The time has come to renew the CPU of your computer. You have evaluated several processors to update your PC, but you are not sure which model you should choose. If this is your quiet case, in this article we have compiled for you a selection of ten processors with which you can improve your computer for little money.
We know that many of our readers will look for processors to update their PC in the second-hand market, so we are going to unite both new products and second-hand models so that all of you find interesting alternatives that can be adjusted not only to your needs but also to your budget.
Before we begin, we remind you that a few days ago we also published a special article dedicated to ten second-hand graphics cards. If you did not have the chance to see it at the time, we invite you to take a look.
Second-hand alternatives
We started our selection of processors to update your PC for little money using the second-hand market, an excellent alternative to giving a second life to an old computer with a minimum investment.
Keep in mind that before buying a second-hand processor it is advisable to request a test of operation and temperatures and bet on the delivery in hand. Buying in second-hand stores is always a good option because although the price may be higher in some cases we will have a minimum guarantee of one year that we can exercise with all of the law.
Processors to update for less than 220 dollars
At this level, there are very economic models that, however, still have a lot to say. Changing the processor can help us give a big boost to the performance of our equipment, especially if we come from dual-core processors and models that have a low IPC.
We are not going to go beyond 220 dollars because we believe that it is not worth investing so much money in a second-hand processor, especially with the prices that the first-generation Ryzen have and the low cost of the AM4 platform.
The processors to update your PC for little money
AMD FX 6300
A processor compatible with the AM3 + socket that we can get at a very low price. It offers an excellent value for what it costs and can help us give a breath of fresh air to an old team based on that platform.
- Piledriver architecture in process of 32 nm.
- Three modules and six cores at 3.5 GHz-4.1 GHz, normal and turbo mode.
- 8 MB of L3 cache.
- TDP of 95 watts.
- Price: between 40 and 45 dollars on average.
Intel Core i5 2400
It is an excellent option to give a second life to a PC with an LGA1155 socket with minimal expense. You can move current mid-range graphics cards and offer good performance with any current game. It is one of the processors to update your PC for little money.
- Sandy Bridge architecture in 32 nm process.
- Four cores at 3.1 GHz-3.4 GHz, normal and turbo mode.
- 6 MB of intelligent cache.
- TDP of 95 watts.
- Price: $62 on average.
AMD FX 8320
It is a model that offers performance similar to what we can expect from a Core i5 2000 series. The best option to renew a team with socket AM3 + provided that the budget allows it.
- Piledriver architecture in process of 32 nm.
- Four modules and eight cores at 3.5 GHz-4 GHz, normal and turbo mode.
- 8 MB of L3 cache.
- TDP of 125 watts.
- Price: between $68 on average.
Intel Core i7 3770
It offers a greater multi-threaded potential that can make a difference in some scenarios, including games, and that gives it a longer useful life. If we have a motherboard with socket LGA1155 and want to ensure optimal performance in any situation is an excellent option. It is one of the processors to update your PC for little money.
- Ivy Bridge architecture in the process of 22 nm.
- Four cores and eight threads at 3.4 GHz-3.9 GHz, normal mode and turbo.
- 8 MB of intelligent cache.
- TDP of 77 watts.
- Price: $95 on average.
Intel Core i5 4460
It is the best option that we can currently find for socket LGA1150 without the price shooting up, although it is true that it has a very variable price and it can cost us to find a unit at a good price.
- Haswell architecture in the process of 22 nm.
- Four cores at 3.2 GHz-3.4 GHz, normal and turbo mode.
- 6 MB of intelligent cache.
- TDP of 84 watts.
- Price: between 70 and 85 dollars on average.
Intel Core i7 6700
A processor that we can consider as “current” since it uses a platform that still works today (socket LGA1151) and works with DDR4 memory. It is an excellent alternative to renew if we do not want to have to face a complete renovation since it can deal with almost anything.
- Skylake architecture in 14 nm process.
- Four cores and eight threads at 3.4 GHz-4 GHz, normal and turbo mode.
- 8 MB of intelligent cache.
- TDP of 65 watts.
- Price: between $185 on average.
- Processors to upgrade for little money: new models
We now go over the best new models that we can find in the market at an affordable price, but that offer excellent value for value for money.
Again we are going to set a maximum budget of $225, a figure that we believe is reasonable and in keeping with the objective of this article.
Intel Pentium G4560
A very economic but very powerful processor that can serve us to face a renewal with a very tight budget. It offers good performance in almost any task, even in games. It is one of the processors to update your PC for little money.
- Kaby Lake architecture in process of 14nm +.
- Two cores and four threads at 3.5 GHz.
- Socket LGA 1151 (chipset series 100-200).
- 3 MB of intelligent cache.
- TDP of 54 watts.
- Price: $68.
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
A processor that currently remains the king of the low-end. Of all the processors to update your PC for little money, this is one of the most valuable, and one of the best alternatives to assemble a new team based on the AM4 platform if we have a tight budget.
- Zen architecture in the process of 14 nm.
- Four-core and four-wire CPU at 3.1 GHz-3.4 GHz, normal and turbo mode.
- Socket AM4.
- Supports overclock with chipsets X370-X470 and B350-B450.
- 8 MB of L3 cache.
- TDP of 65 watts.
- Price: $97.25.
AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
It is well above the previous one, although it represents a greater investment. Within the medium range is today, the best alternative in relation to price performance.
- Zen architecture in the process of 14 nm.
- Six-core and twelve-core 3.6 GHz-4 GHz CPU, normal and turbo mode.
- Socket AM4.
- Supports overclock with chipsets X370-X470 and B350-B450.
- 16 MB of L3 cache.
- TDP of 95 watts.
- Price: $163.87.
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
We finish our selection with an impressive processor because with a price of fewer than 200 dollars offers a performance that a few years ago was limited to models that exceeded $1130.
- Zen architecture in the process of 14 nm.
- Eight-core CPU and sixteen threads at 3 GHz-3.7 GHz, normal mode and turbo.
- Socket AM4.
- Supports overclock with chipsets X370-X470 and B350-B450.
- 16 MB of L3 cache.
- TDP of 65 watts.
- Price: $198.
Final notes: a short-term and long-term view
In this selection of processors to upgrade for little money we have a bit of everything; models that endure without problems the type in applications and current games, others that offer a good performance and others that are even prepared to endure the transition that will mark the consoles of new generation, provisionally known as Xbox Scarlett and PS5.
If you have doubts about what is more rewarding, if you renew the processor, give a second life to your PC or do a complete renovation, we will not leave you with the mystery. We have several options that we can group into two major scenarios, and whose answer depends, obviously, on your situation:
- In case you have a very small budget it is best to assemble a competent second-hand processor and save to carry out a complete renovation when that transition is completed, provided that the rest of your components are within the recommended minimum (8 GB of RAM and a GTX 760-GTX 1050 or Radeon HD 7950-RX 460).
- If you have a budget that allows you to renew platform but resorting to a low-end processor, such as the Ryzen 3 1200, it is better to take the step to invest between 40 and 120 dollars in a second-hand processor. The AM4 platform will allow you to update, as a minimum, up to the third generation Ryzen processors in 7 nm, so it will have a long useful life and also enjoy greater efficiency and higher performance, derived not only from the CPU but from access to the DDR4 memory.
