Ryzen 5 5500vsi3-12100F
AMD
Ryzen 5 5500
₹8,499
Intel
i3-12100F
₹8,500
₹8,499 against ₹8,500. These two cost the same rupee, and the choice is genuinely about what you do with the PC - not which is 'better'. The 5500 gives you 6 cores and 12 threads; the 12100F gives you 4 cores and 8 threads that are individually faster.
For pure 1080p gaming with a budget card, the 12100F usually feels better - games still lean on per-core speed and its Alder Lake cores are quicker. For anything that runs many things at once, streaming, browser tabs by the dozen, light editing, the 5500's two extra cores earn their keep.
The real decision, though, is the platform underneath. The 5500 is AM4 - a mature, cheap, DDR4 platform at the end of its road; upgrades stop at 5700X3D. The 12100F is LGA1700 with DDR4 or DDR5 boards, which lets you start on cheap DDR4 and move to a 14400F or 14600K later without changing memory. If this build is a stepping stone, the Intel side has more room. If it is a complete machine on a hard budget, AM4 is the cheaper total.
At this price the CPU is barely half the decision. An AM4 build on a cheap B450 with DDR4 is usually the lowest total cost in India today, and boards are everywhere. LGA1700 asks slightly more up front but keeps DDR5 and a real upgrade path open. Price the CPU and board together before you decide - the ₹1 difference between these chips is noise.
Faster cores where games actually use them. Four cores is enough for gaming alone with a budget GPU.
Six cores handle browser tabs, Discord, a stream and a game at once far better than four.
LGA1700 lets you drop in a 14400F or 14600K later. AM4 tops out and then needs a whole new platform.
For gaming alone the i3-12100F usually edges it, because games favour its faster individual cores. The 5500's advantage appears when you are doing other things alongside the game - streaming, recording, or heavy multitasking.
The 5500, generally. AM4 boards with DDR4 are the cheapest complete platform available here. LGA1700 costs a little more up front but supports DDR5 and much stronger future CPUs.
For gaming with a budget GPU, yes, though it is the floor rather than a comfortable position. If you stream, keep many applications open, or plan to keep the machine for years, six cores is the safer choice.
Yes, both come with a stock cooler adequate for their 62-65W ratings. Neither needs an aftermarket cooler unless noise bothers you.
Ryzen 5 5500
Sub-₹10K six-core — the cheapest sensible AM4 chip. No PCIe 4.0. Pair with RX 6600 or RTX 3060 for max ₹50K builds.
i3-12100F
The cheapest modern quad-core. Excellent for budget builds under 40K. DDR4 compatible keeps platform cost low.