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Best Gaming CPU: Mid-range

Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: May 2012
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Best Gaming CPU for £85: None

Honourable Mention:
FX-4100

FX-4100
Codename: Zambezi
Process: 32 nm
CPU Cores: 4
Clock Speed (Max. Turbo): 3.6 GHz (3.8 GHz)
Socket: AM3+
L2 Cache: 4 x 1 MB
L3 Cache:   8 MB
HyperTransport: 4000 MT/s
Thermal Envelope:
95 W
At its stock clock rate, AMD's FX-4100 isn't a particularly compelling gaming product compared to lower-priced options from Intel. However, enthusiasts are sure to appreciate its unlocked ratio multiplier and plenty of headroom to overclock. When it's pushed, this processor helps enable similar frame rates as some of our favorite Core i3 CPUs, though it uses significantly more power in the process. Nevertheless, with Phenom IIs quickly disappearing from retail, the FX-4100 remains AMD's best value in the gaming CPU space, earning an honourable mention.

Best Gaming CPU for ~£90:

Core i3-2120

Core i3-2120
Codename: Sandy Bridge
Process: 32 nm
CPU Cores/Threads: 2/4
Clock Speed: 3.3 GHz
Socket: LGA 1155
L2 Cache: 2 x 256 KB
L3 Cache: 3 MB
Thermal Envelope:
65 W

As our sub-£160 CPU gaming comparison article proved, the budget Core i3-2120 is a surprisingly capable gaming processor with the ability to beat some of the quad-core CPUs we've recommended at this price in the past.

Yes, you have to essentially forsake the potential for overclocking, given (what we consider to be) enthusiast-unfriendly locks on the multiplier and a base clock with very little room to scale beyond 100 MHz. But its stock performance is compelling, and this CPU still warrants a recommendation.

Read our review of the Sandy Bridge-based CPUs here.

Best Gaming CPU for £135:
Core i5-2310

Core i5-2310
Codename: Sandy Bridge
Process: 32 nm
CPU Cores/Threads: 4
Clock Speed (Max. Turbo): 2.9 GHz (3.2 GHz)
Socket: LGA 1155
L2 Cache: 4 x 256 KB
L3 Cache: 6 MB
Thermal Envelope:
95 W

Intel's Sandy Bridge microarchitechture is undeniably fast. Test data suggests that the Core i5-2310 can stand toe-to-toe with older LGA 1366-based processors when it comes to gaming performance. We're not talking about the entry-level models, either. This affordable processor has the chops to compete with Intel's £800 Extreme Edition chips.

Read our review of the Sandy Bridge-based CPUs here.

Best Gaming CPU for £145:
Core i5-3450

Core i5-3450
Codename: Ivy Bridge
Process: 22 nm
CPU Cores/Threads: 4
Clock Speed (Max. Turbo): 3.1 GHz (3.5 GHz)
Socket: LGA 1155
L2 Cache: 4 x 256 KB
L3 Cache: 6 MB
Thermal Envelope:
77 W

As fast as Intel's Sandy Bridge architecture is in gaming workloads, the 22 nm Ivy Bridge design performs slightly better per clock cycle, while using less power. For £145, the Core i5-3450 promises to be a solid contender with predictable performance, based on our experiences with Sandy Bridge-based chips in the same price range.

Read our review of the Ivy Bridge-based CPUs here.

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  • 1 Hide
    aje21 , 19 May 2012 03:08
    Would be interested to see where a Cedar Trail D2700 would place (i.e. where at the bottom of the table) as this seems not to have been bench tested much.
    Also, it would be great to see tags on the table for the recommendations and commended chips...
  • 0 Hide
    tracker45 , 21 May 2012 05:15
    is x2 250 any good ?
  • 0 Hide
    Duzzi , 28 May 2012 03:17
    i5 2500k would be unrivaled if it had pci 3.0 support, if it is an advantage at all, at least for now.
  • -1 Hide
    amstar , 31 May 2012 17:30
    Sorry but you folks at Tom's Hardware don't seem to have a clue in regards to recommending processors.

    The ONLY 3 CPUs worth mentioning should be:

    Celeron G530 (£32) -- BARELY 10% slower than the more expensive Pentiums, and yet you completely ignore it in favour of the useless Pentiums?

    Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition (£75) -- (if you REALLY want to tell me a crappy Pentium is going to go anywhere near an overclocked Phenom with full 4 cores then you're living in Intel's cuckoo land). The FX 4100 mention is worthless since the 965 will mop the floor with it and at a lower clockrate.

    Intel i5 2500K (£150) -- nothing above this processor is even worth mentioning besides the 3570K, and you proved yet again how clueless you were by even mentioning the 3930K and its "four channel memory subsystem", when it has a memory controller that's significantly slower than that of the 2500K, let alone the IMC of the new Ivy Bridge CPUs.

    Terrible review.