There is no shortage of older desktop CPUs on the used market. If you’re thinking about buying one (or already have one in your system) and keep hearing that it’s no longer worth using, it can be difficult to know if that’s actually true.
While some processors are absolutely too old to recommend in 2026others are given up long before they are no longer useful. I chose four CPUs that are often labeled as obsolete but still make a lot of sense today, as long as you understand their limitations. Each represents a different milestone in desktop computing, so be sure to read the context for when and why I would still recommend them.
Intel Core i7-8700 remains a solid entry point for modern versions of Windows 11
Intel’s latest great value gaming chip
The Intel Core i7-8700 is part of the Coffee Lake generation of CPUs that Intel launched in late 2017 as a direct response to AMD’s first-generation Ryzen chips.
It was the first time Intel increased the number of conventional cores in almost a decade. In other words, the i7-8700 provided a massive jump to 6 cores and 12 threads over the i7-7700’s 4 cores and 8 threads.
Six physical cores were a really strong asset in 2017, and even in 2026, they’re still a sweet spot for gaming and general computing use, although they may show signs of trouble in some multithreaded workloads.
What makes the i7-8700 a solid choice even in a modern scenario is its solid single-core performance, which allows this 8-year-old CPU to hold up surprisingly well in modern games. when paired with an entry-level graphics card for 1080p gaming.
To give you an idea of the i7-8700’s performance, let’s look at how its slightly more powerful sibling, the i7-8700K, held up. Gamers Nexus Mega Graphics: CPU Benchmarks. Paired with an NVIDIA RTX 4090 at 1080p, the i7-8700K averaged 63 FPS on Dragon Dogma 288 FPS on star fieldand 69 FPS in Baldur’s Gate 3. In less demanding games, it averaged 239 FPS on F1 24 and an impressive 393 FPS in rainbow six siege.
Of course, the “K” variant, with its unlocked multiplier, offers a little more performance and additional overclocking headroombut you can expect the i7-8700 to perform within a few percentage points.
Perhaps most importantly for everyday users, the i7-8700 officially supports Windows 11, which is another big advantage over first-generation Ryzen chips.
Apart from that, the i7-8700 still supports PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD and DDR4 RAM. While newer PCIe Gen 4 and Gen 5 drives and DDR5 memory they are faster on paperThey also have a higher price. For most everyday tasks, these older standards still offer more than enough performance, especially when combined with decent components.
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X is still a great budget CPU for multitasking
Eight cores that still get the job done
The Ryzen 7 2700X is part of AMD’s 2018 Zen+ refresh, which replaced the 14nm process used for Zen chips with a more efficient 12nm one. Along with a handful of architectural improvements, this allowed the new generation to achieve higher clock speeds while consuming less power.
In the modern context, those performance improvements matter much less than the fact that Zen+ meets Microsoft’s requirements for official Windows 11 support, while The first generation Zen chips do not.
Thanks to its generous 8 cores, 16 threads, and a reasonable MSRP of $329 at launch, the Ryzen 7 2700X stood out as one of the best all-around chips for heavy workloads and gaming in 2018. Those strengths have helped it remain relevant for years; It’s actually quite comparable to the Ryzen 5 3600, which has a more modern architecture but two fewer physical cores.
In the aforementioned Gamers Nexus Mega Charts, the Ryzen 7 2700X is not present, but its slightly slower brother, the Ryzen 7 2700, is. It achieved 52 FPS in Dragon Dogma 266 FPS on star field53 FPS on Baldur’s Gate III171 FPS on F1 24and 277 FPS in rainbow six siege. It’s a respectable performance and you can expect a few percent more from the X variant.
In fact, I ran the Ryzen 7 2700X paired with an AMD RX 6600
The CPU can be found on the used market for around $50 or less, making it a great entry point into PC gaming.
One of the only drawbacks of the Ryzen 7 2700X is its relatively high power consumption, as it has a TDP of 105W.
