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[Shadowstar39]

I can't decide on what to pick. Some interesting deals right now. The talk in here is always about high end. There are those of us that don't need it.
This discussion is about mid range/budget cpus.

Here is what I see on sale now:​

Intel Core i5-13400 - $139 (has integrated gpu)​

Core i5-14400F - $130​

​

AMD Ryzen 7 5700X - 150​

AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT -149 (not sure what the "t" is in xt)​

I honestly don't know what the difference between the models. They seem so close in specs, from what I see, just different release years.
I know there are cheaper prices, I just don't want to buy online unless its from the a legit store (shipped from Amzon/newegg) Too many resellers and bad return policies.
I am trying to keep budget for cpu under $150.

What is the better deal, is there something under $150 even better? Why go intel or AMD and not the other?

What would you suggest, from a non biased perspective of under $150 for cpu.
Also would like lower power consumption and nothing that heats up the place too much, as my RTX card does that quite enough as it is.

--------------------------------------------
Backstory:
I play strategy, city builders and some older games, oh and on 1080p, I don't need top of the line and always limiting my fps to 60fps for heat reasons. PC heats up my office too much.

I have an eVGA 3060ti , a 700w eVGA psu, 2 sticks of 8gb 3600 ram, that I would like to bring over.

Unfortunately, I can't just replace my aging Ryzen 3600. It is stuck in the socket.
My 2020 build was my first build in 8 years and I came from intel world. I didn't realize that the arm wasn't all the way up. Plopped my cpu in the socket and pushed the arm down only to realize it was floppy and loose.
The cpu socket arm basically swings and now does nothing. The cpu is stuck in my mobo. Pulling does nothing its in there tight. Probably ben pins?

Since 2020 i have had random bsods. All parts tested and swapped but mobo and cpu. It's all irq less than zero that dumps all point to the cpu.
Which apparently there was an issue with early Zen 2 3600s that cause issues.
Basically it crashes on idle, and if I don't shutdown. If it comes back from sleep it will crash within an hour or two. It runs fine during games. Just not when browsing the net. Such a weird issue.

Anyway I am sick of the issues and concerned about tariffs driving up prices so figured I'd buy now.

I am a bit hesitant on AMD due to my issues, but at the same time Intel is still on an older platform and wasn't there a heat issue? Don't know which cpus to stay away from.

​

 

[Mithos]

AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT -149 (not sure what the "t" is in xt)

100Mhz more boost clock over the 5800X.

 

[proandrad]

You would need to buy a new motherboard to use the intel chip.

Edit: didn’t see you mentioned it was stuck in the slot. Maybe you can find a mobo combo deal. Do you have a micro center nearby?

 

[delirium trigger]

Best bet is probably to keep an eye out on cpu/motherboard/ram combo deals. You can get some really good deals.

 

[winjer]

A better idea would be to get a Ryzen 7600 and an AM5 motherboard.
This would get you a platform that supports at least up to Zen6 CPUs.
So a couple of years from now, you could buy a new Zen6 CPU or even a used 9800X3D for cheap.
Yes, you would have to spend a bit more on the CPU and DDR5, but you would get a future proof planform that could last you many more years and save you more money on the long run.

 

[poppabk]

I can say that my 5800x is still going strong. Feel no need to upgrade any time soon.

 

[hinch7]

If budget allows I'd perhaps look at AM5 for longevity. It will last another few years at least with Zen 6 releasing on there. I wouldn't get either AM4 or 13th/14thgen Intel if building fresh. At most you'd be saving a little for RAM and a bit pricier B650 board, at the expense of killing any upgrade path.

So yeah for CPU, 7500F on AliExpress for $120. But you'd need to add an AM5 motherboard and DDR5 to that as well.

 

[Shadowstar39]

I can say that my 5800x is still going strong. Feel no need to upgrade any time soon.

Wondering about this option. What mobo did you pair that with. Going from a 6 core I zen 2 I would hope to see some improvement.

 

[YCoCg]

I'd honestly say spring for an AM5 and you'll be set for a long time.*


*Well at least a couple of years ahead upgrade path wise for the CPU.

 

[Shadowstar39]

Is that Intel batch that was having issues a year ago for 13 and 14th Gen fixed? How safe are they? Do they generate more heat?

Are the 5000 series ryzen stable? My work laptop Lenovo p15 gen2 with i7 is way more stable than any home cpu I've ever had. Thing can be on for weeks with 3 browsers 40 plus tabs, multiple rdp boxes, access, excel, etc... And not a single crash. I'd love that stability for home and have great gaming performance.

 

[Shadowstar39]

I'd honestly say spring for an AM5 and you'll be set for a long time.*


*Well at least a couple of years ahead upgrade path wise for the CPU.

