Our editors evaluated 5 Cpu options against the criteria readers actually weigh up: price, real-world performance, build quality, warranty, and UK availability. Picks lean toward what we'd recommend to a friend buying today, not specs-on-paper winners.
Hands-on contextEditor notes from individual reviews, not press releases.
Live UK pricingRefreshed from Amazon UK twice daily.
No paid placementsAffiliate commission doesn't change what wins.
Finding the best AMD CPUs under £150 is genuinely one of the most rewarding exercises in PC building right now. AMD has packed a serious amount of performance into this price bracket, whether you are building a gaming rig on a tight budget, upgrading an ageing system, or putting together a compact home office machine. The options span two socket platforms, multiple generations of Zen architecture, and a range of use cases from pure gaming to GPU-free productivity. We have pulled together eight products, compared the specs, dug into real owner feedback, and been honest about where each chip falls short. Here is what you actually need to know.
If you have already committed to an Intel 12th, 13th, or 14th generation CPU on the LGA 1700 socket, the Thermalright CPU Contact Frame V2 is a genuinely clever accessory that costs almost nothing but can deliver measurable cooling improvements. This retrofit kit addresses a real problem: Intel's integrated heat spreader on Raptor Lake chips sits slightly recessed, which means standard coolers do not make perfect contact across the entire IHS surface. The result is higher temperatures and reduced thermal efficiency than the hardware is capable of.
The Contact Frame V2 is a precision-machined bracket that sits between your cooler's base plate and the CPU, effectively flattening out the contact area and eliminating the gap. Installation is straightforward: remove your cooler, slot the frame onto the CPU, and remount. No soldering, no permanent modifications, and no risk to your warranty. The anti-bending buckle design keeps everything stable and prevents the cooler from flexing under mounting pressure.
Real-world results speak for themselves. Users report temperature drops of 5 to 10 degrees Celsius depending on cooler type and mounting pressure, which translates to better sustained boost clocks and quieter fan operation. For anyone running a high-end air cooler or AIO liquid cooler on a Raptor Lake chip, this is a no-brainer upgrade. Even budget cooler owners see noticeable gains.
The only genuine limitation is compatibility: this is strictly for LGA 1700 Intel platforms. If you are on AM4 or AM5, it will not help you. Also, the improvement scales with cooler quality. Pairing this with a budget tower cooler will yield smaller gains than pairing it with a premium air cooler or 280mm AIO.
Pros
Measurable 5 to 10 degree temperature reduction
Improves performance of any LGA 1700 cooler
Reversible, no permanent modifications
Exceptionally affordable
Precision engineering, solid build quality
Works with air coolers and liquid coolers alike
Cons
LGA 1700 only, no compatibility with other sockets
Gains depend on cooler quality and mounting pressure
Requires cooler remounting, which takes 10 to 15 minutes
For anyone running an Intel 12th, 13th, or 14th gen CPU with a decent cooler, the Thermalright Contact Frame V2 is one of the best value thermal upgrades you can buy. At £12.90, it costs less than a coffee and delivers real cooling benefits that most users will notice immediately. If you are chasing lower temperatures or quieter operation without replacing your cooler, this is the move.
The Ryzen 5 7600 is a proper all-rounder. It combines a 5.1GHz max boost, 38MB of cache, and integrated Radeon graphics on the AM5 platform, all while staying within the best AMD CPUs under £150 bracket. That combination is genuinely rare at this price.
The integrated graphics are not going to replace a dedicated GPU for serious gaming, but they are useful. You can run a display, do basic productivity tasks, and even play older or less demanding titles without needing a discrete card. For a home office build or a system where the GPU comes later, that flexibility is worth real money.
Gaming performance with a discrete GPU is excellent. The 38MB cache is a significant step up from the 8400F and helps in cache-sensitive titles. Owners report smooth performance in modern games at 1080p and 1440p, with headroom to spare. The Wraith Stealth cooler keeps things manageable at stock, though enthusiasts will want to swap it out if they plan to push the chip.
It sits just above the 8400F in price, and whether that premium is worth it comes down to whether you value the higher cache and integrated graphics. For a well-rounded build that covers all bases, the 7600 is a very strong choice.
The Ryzen 3 3200G is old. Four cores, four threads, Zen+ architecture, and a 4.0GHz boost clock. By modern standards, this is a chip that has been well and truly surpassed. But it has one thing going for it: price. At under £70, it is the most affordable processor in this roundup, and the Radeon Vega 8 integrated graphics mean you do not need a discrete GPU to get a display output or run basic applications.
For a budget office PC, a kids' computer, or a basic media centre, the 3200G does the job. It handles web browsing, office software, video playback, and light photo editing without complaint. The Vega 8 iGPU can run older games and esports titles at low settings, which is a bonus for casual use.
The limitations are real, though. Four threads in 2026 is genuinely tight. Modern browsers, background tasks, and even some office applications can push a four-thread chip noticeably. Do not expect smooth gaming in anything released in the last few years. And the 6MB cache is tiny compared to everything else on this list.
If your budget is truly tight and you need something functional right now, the 3200G earns its place. For anything beyond basic use, save up and step to the 5600X or 8400F.
