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I’ve been putting together gaming PCs for over a decade, and most of my builds feature an Intel i5 CPU. Don’t get me wrong, popping a cutting edge chip into your rig comes with benefits, but it's far from being a necessity when it comes to running games. With that in mind, I want to share with you this Intel Core i5-12400F deal, as it’s both my current favorite processor and available for under $150 right now.
Over at Amazon, you can grab the Intel Core i5-12400F for $149.99, thanks to a nifty 27% discount. You can also save an additional $7 using an on-page coupon, so you’ll actually be able to grab the 12th gen gaming CPU for $142.99. For the money, you’ll get a six-core processor with clocks speeds up to 4.4Ghz, and I can say first hand that it pairs nicely with even the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 without much bottlenecking. Not that you’ll be forking out for the flagship graphics card if you’re building a gaming PC on a budget, but it’s definitely a processor that can rise to the challenge.
Just so we’re clear, I’m not saying you should necessarily buy this i5 CPU over newer options, especially if you have the spare cash. The chip featured in my friend and colleague Duncan’s 13th Gen Intel i5-13600K review will provide you with better specs and performance, but it does come in at $329. So, if you’re looking to keep costs super low without compromising gaming performance, it’s worth considering the ever slightly older 12th gen chip instead. It even comes with a stock cooler, something that’ll save you spending extra pennies.
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No matter what chip you decide to go for, I still think it’s worth questioning whether you need an i7 or i9 in your gaming PC. I’ve been using the Intel Core i5-12400F since its 2022 debut, and I’ve yet to encounter any issues relating to bottlenecking. I even managed to avoid any performance hiccups when reviewing the RTX 4090, which is a testament to the fact that many new games aren’t particularly CPU bound. If we're being sensible about pairing parts, it'd be wiser to use this chip with an Nvidia RTX 4060, but there's nothing stopping you opting for a beefier card.
I’m sure some of you out there will have a different opinion on the matter, especially if you care about marginal frame rate differences, but if I was building a PC for a friend, I’d go with the cheap i5 chip over most options out there. I’ll be testing the Intel i9-13900 soon, and I’ll be looking closely at whether it actually offers a substantial gaming performance hike over and above the i5-12400F, as it’s still the chip I use every day.
Prefer leaving the building to the experts? Check out our best Alienware gaming PC picks for a selection of Aurora rigs. Alternatively, take a look at the best gaming laptop options and take your Steam library on the go.