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 proves that you don’t need expensive hardware to build a capable PC
A legendary budget processor that costs less than a dinner for two
I’ve already alluded to the Zen 1 chips and the fact that the previous two models surpass them while also offering official support for Windows 11, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t deserve a place on this list, with some important caveats, of course.
Specifically I want to talk about the Ryzen 5 1600, a CPU that is already 9 years old and is practically worth nothing on the second-hand market. I’ve found several listings for $20-$25 on eBay, but I’m sure you can find one for even less if you buy it as part of a complete system or motherboard combo.
So what does a CPU that costs less than a fast meal for two get you?
Surprisingly, quite a few. According to tests on Gamers Nexus Mega Charts, the Ryzen 5 1600 reaches 53 FPS in star field144 FPS on F1 24and 249 FPS in rainbow six siege.
Again, this is with an RTX 4090, so temper your expectations when pairing it with a cheaper graphics card.
That said, I think the Ryzen 5 1600 could be a wonderful CPU in a very affordable system for basic computing and light gaming, particularly esports titles.
You also get the benefits of pairing the chip with fast DDR4 RAM and a PCIe Gen. 3 NVMe SSD to get the most out of your system. And since it sits on the legendary AM4 socket, choosing a motherboard that supports first-generation Ryzen processors, like a B450 board, also gives you a great upgrade path once you have more powerful AM4 CPUs, like the Ryzen 5 5600X either Ryzen 7 5700X3Dprice drop. Just keep in mind that you may need to update an older BIOS that is still supported by your CPU, as some newer BIOS versions have stopped supporting first-generation Ryzen processors.
As for official Windows 11 support, while you can technically skip the requirements and still install the operating system, I recommend opting for a lightweight Linux distribution instead. If you don’t need Windows to work or just want to maximize performance, Linux makes the most sense because it generally runs better and uses fewer resources.
Intel Core i7-6700K is old, but still makes sense for the correct version of Linux
A players’ classic that is difficult to dismiss
The Intel Core i7-6700K came out in 2015, an era when Intel was undisputedly dominant in the CPU world. It was an incredibly powerful CPU at the time that marked the transition to DDR4 memory on major desktop platforms.
So, if you’re building a machine today, you can take advantage of incredibly cheap used DDR4 RAM to keep your rig costs to an absolute minimum. M.2 slots also became much more common around this time, which is a great option if your goal is to build a smooth, responsive machine for cheap.
Despite having only 4 cores and 8 threads, the i7-6700K is still a Surprisingly capable CPU even todaythanks to its excellent single-core performance and high overclocking potential.
YouTuber Technology Iceberg I tried an overclocked i7-6700K running at 4.5 GHz with an AMD RX 6900 XT in a variety of games.
The i7-6700K managed 299 FPS in Valorant at maximum settings of 1440p, 211 FPS in Counter-Strike 2 at 1440p low, 58 FPS in Starfield at 1080p medium, and 98 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p medium. Again, it’s hard to overstate how strong this is for an 11-year-old quad-core CPU.
It’s worth noting that compared to the AM4 platform, the LGA 1151 situation is much more complicated, so you can’t just use this CPU on any LGA 1151 motherboard. Basically, if you have or want to buy the i7-6700K, forget about having a significant future upgrade path.
This makes it even more painful because the i7-6700K is not officially supported by Windows 11, which automatically makes it a strong candidate for a Linux based machine.
These CPUs are still worth buying today, but temper your expectations
Buy an old CPU for work or play can make a lot of sense if you’re on a tight budget, but keep in mind that raw performance is far from the only thing that matters. Aside from the possible lack of support for Windows 11, these older chips are based on architectures that are old by modern standards and lack many of the features and optimizations found in newer CPUs.
That said, if you know what to expect from older hardware and can get a good deal on a working used model, one of these chips could end up serving you well for years to come.
