Intel Budget Gaming PC Build: CPU
While all of the components we are selecting here today are what we would go with, and priced from vendors we trust, it is always a good idea to shop around as deals on these, or other good options, pop up from other reliable vendors all the time. With that said, let’s dive right into the first order of business.
CPU
Intel Core i3-10100 $122.00 ($124.99)
60 FPS
- Great Value In Intel Gaming Performance In This Segment
- Now With HyperThreading! (It Is 2002 All Over Again!)
- 3.6GHz Base Clock
- 4.3GHz Max Turbo
- Included HSF
30 FPS
- 4 Core/8 Thread Product, If That Matters For Other Things You Do
- Going To Require A New Motherboard Socket, Again
CPU Alternate
Intel Core i5-10400 $182.00 ($176.99)
60 FPS
- Same Max Turbo As i3-10100
- 2 More Cores And 4 More Threads Than i3-10100
- Included HSF
- Integrated Graphics
30 FPS
- 6 Core/12 Thread Product, If That Matters For Other Things You Do
- 2.9GHz Base Clock
- Integrated Graphics
- Going To Require A New Motherboard Socket, Again
Today’s number one pick for a processor in this range is the Core i3-10100. Being an i3 this will probably get some people’s attention as a bad buy, however, this is not a simple rehash of previous chips. Today, we are getting HyperThreading enabled in this i3. So, while we are looking at a 4 core product, we get 8 threads for once. We also see a healthy boost in our Base Clock and Max Turbo clocks. That means we are getting a decently powerful chip at a price point that will allow us to grab a discrete GPU. Pair those together and it will outperform the available Intel integrated graphics options that would also fit in this budget range. Plus, we can always upgrade the CPU, or GPU, later if we suddenly stumble into some money while still having good performance today. So, the Core i3-10100 is probably the “it” chip in this price range/product range from Intel.
For those looking to shave some cost of their system, Intel does offer integrated graphics options on a number of their chips. While these products are roundly outclassed by AMD’s APU offerings, they do provide at least rudimentary gaming opportunities at lower resolutions/settings and then, later on, you can add a discrete GPU to really boost performance. So, we are selecting the Core i5-10400. While you actually end up losing a bit on the base clock versus the i3-10100 the Max Turbo speeds are the same. Plus, we gain 2 cores and 4 threads as well. On top of that, this chip features Intel UHD 630 Graphics. So, while not the highest end product in any one aspect this is a decent option to start a Budget Gaming PC Build that you plan to upgrade later.