Best Budget Processors 2026
7 budget processors — Under $50 — best value picks without breaking the bank
Thermalright CPU Contact Frame for LGA 1700 Retrofit Kit, 1700 Bracket Intel 12th/13th/14th Generation Anti-Bending Buckle
This all-aluminum LGA1700 contact frame replaces the stock CPU buckle to prevent bending and improve thermal contact for Intel 12th, 13th, and 14th Gen CPUs.
Thermal Grizzly AM5 Contact Sealing Frame - Contact Frame & CPU Guard Combination - Optimizes Contact Pressure Points & Protects Components - for AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs - Including Aeronaut 1g
This anodized aluminum frame optimizes contact pressure and protects AM5 CPU components, including 1g Aeronaut thermal paste.
Thermalright CPU Contact Frame Anti-Bending Buckle for AM5 Secure Frame Kit Red
This is an all-aluminum AM5 CPU contact frame that helps prevent thermal paste mess and offers minor thermal improvements for some users.
![Intel Core i5 6500 3.20 GHz Quad Core Skylake Desktop Processor, Socket LGA 1151, 6MB Cache [BX80662I56500]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61my+L5GsFL._AC_SL1024_.jpg)
Intel Core i5 6500 3.20 GHz Quad Core Skylake Desktop Processor, Socket LGA 1151, 6MB Cache [BX80662I56500]
This 6th-gen quad-core chip is strictly for reviving old LGA 1151 motherboards to run basic office tasks or a home media server.
intel Core i7-4770 Quad-Core Desktop Processor 3.4 GHZ LGA 1150 8 MB Cache BX80646I74770 (Renewed)
This 4-core, 8-thread Intel i7-4770 (3.4 GHz, 8 MB cache) is a budget-friendly LGA 1150 processor for upgrading old systems, but it struggles with modern demands.
Intel Core i7-2600 Desktop CPU Processor- SR00B (Renewed)
This is a 3.4GHz quad-core, 8-thread LGA 1155 CPU for basic computing or reviving a very old system on a sub-$50 budget.
Intel Xeon Processor E5-2697 v4 SR2JV 18-Core 2.3GHz 45M Server CPU (Renewed)
This 18-core, 2.3GHz LGA 2011-3 Xeon is a budget option for multi-threaded server workloads, but it's a renewed unit.