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Best CPU under £500 in the UK
The fastest processor under £500 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. 78 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 9 9900X3D AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D Socket AM5 Zen 5 Processor | 129 | 218 | 12C/24T AM5 | £449.99 Low £449.99 (now)at 30-day avg | £3.49 | Box |
| 4 |  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 |
| 5 |  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 |
| 6 |  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 |
| 7 |  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 |
| 8 |  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 |
| 9 | Intel Core i9-14900 Intel Core i9-14900 processor 36 MB Smart Cache Tray | ~116 | 234 | 24C/32T LGA1700 | £463.32 Tracking since 20 Oct 2026 | £3.99 | PcNova also at GamingKit £470.76 · PCHUB.UK £470.76 |
| 10 |  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 |
| 11 |  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 |
| 12 |  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 |
| 13 |  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 |
| 14 | 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 |
| 15 |  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 |
| 71 |  | ~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 78 processors under £500 plus the best value pick. Every one, sortable by price or value: all CPU deals.
Just over £500
| # | Processor | Gaming score | Multi-core | Cores / socket | Lowest UK price | £ per point | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – |  Intel Core Ultra 9 285K Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor 36 MB Smart Cache Tray | 107 | 267 | 24C/24T LGA1851 | £504.83 Tracking since 20 Oct 2026 | £4.72 | PcNova also at GamingKit £512.46 · PCHUB.UK £512.46 |
| – |  Intel Core i9-14900F Intel Core i9 14900F, S 1700, Raptor Lake Refresh, 24 Cores, 32 Threads, 5.6GHz Turbo, 36MB Cache, 65W, Retaill | ~116 | 170 | 24C/32T LGA1700 | £514.99 Low £514.99 (now)at 30-day avg | £4.44 | Scan |
| – |  AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D 16 Core AM5 Processor / CPU | 142 | 278 | 16C/32T AM5 | £539.99 Low £539.99 (now)at 30-day avg | £3.80 | Novatech |
New at this budget: £400 to £500
5 processors we price only come in above £400: AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D (score 129, £449.99), Intel Core i9-14900K (score 116, £429.86), Intel Core i9-14900KF (score ~116, £429.98), Intel Core i9-14900 (score ~116, £463.32), AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (score 114, £415.92). None of them beats the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, which is under £400: extra spend here buys cores or a different platform, not gaming speed.
What £500 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 £500 (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.
FAQ
What is the best CPU under £500 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 £500?
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 £500?
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.