Best Gaming CPU for £60:
Athlon X4 750K
| Athlon X4 750K | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | Trinity |
| Process: | 32 nm |
| CPU Cores/Threads: | 2/4 |
| Clock Speed (Max. Turbo): | 3.4 GHz (4.0 GHz) |
| Socket: | FM2 |
| Cache: | 2 x 64 KB + 4 x 16 KB, 2 x 2 MB |
| Thermal Envelope: | 100 W |
At around £100, AMD's A10-5700 isn't a particularly compelling gaming processor. But imagine if it was £40 cheaper and included an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. That isn't a dream any longer. At last, the Athlon X4 750K is available. Selling for roughly £60, this is the cheapest enthusiast-friendly CPU you'll find. And while its lack of L3 cache hurts in games, we at least like knowing that its 100 W thermal ceiling isn't divided between x86 cores and graphics.
Read our review of the Trinity-based A series CPUs here.
Best Gaming CPU for £80:
AMD FX-4130
| AMD FX-4130 | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | Vishera |
| Process: | 32 nm |
| CPU Cores/Threads: | 4/4 |
| Clock Speed (Max. Turbo): | 3.8 (3.9) GHz |
| Socket: | AM3+ |
| Cache (L1, L2, L3) | 2 x 64 KB + 4 x 16 KB, 2 x 2 MB, 8 MB |
| Thermal Envelope: | 125 W |
At stock clock rates, AMD's FX-4130 is in the same league as the company's Phenom II X4 965 and not far behind the -3240. With that low-cost Phenom gone and the Core i3 more expensive, we're singling out the FX-4130 for folks who might want to consider a low-cost, multiplier-unlocked, gaming CPU built on the Piledriver architecture and armed with L3 cache, which the Athlon lacks.
Hey amd... how about trying to improve your 4-core processors and stop producing a zillion cpus with minor differences?