1. AMD RYZEN ™ 7 9800X 3D Desktop Processor (8-core/16-thread, 104MB cache, up to 5.2 GHz max boost)

Right, let's address the elephant in the room: the 9800X3D costs more than £300. At £374, it's technically over budget. But if you can stretch an extra £74, this is the single best gaming CPU you can buy in 2026, full stop.

AMD's 3D V-Cache technology stacks an additional 64MB of L3 cache directly onto the chip, giving games absolutely massive amounts of ultra-fast memory to work with. In practice, this translates to higher frame rates across nearly every title we tested. Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p? 15% faster than the standard 9700X. Shadow of the Tomb Raider? 22% improvement. The gains are real and consistent.

The eight Zen 5 cores run at a base clock of 4.7GHz and boost to 5.2GHz, which is slightly lower than non-3D chips due to the extra cache layer affecting thermals. You won't notice in gaming, though. The 120W TDP means you'll need a decent cooler (budget £40-50 for something like a Thermalright Peerless Assassin), but temperatures stayed reasonable in our testing.

For pure gaming builds with high-end GPUs, this chip makes sense. Pair it with an RTX 4070 Ti or RX 7900 XT and you'll see those frame rates soar, particularly at 1440p where CPU performance still matters. The AM5 socket also means you've got upgrade options down the line, and the integrated graphics (basic as they are) let you troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Look, if your budget is strict, skip this and grab the 5600X. But if you've got a bit of wiggle room and you're building a proper gaming rig, the 9800X3D is worth every penny. We covered the full performance breakdown in our AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D review.

Editor's pick: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Processor (6 Cores/12Threads, 65W TDP, AM4 Socket, 35MB Cache, up to 4.6 GHz Max Boost, Wraith Stealth Cooler)

2. AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Processor (6 Cores/12Threads, 65W TDP, AM4 Socket, 35MB Cache, up to 4.6 GHz Max Boost, Wraith Stealth Cooler)

This is the chip most people should actually buy. At £143, the Ryzen 5 5600X offers brilliant gaming performance, comes with a perfectly adequate cooler, and slots into mature, affordable AM4 motherboards that you can find for under £80.

The six Zen 3 cores might not sound impressive compared to the 24-core monsters on this list, but games don't need 24 cores. They need fast cores with good IPC (instructions per clock), and the 5600X delivers. Base clock sits at 3.7GHz, boosting to 4.6GHz on single-threaded workloads. That's quick enough for every game released in 2026.

In our testing, the 5600X handled 1080p gaming without breaking a sweat. Fortnite at competitive settings? Over 240fps with a decent GPU. Red Dead Redemption 2 at high settings? Smooth 60fps with an RTX 4060. Even at 1440p, this chip rarely bottlenecks unless you're running something silly like an RTX 4090.

The included Wraith Stealth cooler is basic but functional. It'll keep the chip cool at stock speeds, though it gets a bit loud under sustained load. If noise bothers you, chuck a £25 tower cooler on there and you're sorted. The 65W TDP means heat isn't really a concern anyway.

What makes this chip special for gaming builds is the complete package. You're getting strong performance, a cooler, and access to cheap DDR4 memory and B550 motherboards. Total platform cost is significantly lower than AM5 or Intel's LGA1700, which matters when you're trying to maximise GPU budget. See our full Ryzen 5 5600X review for detailed benchmarks.

3. AMD Ryzen 7 9700X Processor (8 Cores/16 Threads) 65W DTP, AM5 socket, 40MB Cache, Up to 5.5 GHz max boost frequency, no cooler

The 9700X sits in an interesting spot. At £260, it's not the fastest gaming chip on this list (that's the 9800X3D), but it's the best option if you're mixing gaming with content creation, streaming, or heavy multitasking.

Those eight Zen 5 cores make a real difference when you're running OBS in the background, editing videos in DaVinci Resolve, or compiling code between gaming sessions. The 5.5GHz boost clock is properly quick, and the improved IPC over Zen 3 means single-threaded performance is excellent.

Gaming performance is strong, just not quite at 9800X3D levels. In CPU-limited scenarios at 1080p, you'll see about 8-10% lower frame rates compared to the 3D V-Cache chip. But pair this with a mid-range GPU and game at 1440p? You won't notice the difference. The GPU becomes the bottleneck long before the CPU does.

The AM5 platform is the real selling point here. You're getting DDR5 support, PCIe 5.0 for future GPUs and SSDs, and an upgrade path that'll last years. AMD's committed to supporting AM5 through 2027 at least, so you could drop a next-gen chip in down the line without changing motherboards.

One annoyance: no bundled cooler. Budget another £35-45 for something decent. The 65W TDP means you don't need anything exotic, but you do need something. Also, AM5 motherboards still cost more than AM4 equivalents, so factor that into your total build cost. Our Ryzen 7 9700X review has the full breakdown.

4. AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Processor (6 Cores/12Threads, 65W DTP, AM4 Socket, 35 MB Cache, up to 4.1 GHz Max Boost frequency, Wraith stealth cooler)

The Ryzen 5 3600 is getting on a bit now. Released back in 2019, this Zen 2 chip has been a workhorse for budget gaming builds for years. At £85, it's still relevant in 2026, but you need to understand its limitations.

Gaming performance is adequate for 1080p, particularly in older titles or esports games. CS2, Valorant, and League of Legends run beautifully. Modern AAA titles at high settings? You'll get playable frame rates with a mid-range GPU, but you're definitely leaving performance on the table compared to newer chips.

The six cores run at 3.6GHz base and boost to 4.2GHz, which is noticeably slower than the 5600X. In CPU-heavy games like Total War or Cities: Skylines II, you'll feel the difference. Frame times can get a bit choppy when lots of units are on screen or the simulation gets complex.

So why buy this in 2026? Two reasons. First, if you already have an AM4 motherboard and you're upgrading from something ancient like a Ryzen 3 1200, the 3600 is a cheap performance boost. Second, if you're building an absolute budget gaming PC and every tenner counts, this gets you six proper cores for under £90.

The Wraith Stealth cooler is included, which is nice. It's adequate for the 65W TDP, though it's not exactly whisper-quiet. You also get access to the massive AM4 ecosystem with cheap B450 and B550 boards, plus affordable DDR4 memory. Check our Ryzen 5 3600 review for gaming benchmarks.

5. AMD Ryzen 5 4500 Processor (6 Cores/12 Threads, 65W DTP, AM4 Socket, 11 MB Cache, Up to 4.1 GHz Max Boost, wraith stealth cooler)

At £67, the Ryzen 5 4500 is the cheapest way into modern gaming without buying absolute rubbish. But you're making compromises to hit that price point, and you need to know what they are before you buy.

The 4500 is essentially a cut-down laptop chip repurposed for desktop. It's based on Zen 2 architecture like the 3600, but with less cache (11MB vs 35MB) and slightly lower clocks. The six cores run at 3.6GHz base and boost to 4.1GHz, which is adequate for gaming but not spectacular.

Gaming performance is fine for esports titles and older AAA games. Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Overwatch 2 all run smoothly at 1080p with a budget GPU like the RX 6600. But fire up something like Cyberpunk 2077 or Starfield and you'll notice the CPU struggling to keep up, particularly in busy areas.

The reduced cache really hurts in CPU-bound scenarios. In our testing, the 4500 was about 15-20% slower than the 3600 in games that rely heavily on cache performance. That's a significant gap for a £20 saving.

So who should buy this? Absolute budget builders who need to squeeze every pound. If you're pairing this with a cheap GPU like the RX 6500 XT or GTX 1650, the CPU won't be your bottleneck anyway. It's also decent for a secondary PC, a kid's gaming rig, or an esports box where you're playing less demanding titles.

The Wraith Stealth cooler is included, which is essential at this price point. You're not going to spend another £30 on cooling when the whole chip costs £67. The AM4 platform means cheap motherboards and RAM, keeping total system cost low. See our Ryzen 5 4500 review for detailed testing.

6. Intel® Core™ i9-14900 Desktop Processor 24 cores (8 P-cores + 16 E-cores) up to 5.8 GHz

Here's the awkward truth: the i9-14900 doesn't belong on a list of Best CPUs for Gaming Under £300. At £527, it's nearly double the budget. And even if money weren't an issue, it's not the best gaming chip here. That honour goes to the AMD 9800X3D.

So why include it? Because some people will consider stretching their budget for Intel's flagship, and they need to understand what they're actually getting. The i9-14900 is a productivity monster with 24 cores (8 performance cores and 16 efficiency cores) that'll tear through video editing, 3D rendering, and compilation tasks. For gaming? Those extra cores are mostly wasted.

The eight P-cores boost up to 5.8GHz, which is properly quick. In lightly-threaded games, the i9-14900 performs well, matching or slightly beating the Ryzen 7 9700X. But it can't touch the 9800X3D's gaming performance, despite costing £150 more. That massive cache advantage AMD has is just too significant.

Gaming performance is good, don't get me wrong. You'll get high frame rates in everything from esports titles to demanding AAA games. But you're paying for 24 cores when most games use six. The extra cores sit there doing nothing while you're fragging in Call of Duty.

The 65W TDP rating is misleading. Under full load, this chip can pull over 250W, generating serious heat. You'll need a beefy cooler (none included, obviously) and a decent power supply. Factor in another £60-80 for cooling and you're looking at a £600+ total CPU cost.

If you're doing heavy productivity work alongside gaming, the i9-14900 makes more sense. Video editors, 3D artists, and developers will appreciate those extra cores. But for a pure gaming build under £300? This is the wrong chip entirely. Read our Intel Core i9-14900 review for the full picture.