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Best desktop processors under £200 (2026)

The desktop processors we've reviewed that cost £200 or less, best first. Each is scored against products at a similar price, so a high score here means good for the money. Where we don't have today's price, we use the typical UK price we found when researching it.

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

  1. #1

    AMD Ryzen 5 9600X

    6.4/10verdict: wait for deal

    The Ryzen 5 9600X is for builders who want a six-core AM5 desktop processor with a 65W default TDP. It suits general development, light virtualisation and a workstation or small server where cooling matters. It is less suited to anyone who needs many cores or media transcoding from the integrated graphics.

    6 cores, 12 threadsBase 3.9 GHz, max boost up to 5.4 GHzAM565W default
    Read the full review ›
    AMD Ryzen 5 9600X
    £164.99typical UK price when researchedCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

    Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

  2. #2

    Intel Core i5 processor 14400

    6.0/10verdict: wait for deal

    The Core i5 14400 suits builders who want a 10-core, 16-thread desktop chip. It fits people who already have, or want, an LGA1700 board and value integrated graphics with Quick Sync. Buyers who want a long upgrade path or the strongest performance for the money should compare it with the Ryzen 5 7600 first.

    10 total: 6 performance + 4 efficient cores; 16 threadsP-core base 2.5 GHz; P-core max turbo 4.7 GHz; E-core base 1.8 GHz; E-core max turbo 3.5 GHzFCLGA1700Processor Base Power 65 W; Maximum Turbo Power 148 W
    Read the full review ›
    Intel Core i5 processor 14400
    £175typical UK price when researchedCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

    Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

  3. #3

    Intel Core i5 processor 14400F (20M Cache, up to 4.70 GHz)

    5.2/10verdict: skip

    The Core i5-14400F suits builders putting together a gaming or multitasking desktop who already plan to fit a discrete graphics card. It offers 10 cores and 16 threads on the LGA1700 socket, with support for either DDR5 or DDR4 memory. It is a poor fit for anyone who wants a display output or media encoding from the CPU itself.

    10 total (6 performance + 4 efficient), 16 threadsP-core base 2.5 GHz, E-core base 1.8 GHz; max turbo 4.7 GHz (P-core), 3.5 GHz (E-core)FCLGA1700Processor Base Power 65 W; Maximum Turbo Power 148 W
    Read the full review ›
    Intel Core i5 processor 14400F (20M Cache, up to 4.70 GHz)
    £161.50typical UK price when researchedCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

    Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

  4. #4

    AMD Ryzen 5 5600

    4.9/10verdict: skip

    The Ryzen 5 5600 is for builders who want a 6-core, 12-thread AM4 processor and already plan to fit a discrete graphics card. It suits general desktop use, development work and lighter homelab tasks on DDR4. It does not suit anyone who wants to build without a discrete graphics card.

    6 cores / 12 threads, Zen 3 (Vermeer)Base 3.5 GHz, max boost up to 4.4 GHzAM465W
    Read the full review ›
    £121.98typical UK price when researchedCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

    Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details