Best Intel CPU for a budget workstation build?

Question

Ive been building custom workstations for video editing for years but this new project is driving me crazy. My old 8700k is finally dying and struggling to handle 4k proxies in Premiere, and I need a replacement like yesterday. I have a strict 300 dollar limit for just the cpu because the rest of my budget went into storage. Im in the states so shipping isnt an issue, but looking at the current 13th and 14th gen instability reports has me totally paranoid about going Intel again. Is there actually a reliable chip around that price point, or am I just setting myself up for a crash in six months?

Future_Forge · Accepted Answer

Re: > Honestly, if you are that worried about instability, just skip the high-end stuff right now. Exactly what I was thinking. If you want to save cash and skip the headache, grab an Intel Core i5-12600K 10-core 4.9GHz. It is super solid, way cheaper than the new stuff, and handles 4k work easily. Just make sure you pair it with a decent board so you dont limit performance too much.

ThunderBolt88 · Answer

> Is there actually a reliable chip around that price point Honestly, I get the paranoia. I switched to a Intel Core i5-13600K 14-core 5.1GHz for my editing rig and haven't had issues since patching the microcode. It handles 4k like a champ. If you want to play it safer, the Intel Core i5-12600K 10-core 4.9GHz is older but basically rock solid for cheap. Just update your BIOS immediately and you'll be fine.