It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost four years since Intel’s 11th generation of processors hit the market. So don’t be surprised when we refer to them as legacy. But even though they’re old, some of them are still usable in 2024, and we’ve rounded them up for you.

Which processor to buy? Here are 8 legacy processors still worth buying in 2024

When you’re planning to build a new PC, you can choose one of these processors to save your budget without sacrificing performance. The latest and greatest processors are always the best, but we’ve put together a nice list to help you build a budget-friendly system that doesn’t require high speeds.

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X:

Released in 2020, the 12-core AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a highly capable processor for today’s workloads. Overclockable up to 4.8GHz, it can handle heavy tasks like image editing and gaming. The lack of DDR5 RAM support can be a drawback, but you can find affordable DDR4 RAM.

Intel Core i9-12900K:

Introduced in 2021, the Intel Core i9-12900K has 16 cores (8 P-core and 8 E-core) and 24 threads to handle today’s games and software. If found at an affordable price, it’s a great choice, especially for enthusiast users.

Intel Core i9-11900K:

The Intel Core i9-11900K bridges the gap between the 10th and 12th generation Intel processors, but offers enough performance for heavy software. With 8 cores and 16 threads, even heavy tasks like video editing are no problem.

AMD Ryzen 5 3600:

Launched in 2019, the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is rated as the best value processor of its generation. With 6 cores, it’s still a good choice for building a good PC even in 2024.

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X:

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X has been a huge success in the market, beating the competition in terms of performance and value. With 6 cores and a maximum speed of 4.6GHz, it remains popular as a low-priced processor.

AMD Ryzen 7 5700G:

With integrated Radeon graphics, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G is still a good option for those looking to build a low-power PC or home lab server.

Intel Core i5-12400F:

Coming without integrated graphics, the Intel Core i5-12400F is a great choice for gaming. With 6 cores, it can work with many modern games and GPUs.

Intel Core i5-12600K:

Coming with the 12th Generation Intel series, the Intel Core i5-12600K is a powerful processor that competes with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X. Thanks to its 10 cores and the combination of P-core and E-core, it offers high performance while saving power.

Which processor to buy depends on your budget and needs. But with strong performance even in 2024, these older processors are great options to consider when building a new system or upgrading your existing one.