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Custom Intel gaming computers powered by Core i5, i7 and i9 processors — paired with NVIDIA RTX graphics for consistently excellent gaming performance across 1080p, 1440p and 4K. Hand-built in the UK, 24-hour stress-tested, with a 2-year warranty and free insured delivery.
Complete builds from £749
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Intel Core processors have led gaming builds for years thanks to strong single-thread performance, broad motherboard and memory compatibility, and excellent video encoding for streamers. The Core i5-14600K remains one of the best gaming CPUs at its price in 2026, and the Core i9-14900K still delivers top-tier 4K performance when paired with a flagship GPU.
£749+
Intel builds from
DDR5
Memory standard
24h
Stress test
2 yr
Warranty
For content creators who also game, Intel's Quick Synchardware video encoder is a real advantage — high-quality, low-overhead encoding that frees up CPU cores for your game and avoids stealing GPU headroom from NVIDIA's NVENC.
Pick your tier
The right Intel chip depends on resolution, refresh rate and what you're doing alongside the game. Here's how the tiers map to real-world use at Forge:
Inside the build
Best for 1080p high-refresh esports and AAA. Locked CPU keeps the build cool, quiet and great value.
Inside the build
The Intel sweet spot — fast enough to feed a 4070 Super at 1440p high-refresh without breaking the bank.
Inside the build
Plenty of cores for streaming + game on one PC. Excellent at 1440p ultra and capable at 4K high.
Inside the build
Maxed-out 4K, high-refresh ultra, and serious creator workloads on one machine.
All four tiers are fully customisable in the PC configurator— live pricing, live compatibility checking, no upsell pop-ups.
Indicative FPS
Average in-game FPS · 1440p high settings
IndicativeIntel vs AMD
Both platforms are excellent for gaming in 2026 — the question is which fits your specific needs. Here's when an Intel CPU gaming PC tends to be the better buy:
High street pre-built
Pure-gaming, value-led, low power
Custom Forge build
Streamers, productivity + gaming, broader value
Streaming on Intel
Intel's on-die Quick Sync video encoder offloads OBS encoding from both your CPU cores and your NVIDIA GPU. The result: cleaner streams at lower bitrates, no GPU headroom lost to NVENC, and far less CPU load even on demanding modern games. For solo streamers on a single PC, an Intel Core i7-14700K or i9-14900K Forge build is one of the most painless paths to high-quality Twitch and YouTube streams. See our dedicated streaming PCs guide for full configurations.
Upgrade path
All current Forge Intel builds use the LGA1700 socket, which supports Intel's 12th, 13th and 14th Generation Core processors. If you start on a Core i5-14400F today, you can swap to a Core i7-14700K or i9-14900K later without replacing the motherboard, RAM or cooler (assuming the cooler is sized for the higher-tier chip — we'll confirm at order time).
Custom Intel build vs pre-built
Pre-built Intel gaming PCs from large retailers often pair a marquee i7 with weak supporting components — single-channel RAM, a cheap PSU, and a closed-front case. The result is a CPU that's thermally throttling within minutes of a real game session. A custom-built Forge Intel PC matches the chip with proper cooling, dual-channel DDR5, an airflow-first case, and a PSU with real upgrade headroom — so the i5, i7 or i9 actually performs the way Intel intended.
Configure your Intel build
Use the step-by-step PC configuratorto start from any of the four recipes above and tweak every part — live pricing, compatibility checked as you go — or jump into the 60-second quick-startif you'd like a guided spec instead.
Common questions
Yes — Intel's 14th Gen Core processors deliver excellent single-thread performance which most games rely on. The Core i5-14600K is one of the best gaming CPUs you can buy at its price, and the i7-14700K and i9-14900K compete with the very top of the AMD stack at 1440p and 4K.
For pure value, the Intel Core i5-14600K is the pick — it feeds an RTX 4070 Super or RTX 4080 at 1440p without bottlenecking. For a no-compromise build, the Core i9-14900K paired with an RTX 4090 is one of the fastest 4K gaming CPUs money can buy.
Choose by resolution and refresh rate. An Intel Core i5-14400F or i5-14600K is more than enough for 1080p high-refresh and most 1440p gaming. The Core i7-14700K is the sweet spot for 1440p high-refresh and entry-level streaming. The i9-14900K is for 4K, very high refresh, or game-and-stream on a single PC.
LGA1700 supports 12th, 13th and 14th Gen Intel Core processors. Intel has moved newer chips to a different socket, but if you order a Forge Intel build today, you can upgrade to a higher-tier 14th Gen CPU later without replacing the motherboard.
Yes. All current Intel 12th, 13th and 14th Gen builds default to DDR5 memory for maximum bandwidth and future upgradability. We can spec DDR4 on certain entry-level builds where the saving is genuinely meaningful — we'll tell you which is the better buy at your budget.
AMD's X3D CPUs (Ryzen 7 7800X3D, 9800X3D) currently lead pure gaming benchmarks at 1080p and high refresh. Intel wins on price-to-performance in the i5 tier, on Quick Sync streaming, on broad memory and motherboard compatibility, and on multi-threaded workloads outside gaming. For most gamers either platform is excellent — at Forge we'll recommend whichever genuinely suits your games and budget.
Quick Sync is a hardware video encoder built into Intel CPUs. It produces high-quality streams to Twitch, YouTube and OBS recordings without using your GPU's encoder, which means you keep more GPU headroom for the game itself. For solo streamers on a single PC, Intel can be the better pick over AMD for this reason alone.
Higher-tier K-series Intel chips (i7-14700K, i9-14900K) draw a lot of power and need proper cooling. Every Forge Intel build is sized with the right cooler — typically a 240mm or 360mm AIO on i7K and i9K builds — and stress-tested for 24 hours to make sure thermals are sane under sustained load.
5 to 7 working days from order is typical. That includes hand-assembly, cable management, BIOS update, OS install, and a 24-hour stress test. We send a photo of your finished build before it ships.
Keep reading
Why Ryzen X3D is the gamer's value pick — and when Intel wins instead.
Read moreWhy Intel's Quick Sync makes single-PC streaming so much easier.
Read moreCore i5-14600K — the price-to-performance king for 240Hz competitive.
Read moreCore i5 / i7 + RTX 4070 Super — the 1440p sweet spot.
Read moreCore i9 + RTX 4090 4K flagships.
Read moreHow bespoke building works at Forge — every build is custom.
Read moreQuick Sync streaming, raster muscle, LGA1700 upgrade path — configured to your exact game library.
2-year warranty · free UK delivery · UK built & tested
From £749 · Klarna & Clearpay