Top 5 Value for Money CPU and GPU Combos

Gaming is on the rise. Whether you want to enter the esports scene or just want to have a good gaming experience, a CPU and GPU is something that you will always need. However, these pieces of hardware are expensive and sometimes you might not want to burn a hole in your pocket but the immersive gaming experience is not something that can be compromised. These CPU and GPU combos across the budget range are capable of delivering good gaming performance and are absolute value for money investments. These CPU and GPU combinations are good for gaming as well as streaming and can help you have a push-start into the gaming world.

#1 Intel Core i3-10100F+AMD Radeon RX570

The go-to choice for budget gamers, for a very long time, used to be the Intel Core i3-9100F but since the launch of Intel's 10th gen CPUs, the obvious choice now is the i3-10100F. The CPU comes as a direct threat to the AMD Ryzen 3 3100 which is also a 4-core and 8-thread processor. The Intel CPU is significantly cheaper and when paired with the AMD Radeon RX570, it becomes a great budget combo for gamers.

The tale doesn't here though, the Intel CPU, due to its 8-threads, is capable of handling video editing as well so if you want to enter the gaming content creation career, this is a good choice for beginners. Talking about gaming, this combo is capable of delivering a 60fps performance in most games at 1080p resolution. However, one thing to keep in mind is the GPU price. Radeon prices are sky-rocketing and if you could grab a deal on this card, then definitely go for it.

#2 AMD Ryzen 3 3100+Nvidia GTX 1650 Super

This is one of the most sought-after combos for gamers out there. Keeping the price point aside, AMD Ryzen 3100 is one of the best performing budget CPUs available in the market. It delivers decent performance not only in games but also while editing videos. On being paired with the Nvidia GTX 1650 Super, the processor is capable of delivering a flawless gaming experience in most modern triple-A titles by churning out 60+fps in 1080p resolution.

#3 Intel Core i5-10400F+Nvidia GTX 1660 Super

The Intel Core i5-10400F poses direct competition to the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 but the prices of AMD CPUs are nowhere close to competitive making the Intel CPU an obvious choice for people who are not "fans" of the "red army". The problem with Intel, however, is that they are still stuck on the 14-nm architecture and most of the times their CPUs are clocked. Users and gamers can not overclock it and this might be a constraint for a lot of people. Surprisingly, this might not be a deal-breaker for a lot of people and pairing it with an Nvidia GTX 1660 Super can do wonders for you.

The gaming performance will be beyond par, that's not even a question, and it will also be able to handle video editing while giving a smooth experience. The 6 GB VRAM on the 1660 Super can provide for a seamless streaming experience without compromising much on the in-game fps. 1080p gaming will mostly be 100+fps in most well-optimized games. This combo is also good for people who just want to enter the competitive scene and grind their way up.

#4 AMD Ryzen 5 3600+Nvidia RTX 2060

If gaming is not your priority but definitely on the to-do list then the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a good CPU for you. The gaming performance will be good, no questions there but the 6-core and 12-thread processor will help you edit 1080pn videos without any hassle and let you stream smoothly. This is still a better option if your priority is productivity and gaming takes a back-seat. Now even though, the Nvidia 30-series GPUs have hit the market, the RTX 2060 is still a very capable GPU.

This combo has the ability to play games at 2K resolution and provide a smooth experience doing that. However, if you are into competitive gaming then sticking to 1080p for max frame rates would be a wiser choice. Campaign mode games and even multiplayer games like Valorant and CS: GO can be enjoyed on the 2K resolution as well, as they are not very heavy.

#5 AMD Ryzen 7 3700X+Nvidia RTX 3060/3070

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is one of the most value for money CPU available in the market. The 8-core and 16-thread processor is an absolute beast when it comes to the performance that it delivers. The GPU is your choice, if you want to enjoy 4K gaming, then the RTX 3070 would be a better choice but if you are okay with 2K high-fps gaming then RTX 3060 is not a bad option. The combo can do anything that one can imagine. It all comes down to your budget and the experience that you want to have at the end of the day.