Honestly just looking for stability with a bit of a bump in performance. I would be fine with my ryzen 5 3600 for another 5 years if it didn't bsod daily. It works fine in games, but that's not all I use a pc for.

 

[Paulistano]

I would get the Intel CPU in this situation if these are your choices because both Intel processors you listed have better single core and latency.

Intel Core i5-13400F Review - Force of Efficiency

The Intel Core i5-13400F is only $200, but comes with six Performance Cores and four E-Cores, bringing the total thread count to 16. Performance is good, as expected, but what's even more impressive is the energy efficiency as confirmed by the detailed testing in our review.

www.techpowerup.com

 

[nowhat]

AMD? Intel? On a budget build? Bah!

 

[MayauMiao]

I'm looking to upgrade this year on a budget too. I fear the Intel oxidation issues but I heard AMD is less "snappy" when it comes to running Windows?

 

[drotahorror]

I never upgrade I always just rebuild. I had all my other parts as I've been buying over the years.

Just got a 14600k and a Z790 + cooler for around $400 after tax and couldn't be happier. Everything is much cooler, performance is A LOT better (6700k previous). Just need a new GPU. Can finally play RPCS3 Motorstorm PR 60fps full grid of CPU players. Used to be solo, time trial, 30fps with lots of compilation stuters (none at all really on new PC). CPU doesn't break a sweat in any newer games. Zero issues whatsoever.

I'll build another new PC in like 5 years this time probably. Wore that 6700k out.

 

[Doggyred]

Just get a console. Pc gaming isn't for poor people

 

[MayauMiao]

Just get a console. Pc gaming isn't for poor people

Can you just stfu with pc vs console nonsense?

 

[poppabk]

Wondering about this option. What mobo did you pair that with. Going from a 6 core I zen 2 I would hope to see some improvement.

I have some base model mobo, which I wouldn't reccomend just because it lacks Bluetooth (and wifi but I dont need that). Other than that it seems fine though, but I would have to search up what it is.

 

[ReasonBeing]

Just get a console. Pc gaming isn't for poor people

So you recommend they surf the internet on a console?

 

[Bojji]

So you recommend they surf the internet on a console?

PS5 doesn't even have any browser.

 

[Kings Field]

get a PS5 pro and set yourself free from coke bottle glasses and virginity.

 

[flying_sq]

I understand that you want to get out of your current mobo, but have you tried potentially baking your mobo with the cpu in it? The heat might loosen stuff up and you can get it out. Save you a fair bit.

 

[Shadowstar39]

I never upgrade I always just rebuild. I had all my other parts as I've been buying over the years.

Just got a 14600k and a Z790 + cooler for around $400 after tax and couldn't be happier. Everything is much cooler, performance is A LOT better (6700k previous). Just need a new GPU. Can finally play RPCS3 Motorstorm PR 60fps full grid of CPU players. Used to be solo, time trial, 30fps with lots of compilation stuters (none at all really on new PC). CPU doesn't break a sweat in any newer games. Zero issues whatsoever.

I'll build another new PC in like 5 years this time probably. Wore that 6700k out.

How is the Intel 14 series cpu? Wasn't there an issue with them? How is it on heat and power consumption? Does the cpu get too hot? I'm looking for stability with a bump in performance. A 14400f seems to be reasonable at $139, or a ryzen 5800xt or 5700x for a bit more.

 

[VolticArchangel]

So, you need just the CPU and a motherboard.

When you say "it's on sale right now" where or which online (or offline physical) store do you mean? It would be better for us to link you the parts with your prices than random online ones.

 

[Mownoc]

If you are going AMD AM5 just don't get an ASRock motherboard. I thought only high end CPUs were burning but my friend built a pc with a 9600x and one of the ASrock B650 motherboards and 1 month later his CPU got fried.

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

I honestly envy you for the 1080p target. You can build awesome PCs for amazing prices with that goal.

 

[Gameplay Gods Bless]

I can't decide on what to pick. Some interesting deals right now. The talk in here is always about high end. There are those of us that don't need it.
This discussion is about mid range/budget cpus.

Here is what I see on sale now:​

Intel Core i5-13400 - $139 (has integrated gpu)​

Core i5-14400F - $130​

​

AMD Ryzen 7 5700X - 150​

AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT -149 (not sure what the "t" is in xt)​

I honestly don't know what the difference between the models. They seem so close in specs, from what I see, just different release years.
I know there are cheaper prices, I just don't want to buy online unless its from the a legit store (shipped from Amzon/newegg) Too many resellers and bad return policies.
I am trying to keep budget for cpu under $150.

