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Best Mid-Range Gaming Processors

Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: December 2013
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Best Gaming CPU for £90:

Core i3-4130

Core i3-4130
Codename: Haswell
Process: 22 nm
CPU Cores/Threads: 2/4
Clock Speed (Max. Turbo): 3.4 GHz
Socket: LGA 1150
Integrated GPU:
HD Graphics 4400 (350 MHz, 1.15 GHz Turbo)
Cache:  2 x 64 KB, 2 x 256 KB, 3 MB
Thermal Envelope:
54 W

Intel's Haswell-based CPUs are very capable in games, though we're increasingly seeing dual-core Pentiums 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 Core i3 CPUs in those same blockbusters. Although a locked multiplier limits overclocking to a few-megahertz bump in BCLK frequency, we still consider Intel's Core i3-4130 to be a good starting point for gamers who might upgrade to a faster LGA 1150-based processor in the future.

Read our review of the Haswell-based CPUs here.

Best Gaming CPU for £130:

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 £130.

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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  • 2 Hide
    MajinCry , 27 December 2013 11:49
    The 750K is a brilliant deal at that price point.

    Now, if only we could bypass Intel's compiler...
  • 1 Hide
    GalaxyMaster , 27 December 2013 21:57
    What about the AMD FX-8350? It costs only £20 more than the Intel Core i5-3350P, and performs better when using all cores, and only a little bit worse when using a single thread, and can over-clock really well. £20 for over-clocking is already a good deal, and it also has just better performance. So why isn't it on this list???
  • 0 Hide
    MajinCry , 27 December 2013 22:13
    Probably because Tom's gets a nice lil' commision for promoting Intel?

    Intel's done that sort of thing for a long time with most OEMs, such as Dell and Acer.
  • 1 Hide
    Nefos , 28 December 2013 12:59
    I am seriously missing Fx 8320 here
    £107 with Far Cry Blood Dragon, i5 performance, easy OC to 8350 level, loads of great motherboards at low price point
  • 0 Hide
    brianthesnail , 2 January 2014 15:29
    ive been using intel cpu,s since the days of the Pentium 3,however when I can get a quad core processor for under £60 I think its time to re evaluate my allegiances
    throw in a sub £50 FM2 mobo and my existing 8gb ddr3 ram and im looking at a quad core bundle for a whisper over £100..... ( currently using a Pentium G620 ) ....
    at the end of the day ( and with money tight ) it makes more sense buying the Athlon X4 750K and then overclocking it to 4.2ghz... that said with a 4ghz turbo clock I don't think I will need to ....
  • 0 Hide
    Davidest , 15 January 2014 17:39
    If you are going for a very high power CPU looking also for some overclock definitely go with the Intel Core i7-4770K. It costs around 300/320 $.
    Something a little bit cheaper but still very powerful is AMD FX-8350 Eight-Core for around 200 $.