Intel's excellent Core i3-14100F CPU is down to $95 from Newegg right now
A fantastic budget CPU.
Intel's Core i3-14100F follows in the footsteps of their previous two generations of the same chip, making for one of the best budget CPUs available, bringing enough grunt for most people's needs as well as a small uptick in performance which continues to make it an excellent value choice. It also brings drop-in compatibility with modern components like PCIe 5.0 SSDs and DDR5 RAM, all for less than $100. At Newegg, it's down to $95, which is an absolute steal, all things considered.
The 14100F may not be the most exciting processor in the world, but it offers ample power and performance for most people, being a solid choice for both 1080p and 1440p gaming, and also looks to be a brisker overall choice than previous budget choices such as AMD's Ryzen 5 3600 and Intel's older 11600K. Against more modern Ryzen options and more affordable Intel choices, it struggles a little, but for the price, there is little to complain about.
The 14100F is perhaps a little hamstrung in 2024 with only four cores and eight threads, but with a boost clock of up to 4.7GHz, it's no slouch. After all, this is a modern 14th gen Intel processor that takes advantage of the large boosts in single core performance we've seen in recent years of Intel CPUs, while also having a simpler design than the mixed P-core and E-core designs of Intel's higher-end CPUs.
Being built on LGA1700 also means you still get the same flexibility as with previous generations with support for both DDR4 and DDR5 RAM, meaning you can choose whether to invest in quicker options now, or stick with tried-and-tested DDR4 RAM at good speeds which remains stunning value. Of course, you also get support for PCIe 5.0 if you're all about future-proofing, and that helps to make the 14100F a versatile platform to build on.
If it's a solid budget Intel processor you're after for a more affordable system that will still pack a punch, the i3 14100F is one of the best choices, and well worth a look.