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Best Mid-Range Gaming Processors

Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: June 2013
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Best Gaming CPU for £85: None

Honourable Mention:
FX-4300

FX-4300
Codename: Vishera
Process: 32 nm
CPU Cores/Threads: 2/4
Clock Speed (Max. Turbo): 3.8 GHz (4.0 GHz)
Socket: AM3+
L2 Cache:   2 x 2 MB
L3 Cache: 8 MB
Thermal Envelope:
95 W

At stock clock rates, AMD's FX-4300 is able to keep up with the Phenom II X4 965 and just about reach the Core i3-3220. However, its TDP is 30 W lower than the Phenom, and an unlocked multiplier is an advantage over the Core i3. We're giving it an honourable mention for the few reasons folks might want to consider a low-cost CPU built on the Piledriver architecture.

Read our review of the Vishera-based FX CPUs here.

Best Gaming CPU for £95:

Core i3-3220

Core i3-3220
Codename: Ivy Bridge
Process: 22 nm
CPU Cores/Threads: 2/4
Clock Speed (Max. Turbo): 3.3 GHz
Socket: LGA 1155
L2 Cache:   2x 256 KB
L3 Cache: 3 MB
Thermal Envelope:
55 W

Intel's Ivy Bridge-based CPUs are very capable gaming processors, though we're increasingly seeing dual-core derivatives of the design lagging behind in our favorite titles. Conversely, benchmark data makes it clear that the company's Hyper-Threading technology is effective in helping improve the performance of a dual-core CPU in threaded games.

Although a locked multiplier limits overclocking to a few-megahertz bump in BCLK frequency, we still consider Intel's Core i3-3220 to be a good starting point for gamers who might upgrade to a faster LGA 1155-based processor in the future.

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

Best Gaming CPU for £140:
Core i5-3350P

Core i5-3350P
Codename: Ivy Bridge
Process: 22 nm
CPU Cores/Threads: 4
Clock Speed (Max. Turbo): 3.1 GHz (3.3 GHz)
Socket: LGA 1155
L2 Cache:   4 x 256 KB
L3 Cache: 6 MB
Thermal Envelope:
69 W

Intel's Sandy and Ivy Bridge-based Core i5 processors are well-known for their gaming prowess at reasonable prices, and the Core i5-3350P is a particularly interesting option at £140.

The P suffix is an indication that Intel disables its HD Graphics engine, but we're perfectly alright with such a decision. If you're buying a gaming processor, you're going to want discrete graphics anyway. Consequently, this CPU ducks in under 70 W.

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

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  • 0 Hide
    brianthesnail , 22 June 2013 20:55
    well it looks like AMD have taken intels crown away in the entry level processor market.... and although im a intel guy theres no doubt that the Athlon X4 750K is a class piece of kit for the price ... arm this with a £35 motherboard and you can have a quad core bundle for just over £100 that will run any game or program with ease ... I would have to recommend the 750K over the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition... its newer architecture and slightly lower price makes the 750k excellent value ... now weres my bank managers phone number !