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Best CPU under £400 in the UK
The fastest processor under £400 at the UK shops we track is the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D (gaming score 149) at £399.98 from Scan. For the most performance per pound, the Intel Core i3-12100F costs £79.97: £1.13 per point against £2.68 for the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D. 73 of the 86 CPUs we price at UK shops fit this budget.
Prices (new, UK shops only; stock not verified). Ranked by gaming score: relative 1080p gaming performance, Ryzen 5 7600X = 100. We may earn a commission from shop links; it never changes the order.
| # | Processor | Gaming score | Multi-core | Cores / socket | Lowest UK price | £ per point | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, AM5, Zen 5, 8 Core, 16 Threads, 4.7GHz, 5.6GHz Turbo, 104MB Cache, PCIe 5.0, 120W, CPU, Retail | 149 | 158 | 8C/16T AM5 | £399.98 Low £399.98 (now)at 30-day avg | £2.68 | Scan |
| 2 |  AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 8 Core AM5 Processor / CPU | 144 | 151 | 8C/16T AM5 | £379.99 Low £379.99 (now)at 30-day avg | £2.64 | Novatech |
| 3 |  AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D processor 4.2 GHz 96 MB L3 Tray | 127 | 122 | 8C/16T AM5 | £263.35 Tracking since 20 Oct 2026 | £2.07 | PcNova also at GamingKit £269.80 · PCHUB.UK £269.80 |
| 4 |  AMD Ryzen 7 7700X3D AMD Ryzen™ 7 7700X3D, AM5, Zen 4, 8 Core, 16 Thread, 4GHz, 4.5GHz Turbo, 96MB Cache, PCIe 5.0, 120W TDP, CPU | ~120 | – | 8C/16T AM5 | £289.99 Low £289.99 (now)at 30-day avg | £2.42 | Scan |
| 5 |  AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D processor 4 GHz 96 MB L3 Tray | ~117 | – | 6C/12T AM5 | £199.86 Tracking since 20 Oct 2026 | £1.71 | GamingKit also at PCHUB.UK · PcNova £206.33 |
| 6 |  Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus 24 Core LGA 1851 Arrow Lake Processor | 115 | 281 | 24C/24T LGA1851 | £301.97 Low £301.97 (now)▼ 1% below 30-day avg | £2.63 | Laptops Direct |
| 7 |  Intel Core i7-14700KF 14th Generation Intel Core i7 14700KF Socket LGA1700 CPU/Processor | ~114 | 202 | 20C/28T LGA1700 | £339.98 Low £339.98 (now)at 30-day avg | £2.98 | Novatech |
| 8 |  Intel Core i7-14700K Intel Core i7-14700K processor 33 MB Smart Cache Tray | 114 | 219 | 20C/28T LGA1700 | £354.82 Tracking since 20 Oct 2026 | £3.11 | PcNova also at GamingKit £361.72 · PCHUB.UK £361.72 |
| 9 |  AMD Ryzen 9 9900X AMD Ryzen 9 9900X processor 4.4 GHz 76 MB L2 & L3 Tray | 110 | 205 | 12C/24T AM5 | £333.82 Tracking since 20 Oct 2026 | £3.03 | PcNova also at GamingKit £340.61 · PCHUB.UK £340.61 |
| 10 |  Intel Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus Intel Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus processor 30 MB Smart Cache Tray | ~109 | 210 | 18C/18T LGA1851 | £199.46 Tracking since 20 Oct 2026 | £1.83 | PcNova also at GamingKit £204.64 · PCHUB.UK £204.64 |
| 11 |  Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus 18 Core LGA 1851 Arrow Lake Processor | 109 | 210 | 18C/18T LGA1851 | £204.97 Low £204.97 (now)at 30-day avg | £1.88 | Laptops Direct |
| 12 |  AMD Ryzen 5 9600X AMD Ryzen 5 9600X 6 Core AM5 Zen 5 Processor | 108 | 117 | 6C/12T AM5 | £164.99 Low £164.99 (now)at 30-day avg | £1.53 | Box |
| 13 | AMD Ryzen 7 9700X AMD Ryzen 7 9700X processor 3.8 GHz 40 MB L2 & L3 Tray | ~108 | 149 | 8C/16T AM5 | £217.64 Tracking since 20 Oct 2026 | £2.02 | PcNova also at GamingKit £225.02 · PCHUB.UK £225.02 |
| 14 |  Intel Core i5-14600KF 14th Generation Intel Core i5 14600KF Socket LGA1700 CPU/Processor | ~108 | 157 | 14C/20T LGA1700 | £219.98 Low £219.98 (now)at 30-day avg | £2.04 | Novatech |
| 15 |  Intel Core i5-14600K Intel Core i5-14600K Raptor Lake LGA 1700 24MB Smart Cache Processor | 108 | 150 | 14C/20T LGA1700 | £230.49 Low £230.49 (now)at 30-day avg | £2.13 | Box |
| 66 |  | ~71 | 50 | 4C/8T LGA1700 | £79.97 Low £79.97 (now)at 30-day avg | £1.13 | Laptops Direct |
Showing the 15 fastest of the 73 processors under £400 plus the best value pick. Every one, sortable by price or value: all CPU deals.
