It’s been eight years since AMD launched its first-gen Ryzen processors and it’s unbelievable how far we’ve come. But whereas AMD may be the king of gaming CPUs now, you shouldn’t dismiss Intel simply but.
Sure, Intel’s place in desktop CPUs feels tenuous towards AMD. Indeed, it’s been a number of generations since I used to be genuinely excited for one thing Intel was placing out. But as we shut out 2025, that’s beginning to really feel unfair—not as a result of Intel has by some means made its prime chips into gaming powerhouses once more, or as a result of its E-core-dominated chips have been fine-wined into aggressive choices, however as a result of Intel’s worth proposition has grown fairly sturdy through the years.
Today, in case you’re constructing a price range PC, I’d argue that Intel represents the very best worth choice. That’s very true in case you’re trying to sit out the subsequent few years of AI-induced mania that’s sweeping PC elements and varied different industries together with it. Prices for reminiscence, storage, graphics playing cards, and the whole lot else are going to be quite unstable for the foreseeable future. Grabbing an inexpensive Intel choice when you can may be your greatest wager, even when simply to tide you over for now.
Older Intel choices will be had for affordable
I do know Intel’s 13th and 14th generations didn’t actually impress once they debuted. The former was only a revamped, slightly overclocked 12th generation whereas the latter simply appeared to suck up so much power and pump out so much heat that it’s superb we didn’t have melting energy cables for CPUs on the time.
But a number of years on from the scandals and semi-hyperbolic information protection, we’re now seeing a terrific inventory of those previous chips—and which means their costs are aggressive with fashionable entry-level alternate options. For instance, take into account the Intel Core i3-14100F. It’s absolutely the discount basement of its era and a mere quad-core CPU, which looks as if one thing a caveman would’ve gamed on… but it surely performs many video games simply high-quality when paired with an affordable RTX XX60 GPU, and you will get it for beneath $100 at websites like Newegg and Provantage.
Intel
The solely true draw back to this chip is that it wants a graphics card to go together with it, in any other case it could be an superior choice for constructing out a price range machine for the youngsters’ homework. In truth, you probably have an previous GPU mendacity round that you should utilize to simply get it up and operating, that is in regards to the least expensive fashionable CPU you should purchase.
Don’t care about energy effectivity or improve potential? The Intel Core i5-14600Ok is about $300 however drops all the way down to beneath $200 on sale at websites like Walmart and Best Buy—and that places it in the identical vary because the AMD Ryzen 9600X and Intel Core Ultra 5 245Ok, that are each worse for gaming (although the latter wins for skilled workloads).
Arrow Lake isn’t solely ineffective
Arrow Lake was one of the most underwhelming CPU launches I’ve ever skilled dwell. Worse gaming efficiency and largely simply enhancements in efficiency per watt? Cool… But it’s unfair to malign the complete era as, as soon as once more, with a while having handed, the worth choices have risen to the highest.
Forget the highest fashions with their sky-high costs (and spectacular skilled capabilities). We need those that truly provide good gaming worth for the cash…
Intel
Right now, that’s the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF. This 20-core CPU has had its value slashed repeatedly over the previous yr and recurrently retails for beneath $280. On sale, you possibly can seize it for a mere $250 at websites like Newegg and Walmart, undercutting the Ryzen 9700X and even the 7700X. With the most recent Intel 200S overclocking profiles utilized, the 265KF is a gaming match for these AMD alternate options, plus it’s a lot sooner for skilled workloads.
Note: One caveat is that it’s important to pair the 265KF with a graphics card, whereas these AMD choices ship with a couple of primary graphics cores on board so you possibly can run them and not using a devoted GPU.
Although there isn’t an enormous improve path with Intel’s Arrow Lake, there are refresh choices coming down the pipe and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285Ok continues to be the quickest of the bunch for now. If you think about you’ll be upgrading once more in a yr or two, a sooner model of what you may have may simply be what you want (as an alternative of a full system overhaul).
Intel affords higher reminiscence assist
With memory becoming ever more expensive, it helps to have choices—and also you get these choices with Intel CPUs. Firstly, older 13th- and 14th-generation chips can benefit from both DDR4 or DDR5 relying on the motherboard they’re paired with. Although neither are precisely low cost proper now, you may discover it simpler to select up some second-hand DDR4 sticks to package out a brand new 14th-generation construct.
Micron
Additionally, Intel’s newest CPUs assist far sooner reminiscence than AMD’s newest chips, together with the newer CUDIMM standard. These are loopy costly, thoughts you, so it would really feel prefer it’s undermining our worth argument right here… however with Intel’s Arrow Lake chips, you possibly can run 8,000MHz+ reminiscence with no issues and profit from the total bandwidth with out messing with AMD’s sophisticated infinity material clock tie-ins and irritating CUDIMM “bypass mode.”
In quick, in case your workloads require loopy quick reminiscence, simply know that Intel can deal with it in ways in which AMD can’t.
Intel’s vacation bundles are not any joke
Intel’s present standing as the worth king is a well timed one, so I apologize in case you’re coming to this a couple of months later and possibly it’s not related. But in case you’re out there for a brand new PC proper now—or a brand new CPU to your PC—then additionally know this: Intel’s choices can get you a ton of free software program and video games alongside along with your buy.
Intel
Intel is at present operating a number of bundle schemes:
- If you purchase your CPU (or a qualifying Intel laptop computer) earlier than this holiday offer ends, you possibly can take benefit and declare a free recreation of your selection between Battlefield 6, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Civilization VII, and Dying Light: The Beast.
- Buy a choose laptop computer from MSI or Newegg and get Battlefield 6 Phantom Edition or Assassin’s Creed Shadows Deluxe Edition included along with your buy without cost.
- You additionally get free DLC for Marvel Rivals and a number of other free months of Xsplit Broadcaster, Magix Vegas Pro Edit 365, and Canvid.
- Buy a qualifying Z890 or B860 motherboard to get a duplicate of Star Wars Outlaws Gold Edition, itself value over $100.
Intel can be operating numerous giveaways within the lead as much as the vacations for qualifying purchases. They’re value testing. There’s even free AI Playground access for any Intel system operating Arc graphics (both onboard or by way of Intel’s devoted GPUs).
Intel is the CPU worth king proper now
If you need the very best gaming CPU on this planet and have the cash to pay for it, there’s nonetheless no beating AMD’s Ryzen X3D choices. Ryzen 7000 and 9000 CPUs additionally provide higher improve paths for the long run, with a minimum of yet one more era to be supported by the AM5 socket.
But in order for you a terrific worth CPU proper now, and in case you’re going to sit down out and watch as the entire AI bubble collapses and the world rebuilds itself afterwards, then grabbing an Intel CPU is a simple advice—particularly in case you can benefit from the Intel vacation bundles.
Further studying: Tips for buying AMD and Intel CPUs for gaming