$100 CPU Shootout: Comparing the Ryzen 5 5500, Core i3-14100F, and Core i3-12100F to find the top DDR4 CPU
Summary
Tom's Hardware conducts a DDR4-based budget CPU shootout, comparing Ryzen 5 5500, Core i3-12100F, and Core i3-14100F at roughly $80–$100 and testing across gaming and productivity workloads. In gaming benchmarks, the Core i3-14100F often leads, while the Ryzen 5 5500 remains competitive in multithreaded tasks and efficiency; the Core i3-12100F sits between. The article ultimately designates the Core i3-14100F as the winner for price-per-performance, though platform costs and DDR4/DDR5 choices influence the value proposition.