Best Overall Value
Price: £120.76 | Rating: ★★★★½ (4.6)
Here's the thing: when you're hunting the best CPUs for gaming under £150, the Ryzen 5 7600 is the one that keeps coming out on top. It sits on AMD's AM5 platform, which means DDR5 support and a genuine upgrade path for years to come. That matters. You're not just buying a chip today, you're buying into a platform that won't be a dead end in 18 months.
The headline numbers are strong. Six cores, 12 threads, 38MB of combined cache, and a max boost of 5.1GHz. For 1080p gaming, that cache figure is particularly important. Games like Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, and Call of Duty are increasingly sensitive to L3 cache size, and the 7600's 32MB L3 (plus 6MB L2) keeps frame times tight and consistent. Real-world gaming performance sits comfortably above the older AM4 chips in this roundup, and it trades blows with processors that cost significantly more.
The Wraith Stealth cooler is included, which is fine for stock operation. If you plan to push the chip harder, a budget aftermarket cooler is worth considering. Power draw is sensible at 65W TDP, so you won't need a massive PSU either. The integrated Radeon graphics are a nice bonus for troubleshooting, though you'll want a dedicated GPU for actual gaming.
One honest caveat: AM5 motherboards and DDR5 RAM do cost more than AM4 equivalents. If your total build budget is very tight, factor that in. But if you can swing it, the 7600 is the smartest gaming CPU you can buy in this price bracket right now.
Pros
- Best gaming performance in this roundup
- AM5 platform with long upgrade path
- 38MB cache keeps frame times smooth
- Wraith Stealth cooler included
- Integrated graphics for display output
Cons
- AM5 boards and DDR5 RAM add to total build cost
- Wraith Stealth cooler is adequate but not impressive
- Integrated GPU not suitable for gaming
Buy on Amazon
Best Under £100
Price: £149.99 | Rating: ★★★★½ (4.7)
The Ryzen 5 8600G is a different kind of chip. It's an APU, meaning it combines a capable CPU with integrated Radeon graphics on a single die. For beginners building their first gaming PC, that's genuinely useful. You can get a system up and running without buying a dedicated GPU straight away, play lighter titles, and add a proper graphics card later when the budget allows.
The integrated Radeon 760M graphics are the best iGPU you'll find in this price range. They can handle games like Minecraft, Rocket League, and older titles at 1080p with reasonable settings. Don't expect to run Cyberpunk 2077 at high settings, but for casual gaming while you save up for a GPU, it's a legitimate option. The CPU side is strong too: six cores, 12 threads, up to 5.0GHz boost, and the AM5 platform for longevity.
At close to the £150 ceiling, it's the priciest chip in this roundup. But you're getting a complete gaming solution in one package. For someone who's never built a PC before and wants the simplest possible path to a working gaming system, the 8600G earns its Best for Beginners badge comfortably. The Wraith Stealth cooler is included, and the 65W TDP means it won't stress a budget power supply.
Pros
- Integrated Radeon graphics for GPU-free gaming
- Strong CPU performance on AM5
- Perfect for phased builds
- Wraith Stealth cooler included
- Ryzen AI features for future software support
Cons
- Most expensive chip in this roundup
- Integrated GPU not suitable for demanding titles
- Less cache than the Ryzen 5 7600
Buy on Amazon£149.99
Best Build Quality
Price: £139.99 | Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.4)
Wait, an Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF under £150? That's a genuinely surprising find. This is a modern Arrow Lake chip with 14 cores (six performance cores and eight efficiency cores) and a 5.2GHz max boost. On paper, it's the most powerful processor in this roundup by a fair margin. And in multi-threaded workloads, it absolutely is.
For gaming specifically, the picture is a bit more nuanced. Arrow Lake's gaming performance has been a talking point in the tech community. Tom's Hardware's review of the Core Ultra 5 245KF found that while it's a capable chip, it doesn't always translate its core count into gaming frame rate advantages over the best AMD options. That said, at this price it's still a strong performer.
