This new budget Intel CPU is the "perfect choice for gamers" according to leak

Intel looks very much like it's about to release a new gaming CPU with a very cheap price, aimed solely at gamers. The new Intel Core 5 120F has recently appeared in a leaked marketing slide, and it looks as though the new budget gaming CPU will also happily work in existing LGA1700 motherboards, as long as they support DDR5 memory.

If this leak is genuine, the new Core 5 120F looks very similar to the existing Intel Core i5 12400F, which is currently our tip as the best gaming CPU if you're on a very tight budget - I used one for several years, and it's surprisingly capable in games. Like the 12400F, this new Intel CPU apparently goes right back to basics, with just six P-Cores and no E-Cores.

Intel Core 5 120F specs estimate

The main difference I can see between the 12400F and the Core 5 120F in the specs is that the new CPU apparently has a slightly higher clock speed, with the boost clock going up to 4.5GHz, rather than the 4.4GHz peak of the 12400F.

That's not a huge jump, though, and with no 'K' on the end of its model name, it's unlikely that this rumored new CPU will be overclockable either. Meanwhile, the 'F' on the end of the model name suggests that it won't have integrated graphics either, but that won't be a worry for gamers, who are likely to be using the best GPU they can afford.

One other difference between the two CPUs is that the new Core 5 120F apparently only supports DDR5 memory, up to an official speed of 4,800MT/s, whereas the 12400F also gave you the option to use DDR4 RAM. The other key specs, including the rumored 18MB of L3 cache, 2.5GHz base clock, and 65W TDP, are all identical to the specs of the Core i5 12400F.

The Core 5 120F specs were leaked in what looks like an Intel marketing slide, shared by tech leaker momomo_us in a post on X (formerly Twitter). In the slide, the new CPU is described as the "perfect choice for gamers who want to play hard without breaking the bank - no frills, just thrills." However, bear in mind that Intel hasn't officially announced this CPU, so take this rumor with the appropriate grain of salt for the moment.

What the slide doesn't reveal is the motherboard socket and architecture used by the new CPU, but there are several clues. The first is that there have already been several rumors about Intel launching a new LGA1700 lineup of CPUs codenamed Bartlett Lake, which removes the E-Cores from Intel's old 14th-gen CPU design, leaving just the P-Cores.

The model name is also a clue, as it has Core 100-series branding, which would be a first for a desktop CPU. Intel only used this branding for its Meteor Lake chips in laptops, where there is no desktop equivalent, while its Core 200-series branding is used for its latest Intel Arrow Lake CPUs. This leads me to speculate that the Core 5 120F will be an LGA1700 CPU based on Intel's older CPU tech, but I could very much be wrong. We'll need to wait and see what the future holds.

If this CPU is indeed being readied for launch, though, and it has a really competitive price, it could be a great budget gaming chip, cutting out the features that gamers don't need and focusing on the basics. Given that the Core 15 12400F already goes for just $108.99 on Amazon, we could potentially be looking at a $99 gaming CPU here.

While we await more information, check out our guide on how to install a CPU, which takes you through the whole upgrade process, as well as our tutorial on how to apply thermal paste.

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