, at least at stock settings. If it avoids a motherboard upgrade however, then it could be worth it. This CPU, or its non-K brother is probably best if you're upgrading an older 4th gen i4 office PC. If you're building a new PC from scratch then it's probably better value to go for one of the newer, higher performing CPUs in this list. 


Summary

Overall, as usual, the answer to what the best CPU for under £100 is: it depends. If you're building a new PC, and you're targeting the higher part of the £100 CPU market then the newer Ryzen 3 3100, or Core i3 10100F is probably the best bet. If, however you're upgrading an older PC, then the 9400F, or 4790k could be a better deal. If you have a 100, or 200 series Intel motherboard, then finding a good deal on a 6th or 7th gen Intel core i7 could also be an option! Alternatively, if your building a newer, cheaper PC, and can live without a dedicated Graphics card, then the 3200g could also be an option, with its impressive iGPU, and decent CPU gaming performance. 


I hope that I've been able to shed a bit of light on the market for CPUs under £100, and if you want to see other similar roundups, along with lots of other tech related content, please consider subscribing to email notifications so you don't miss another post. Goodbye, and I hope to see you all next time!

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