What is the better deal, is there something under $150 even better? Why go intel or AMD and not the other?

What would you suggest, from a non biased perspective of under $150 for cpu.
Also would like lower power consumption and nothing that heats up the place too much, as my RTX card does that quite enough as it is.

--------------------------------------------
Backstory:
I play strategy, city builders and some older games, oh and on 1080p, I don't need top of the line and always limiting my fps to 60fps for heat reasons. PC heats up my office too much.

I have an eVGA 3060ti , a 700w eVGA psu, 2 sticks of 8gb 3600 ram, that I would like to bring over.

Unfortunately, I can't just replace my aging Ryzen 3600. It is stuck in the socket.
My 2020 build was my first build in 8 years and I came from intel world. I didn't realize that the arm wasn't all the way up. Plopped my cpu in the socket and pushed the arm down only to realize it was floppy and loose.
The cpu socket arm basically swings and now does nothing. The cpu is stuck in my mobo. Pulling does nothing its in there tight. Probably ben pins?

Since 2020 i have had random bsods. All parts tested and swapped but mobo and cpu. It's all irq less than zero that dumps all point to the cpu.
Which apparently there was an issue with early Zen 2 3600s that cause issues.
Basically it crashes on idle, and if I don't shutdown. If it comes back from sleep it will crash within an hour or two. It runs fine during games. Just not when browsing the net. Such a weird issue.

Anyway I am sick of the issues and concerned about tariffs driving up prices so figured I'd buy now.

I am a bit hesitant on AMD due to my issues, but at the same time Intel is still on an older platform and wasn't there a heat issue? Don't know which cpus to stay away from.

​

In my opinion you should get a cheaper AM5 board, I don't think it's worth further investing in AM4 in 2025. AM5 has gotten very affordable as has DDR5. Get an AM5 board that suits your needs, chuck w.e DDR5 ram you can afford and throw in a Ryzen 7600, 7500 or maybe even one of those APUs (8000 series). Here's PCPartPicker set up so it only shows AM5 CPUs, some go for slightly below $150 and they're all Zen 4 or Zen 5. Pick what works for you.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/cpu/#k=41&sort=price&page=1

 

[Black_Stride]

Intel xx400 will do you good and you can even put DDR5 with them for a future upgrade to like a 14700K down the line.



<---Uses a 12400 that still hasnt given up on life.

In my opinion you should get a cheaper AM5 board, I don't think it's worth further investing in AM4 in 2025. AM5 has gotten very affordable as has DDR5. Get an AM5 board that suits your needs, chuck w.e DDR5 ram you can afford and throw in a Ryzen 7600, 7500 or maybe even one of those APUs (8000 series). Here's PCPartPicker set up so it only shows AM5 CPUs, some go for slightly below $150 and they're all Zen 4 or Zen 5. Pick what works for you.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/cpu/#k=41&sort=price&page=1

The 8xxx APUs are PCIE limited.
They are actually slower than 5000 CPUs.
The lowest AMD CPU worth anything is the 7600 non-X.
The xx400 can be had for little over 100 dollars these days......the 7600 is like 200 dollars.

 

[Shadowstar39]

Intel xx400 will do you good and you can even put DDR5 with them for a future upgrade to like a 14700K down the line.



<---Uses a 12400 that still hasnt given up on life.




The 8xxx APUs are PCIE limited.
They are actually slower than 5000 CPUs.
The lowest AMD CPU worth anything is the 7600 non-X.
The xx400 can be had for little over 100 dollars these days......the 7600 is like 200 dollars.

That's the thing am5 still cost over $200 for a cpu. Too much for a 6 core cpu, imo (my 3600 was around 120 when I got it in 2020).

Is there a concern with Intel and the microcode damage or is that an older chip? Is the 14400f just as good as the 13400 and 12400, but faster? Do they generate too much heat and power draw?

Ryzen 5700x is older but has 8 and 16 threads better for rendering and streaming but Intel better for games due to single core performance. I'm concerned about heat and stability. I'm leaning towards 14400f if it's safe.

 

[winjer]

That's the thing am5 still cost over $200 for a cpu. Too much for a 6 core cpu, imo (my 3600 was around 120 when I got it in 2020).

Is there a concern with Intel and the microcode damage or is that an older chip? Is the 14400f just as good as the 13400 and 12400, but faster? Do they generate too much heat and power draw?

Ryzen 5700x is older but has 8 and 16 threads better for rendering and streaming but Intel better for games due to single core performance. I'm concerned about heat and stability. I'm leaning towards 14400f if it's safe.

But the 7600 will be much faster than the 3600. Probably 50% faster on average, but more in several games.
And it leaves you with a platform that is still alive, unlike AM4 and LGA1700. So it's future proof and will be much easier to upgrade.