Just over £400
| # | Processor | Gaming score | Multi-core | Cores / socket | Lowest UK price | £ per point | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | AMD Ryzen 9 9950X AMD Ryzen 9 9950X processor 4.3 GHz 80 MB L2 & L3 Tray | 114 | 262 | 16C/32T AM5 | £415.92 Tracking since 20 Oct 2026 | £3.65 | PcNova also at GamingKit £422.54 · PCHUB.UK £422.54 |
| – |  Intel Core i9-14900K Intel Core i9-14900K processor 36 MB Smart Cache Box | 116 | 243 | 24C/32T LGA1700 | £429.86 Tracking since 20 Oct 2026 | £3.71 | PcNova also at GamingKit £437.15 · PCHUB.UK £437.15 |
| – |  Intel Core i9-14900KF 14th Generation Intel Core i9 14900KF Socket LGA1700 CPU/Processor | ~116 | 234 | 24C/32T LGA1700 | £429.98 Low £429.98 (now)at 30-day avg | £3.71 | Novatech |
New at this budget: £300 to £400
14 processors we price only come in above £300: AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D (score 149, £399.98), AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D (score 144, £379.99), Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus (score 115, £301.97), Intel Core i7-14700KF (score ~114, £339.98), Intel Core i7-14700K (score 114, £354.82), AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (score 110, £333.82), Intel Core i7-14700F (score ~107, £320.99), Intel Core i7-14700 (score ~107, £340.99) and 6 more. The fastest of them, the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, is the top pick on this page.
What £400 gets you
- Games: the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D meets the estimated 1080p High processor need in 59 of 59 games we cover.
- For rendering, compiling or encoding: the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has the highest multi-core score under £400 (281 vs 158) at £301.97.
- Platforms in the top 5: AM5. AM5 and LGA1851 need DDR5; AM4 uses DDR4; LGA1700 boards come in DDR4 or DDR5 versions.
- Saving money: the best under £300 is the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D at £263.35, -15% on score. Best CPU under £300.
FAQ
What is the best CPU under £400 in the UK?
On 2026-10-20, by gaming score: the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D at £399.98 from Scan, then the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D (144) at £379.99. Prices change hourly, so check the shop before buying.
What is the best value CPU under £400?
The Intel Core i3-12100F: £1.13 per performance point at £79.97. It scores ~71 against 149 for the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D.
Which socket should I pick under £400?
Today's top pick, the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, is socket AM5. Remember to budget for a matching motherboard and memory: AM5 and LGA1851 are DDR5-only.
Other budgets
How we rank: each model's cheapest new price at UK shops (AWD-IT, Box, GamingKit, Laptops Direct, Novatech, PCHUB.UK, PcNova, Scan) against SpecPrice's performance index (compiled from published review averages, updated 2026-10-17; "~" = estimate). CPUs without a gaming score are left out. PCHUB.UK, PcNova and GamingKit prices come from their Awin product feed (refreshed about daily, VAT included, stock as the feed reports it). More on our method.