The catch is the "KF" designation. No integrated graphics, and no cooler in the box. You'll need to budget for an aftermarket cooler, which adds cost. The LGA1851 platform also requires a Z890 or B860 motherboard, which aren't the cheapest. So while the CPU itself might be under £150, the total platform cost is higher than AM5 or AM4 builds. Worth knowing before you commit.
If you already have an Intel platform or specifically want Intel, this is a cracking chip at the price. Just go in with eyes open about the additional costs.
Pros
- 14 cores for excellent multi-threaded performance
- 5.2GHz max boost, highest in this roundup
- Modern Arrow Lake architecture
- Strong for content creation alongside gaming
Cons
- No cooler included, adds to total cost
- No integrated graphics (KF suffix)
- Platform costs (Z890/B860 boards) are high
- Gaming performance doesn't always match the core count
Buy on Amazon£139.99
Honourable Mention
Price: £59.35 | Rating: ★★★★½ (4.7)
The Ryzen 3 3200G is the most affordable chip in this roundup by a significant margin. Four cores, four threads (no hyperthreading), integrated Radeon Vega 8 graphics, and a 4.0GHz boost. For very light gaming or an ultra-budget build where you genuinely cannot afford a dedicated GPU, it has a role to play. But it's a narrow role.
The four-thread limitation is the real problem for gaming in 2026. Most modern titles are built to use six or more threads, and the 3200G will bottleneck in CPU-heavy scenarios. Games like GTA V, Minecraft, and older esports titles run acceptably on the Vega 8 iGPU at low settings. Anything more demanding and you'll be fighting the hardware. The 6MB cache is also very limited, which compounds the performance issues in modern titles.
Where it makes sense: an absolute entry-level build for a child, a basic office PC that occasionally runs a game, or a temporary solution while you save for something better. The Wraith Stealth cooler is included, and the price is genuinely low. But if you're serious about gaming, even light gaming, stretching to the Ryzen 5 8600G gives you far better integrated graphics and a proper six-core CPU on a modern platform.
Pros
- Very affordable entry point
- Integrated Vega 8 graphics for GPU-free builds
- Wraith Stealth cooler included
- Low power draw
Cons
- Only 4 cores and 4 threads, a real gaming limitation
- Vega 8 iGPU struggles with modern titles
- 6MB cache is very limited
- AM4 dead-end platform
- Outclassed by every other chip here for gaming
Buy on Amazon£59.35
Honourable Mention
Price: £100.00 | Rating: ★★★★½ (4.7)
We're going to be straight with you: the Intel Core i7-6700K has no business being on a list of the best CPUs for gaming under £150 in 2026. It's a 2015 processor on the LGA1151 platform, which has been dead for years. Four cores, eight threads, 8MB cache, and a 4.0GHz base clock. That was impressive a decade ago. It isn't now.
Modern games increasingly demand six or more cores, and the i7-6700K's four cores are a genuine bottleneck in titles like Microsoft Flight Simulator, Starfield, or any recent open-world game. The platform also lacks support for modern features like PCIe 4.0 or DDR4 at competitive speeds. There's no upgrade path. You buy this chip and you're stuck on a 2015 platform with no way forward.
At £100, it's not even cheap enough to justify as a stopgap. The Ryzen 5 8400F costs more but delivers dramatically better gaming performance on a platform you can actually upgrade. The only scenario where the i7-6700K makes sense is if you already own an LGA1151 motherboard and just need something to keep a system alive for a few months. For any new build, avoid it entirely. It's a museum piece, not a gaming chip.
Pros
- Unlocked multiplier for overclocking
- Cheap LGA1151 boards available second-hand
Cons
- Dead LGA1151 platform with no upgrade path
- Only 4 cores, a bottleneck in modern games
- 2015 architecture, well behind current chips
- No cooler included
- Poor value versus modern budget alternatives
- No PCIe 4.0 or modern platform features
Buy on Amazon£100.00