 

[Loomy]

If you can look at Intel's output over the last 3 years, and what they have in the pipeline, and think to yourself "Cool, seems exciting" Go with Intel. Otherwise, buy an AM5 CPU.

 

[drotahorror]

How is the Intel 14 series cpu? Wasn't there an issue with them? How is it on heat and power consumption? Does the cpu get too hot? I'm looking for stability with a bump in performance. A 14400f seems to be reasonable at $139, or a ryzen 5800xt or 5700x for a bit more.

If you would like me to run some sort of tests, let me know. I do know that intel CPU's idle much lower, power wise, than AMD. Insanely efficient in lower power states. I leave my PC on 24/7 so I think this is nice.

When playing AC Shadows and Indiana Jones, cpu is at like 50c average. Those will not tax it at all though I would have to check more CPU intensive games for that. New build is much more cooler too, it's absurd.

AFAIK, 14700k and 14900k had some bad batches when first released / possibly half way through life cycle. 14600k could have been affected but nothing reported. 14400f is totally fine.

I almost went with AMD, 9700X. But 14600k was better for gaming in most tests and $100 cheaper.

 

[DirtInUrEye]

Intel still isn't a real player, so AMD.

Oh sorry, I thought OP was just asking about the GPU market.

 

[Insane Metal]

If you plan on upgrading in the next few years, AMD. If not, whatever is cheaper. The 14400F is around the 7600X in performance.

 

[lachesis]

Bite the bullet and go for a AM5 board (B650) + AM5 chip with Ryzen 5 7600. (not X) - It comes with cpu cooler, and you can save money on that one.

I wouldn't go with AM4 at this point nor last gen Intel path. They are both dead platform now.

 

[Black_Stride]

That's the thing am5 still cost over $200 for a cpu. Too much for a 6 core cpu, imo (my 3600 was around 120 when I got it in 2020).

Is there a concern with Intel and the microcode damage or is that an older chip? Is the 14400f just as good as the 13400 and 12400, but faster? Do they generate too much heat and power draw?

Ryzen 5700x is older but has 8 and 16 threads better for rendering and streaming but Intel better for games due to single core performance. I'm concerned about heat and stability. I'm leaning towards 14400f if it's safe.

The xx100/400/500/600 are not affected.

The 13 and 14400 have e-cores if you are into multitasking like streaming while gaming then get the 13/14400.

Its unfortunate the 14500 was so rare cuz it would be a perfect budget CPU.
But scarcity meant it actually got pretty expensive.

But the 7600 will be much faster than the 3600. Probably 50% faster on average, but more in several games.
And it leaves you with a platform that is still alive, unlike AM4 and LGA1700. So it's future proof and will be much easier to upgrade.

By the time the user "needs" to upgrade LGA1700.....youll likely be doing a full system rebuild anyway, so the future proof issue isnt really saying much.

Intel still isn't a real player, so AMD.

AMD has no budget AM5 builds.
The 7600 is the cheapest you can realistically get but that almost twice the price of a xx400 CPU.

And even in the GPU market the B580 is actually a monster of a budget GPU.
Cant wait to see the B770.

 

[Von Hugh]

14600K(F) is probably the best bang for buck CPU right now. In many scenarios it even beats 9700X even though it's essentially a direct competitor to 9600X. If you go for AM5, you are definitely paying extra for the possible upgrade path. But if you want value right now, there's no other than 14600KF.

 

[winjer]

By the time the user "needs" to upgrade LGA1700.....youll likely be doing a full system rebuild anyway, so the future proof issue isnt really saying much.

LGA1700 is already a dead platform. Meanwhile, AM5 is at it's mid point of life.
For gaming, the undisputed champion, by a big margin, is the 9800X3D. And Zen6 X3D will only manage to increase that lead over any 14th gen CPU.
So any user today with AM5 platform has a guaranteed CPU upgrade path for the future.
So he can buy a 7600, which is still a great performer in modern games, and a few years from now upgrade to a new Zen6 CPU, without having to replace motherboard or memory.
This is a huge advantage, that can allow him to have top performance for many years.
Recommending a cheap LGA1700 CPU today, might save him 50$. But an AM5 platform will save him a lot more in the future.
Not to mention that Zen4, Zen5 or Zen6 CPUs are more power efficient than any Intel 13 and 14th gen. So he will also save money by not using more power while gaming and/or working.

 

[YCoCg]

Honestly just looking for stability with a bit of a bump in performance. I would be fine with my ryzen 5 3600 for another 5 years if it didn't bsod daily. It works fine in games, but that's not all I use a pc for.

Funny enough Linus might have you covered then in this video