Pros
Very low price point
Radeon Vega 8 iGPU for basic display and light gaming
Cooler included
Functional for office and media tasks
Cons
Only four cores and four threads, tight in 2026
Zen+ architecture, well behind current chips
6MB cache is very limited
Not suitable for gaming beyond older or esports titles
The AMD Wraith Prism Cooler is not a CPU, obviously. But it earns a spot in this roundup for one specific reason: the Ryzen 5 9600X does not include a cooler, and if you are buying that chip, you need to budget for one. The Wraith Prism is AMD's own solution, and it is a step up from the Wraith Stealth that ships with most other chips on this list.
It features RGB lighting, a larger heatsink, and is rated for CPUs up to 95W TDP. For a 65W chip like the 9600X, it provides comfortable thermal headroom. Owners generally report good temperatures and appreciate the RGB integration with AMD's software ecosystem.
The honest take? At around £39, it is not the best value cooler on the market. Third-party options from Deepcool, Arctic, or be quiet! often outperform it thermally at similar or lower prices. But if you want to stay within the AMD ecosystem and keep things simple, it is a perfectly decent choice. Just do not assume it is automatically the best option because it carries the AMD badge.
Worth considering alongside the 9600X purchase, but shop around before committing.
Buying Guide: What to Look For in the Best AMD CPUs Under £150
Shopping for the best AMD CPUs under £150 involves a few decisions that are easy to get wrong if you are not across the basics. Here is what actually matters.
AM4 vs AM5: This is the biggest choice. AM4 is the older platform, but it is cheap and mature. Motherboards start from around £60, and the ecosystem is well understood. AM5 is newer, supports DDR5 memory, and has a longer upgrade path ahead of it. AM5 boards cost more, typically £80 to £120 for a decent B650 model. If you are building from scratch and plan to keep the platform for several years, AM5 is the smarter investment. If you already own an AM4 board, stick with it.
Core count and threads: All the six-core chips here offer twelve threads via simultaneous multithreading. That is the sweet spot for gaming and everyday productivity in 2026. The Ryzen 3 3200G with four cores and four threads is noticeably behind. Avoid four-thread chips unless your budget is genuinely constrained.
Cache matters more than you think: The difference between 11MB on the Ryzen 5 4500 and 35MB on the 5600X is not just a spec sheet number. Cache-sensitive games, which includes most modern titles, run noticeably better on chips with larger caches. The 5600X and 7600 both benefit from this in real-world gaming.
Integrated graphics: If you do not have a discrete GPU yet, or want a fallback, look at the Ryzen 5 7600, 9600X, or 8600G. The 8600G has the strongest iGPU by far. The F-series chips (8400F) have no iGPU at all, so you must have a discrete card.
Cooler included or not: Most chips here include the Wraith Stealth cooler. The 9600X does not. Factor in £20 to £35 for a cooler if you go that route. It is a small but real addition to your budget.
Our assessments draw on published benchmark data from reputable hardware sites, verified owner reviews from Amazon UK, and hands-on experience with AMD's Ryzen platform across multiple generations. We cross-reference spec sheets against real-world reported performance, check for common owner complaints, and weigh value against the specific use case of building a capable PC for under £150. Pricing is checked at time of writing and will fluctuate, so always verify current costs before buying.
Best Overall
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
The gold standard for AM4 budget gaming. Strong single-core performance, 35MB cache, cooler included, and a mature platform that keeps total build costs low.
The most affordable way onto AM5. Zen 4 architecture, a cooler in the box, and a future-proof platform at a price that finally makes sense for budget builders.
After working through all eight options, the best AMD CPUs under £150 come down to two clear winners depending on your situation. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is the best overall pick for anyone on AM4 or building a cost-effective gaming PC right now. It delivers genuine gaming performance, a generous cache, and a cooler in the box, all on a platform where motherboards are cheap and plentiful. If you are stepping onto AM5 for the first time and want to keep costs sensible, the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is the smarter long-term investment, bringing Zen 4 architecture and a future upgrade path at a price that does not sting. For GPU-free builds, the Ryzen 5 8600G is worth the slight premium. And if you are on an absolute shoestring, the Ryzen 3 3200G keeps the lights on without breaking the bank. Whatever your starting point, there is a genuinely good AMD processor available for under £150 in 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Only the Ryzen 5 5600GT and Ryzen 5 7600 include integrated graphics sufficient for office work and light gaming without discrete GPUs. The 3600, 4500, 5600X, and 8400F lack integrated graphics entirely and require separate graphics card purchases. The 7600 provides the strongest integrated performance of the two options.
The Ryzen 5 7600 delivers the best gaming performance thanks to its latest Zen 4 architecture and 5.1 GHz boost clock. The Ryzen 5 5600X comes second with strong gaming capabilities and proven platform maturity. Both require discrete GPUs for optimal modern gaming performance.
AM4 is the older socket used by Ryzen 3000-7000 series, facing end-of-life after the 7000 generation. AM5 is the newer socket supporting Ryzen 8000 series and future processors, offering a longer upgrade path. AM5 typically requires more expensive motherboards and DDR5 RAM, increasing platform costs.
The Ryzen 5 5600GT has an exceptionally low 35W TDP, making it the most power-efficient option in this comparison. This enables passive cooling solutions and dramatically reduces electricity costs. All other processors in this guide have 65W TDP ratings.
Newer processors like the 5600X and 7600 offer better gaming performance and longer software support, justifying their cost for most buyers. However, the Ryzen 5 3600 remains viable if you prioritise budget and plan modest gaming at 1440p. The 5600GT offers excellent value if you need integrated graphics to avoid GPU costs.
