The Best CPUs Under $400

It carries the same 96MB of L3 as the 9800X3D at a lower boost clock and a lower price. On boost clock it sits mid-pack at 5GHz: the Ryzen 9 9900X offers 5.6GHz, and the Ryzen 7 5800X3D comes in at 4.5GHz. It matches the Ryzen 7 9700X and the Ryzen 7 5800X3D on core count (8 cores).

It matches the Ryzen 9 9900X on rated power (120W). It also offers the Zen 4 architecture. It needs an AM5 board (A620, B650, B850, X670 or X870 series) and DDR5 memory; check the board's CPU support list for the minimum BIOS version.

Budget for a dual-tower air cooler or a 240mm-plus AIO, since none is included. Its price falls between the Core i5-13600K and the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, based on our last check.

It needs only a modest cooler and has room to grow with AMD's power boost setting. On L3 cache it sits mid-pack at 32MB: the Ryzen 7 7800X3D offers 96MB, and the Core i5-13600K comes in at 24MB. On boost clock it ties with the Core Ultra 7 265K at 5.5GHz.

On rated power it leads this guide at 65W, ahead of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D (105W). It needs an AM5 board (A620, B650, B850, X670 or X870 series) and DDR5 memory; a 600-series board may need a BIOS update first, so check the maker's CPU support list for the minimum version. No cooler is included; a single-tower air cooler is enough at its rating. Its price falls between the Ryzen 9 9900X and the Core i5-13600K, based on our last check.

For games alone, the eight-core X3D chips are the better buy. On L3 cache it ties with the Ryzen 9 7900X at 64MB. On boost clock it ties with the Core i7-14700K and the Ryzen 9 7900X at 5.6GHz.

It matches the Ryzen 9 7900X on core count (12 cores). It matches the Ryzen 7 7800X3D on rated power (120W). You also get the Zen 5 architecture.

It needs an AM5 board (A620, B650, B850, X670 or X870 series) and DDR5 memory; a 600-series board may need a BIOS update first, so check the maker's CPU support list for the minimum version. Budget for a dual-tower air cooler or a 240mm-plus AIO, since none is included. Its price falls between the Core Ultra 7 265K and the Ryzen 7 9700X, based on our last check.

It is strong in multi-threaded work and supports only DDR5. Its 30MB L3 cache ranks 7th of 8 here, behind the Ryzen 7 7800X3D (96MB) and ahead of the Core i5-13600K (24MB). It matches the Ryzen 7 9700X on boost clock (5.5GHz).

On core count it ties with the Core i7-14700K at 20 cores. On rated power it ties with the Core i7-14700K and the Core i5-13600K at 125W. It is the only pick here with an LGA1851 socket; the Core i5-13600K has an LGA1700 socket instead.

It also comes with 8 performance and 12 efficient cores and a built-in NPU for AI features. It needs an LGA1851 board (Intel 800-series chipset) and DDR5 memory; LGA1700 boards and coolers without an LGA1851 mounting kit will not fit. Budget for a dual-tower air cooler or a 240mm-plus AIO, since none is included. When we checked, only the Ryzen 9 7900X cost less, and the Ryzen 9 9900X cost more.

It needs strong cooling to hold its boost clocks. Its 33MB L3 cache ranks fifth of 8 here, behind the Ryzen 7 7800X3D (96MB) and ahead of the Core i5-13600K (24MB). It matches the Ryzen 9 9900X and the Ryzen 9 7900X on boost clock (5.6GHz).

On core count it ties with the Core Ultra 7 265K at 20 cores. On rated power it ties with the Core Ultra 7 265K and the Core i5-13600K at 125W. Like the Core i5-13600K, it has an LGA1700 socket, while the Ryzen 7 7800X3D uses an AM5 socket.

Like the Core i5-13600K, it has DDR4 or DDR5 memory, while the Ryzen 7 5800X3D uses DDR4 memory. You also get 8 performance and 12 efficient cores and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 boards. At our last price check it topped the group, with the Ryzen 7 5800X3D the nearest cheaper option.

It lets an existing AM4 board take a cache upgrade without a new platform or DDR5. On L3 cache it ties with the Ryzen 7 7800X3D at 96MB. On boost clock it trails the group at 4.5GHz, while the Ryzen 9 9900X offers 5.6GHz.

It matches the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and the Ryzen 7 9700X on core count (8 cores). Its 105W rated power ranks second of 8 here, behind the Ryzen 7 9700X (65W) and ahead of the Ryzen 9 7900X (170W). An AM4 socket is unique to it among these picks, while the Core Ultra 7 265K uses an LGA1851 socket.

You get DDR4 memory here, which sets it apart from the Core i5-13600K and its DDR4 or DDR5 memory. On price it sat 7th of 8, between the cheaper Ryzen 7 7800X3D and the pricier Core i7-14700K, at the time of writing.

It suits a workstation budget that still wants AM5. On L3 cache it ties with the Ryzen 9 9900X at 64MB. On boost clock it ties with the Ryzen 9 9900X and the Core i7-14700K at 5.6GHz.

It matches the Ryzen 9 9900X on core count (12 cores). Its 170W rated power is the highest in this group; the Ryzen 7 9700X leads at 65W. It also comes with the Zen 4 architecture, a 5nm process and PCIe 5.0 support on AM5.

It needs an AM5 board (A620, B650, B850, X670 or X870 series) and DDR5 memory; check the board's CPU support list for the minimum BIOS version. Budget for a dual-tower air cooler or a 240mm-plus AIO, since none is included. It was the cheapest of the group when we checked; the Core Ultra 7 265K was the next step up.

It fits the same boards as the 14600K. On L3 cache it trails the group at 24MB, while the Ryzen 7 7800X3D offers 96MB. On boost clock it sits mid-pack at 5.1GHz: the Ryzen 9 9900X offers 5.6GHz, and the Ryzen 7 5800X3D comes in at 4.5GHz.

Its 14 cores core count ranks third of 8 here, behind the Core Ultra 7 265K (20 cores) and ahead of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D (8 cores). It matches the Core Ultra 7 265K and the Core i7-14700K on rated power (125W). It shares an LGA1700 socket with the Core i7-14700K; the Ryzen 9 7900X goes with an AM5 socket.

It shares DDR4 or DDR5 memory with the Core i7-14700K; the Ryzen 7 9700X goes with DDR5 memory. You also get 6 performance and 8 efficient cores and an unlocked multiplier.