Intel CPU prices are nosediving right now - here’s why
Going down
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Right now there’s a curious phenomenon in which the prices for Intel processors have been steadily declining – with some at their cheapest prices ever. Three of thebest processorsare enjoying some stellar price drops: theIntel Core i9 14900K,Core i7 14700K, andCore i5 14600K.
TheIntel Core i9 14900K is on sale for $527.69, theIntel Core i7 14700K is selling for $369.99, and theIntel Core i5 14600K is priced at $288.99. The first and last two are at their lowest prices ever, and the second one is close to it.
The 14900K offers an impressive 24-cores (eight P-cores and 16 E-cores) that greatly boost performance though you’ll need to invest in a high-quality CPU cooler. The 14700K features a still excellent 20 cores (eight P-cores and 12 E-cores), making for a great mid-range option. Finally, we have the far more budget-minded 14600K with 16 cores (six P-cores and eight E-cores), a solid choice for gaming and content creation.
Why is this happening?
There are several possible reasons for this huge price drop, with one major factor being theongoing stability issueswith Intel’s 13th and 14th-gen processors.
Though the tech giant is currently pushing down amicrocode updatefor the problem – more of apreventive measurethan an actual fix — those whose cards have been permanently damaged have no recourse. This could naturally make buyers hesitant to invest in these chips, slowing sales.
There’s also some serious competition fromAMD’s Zen 5 launch, as these chips are quite powerful and have significantly closed the performance gap – even surpassing it in some cases. And even in the current gen, the Core i9-14900K is crushed by theAMD Ryzen 7 7800X3Din terms of gaming. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips, as seen in recent AI PCs like theDell XPS 13or theMicrosoft Surface Laptop 7,have also been met with great success in terms of both performance and efficiency.
Third, Intel will be releasing its new product lineups, with theIntel Arrow Lake desktop processorspossibly launching as early as October 17, 2024, and theLunar Lake serieswith enhanced AI processors coming to laptops sometime in 2024. So retailers like Amazon could be dropping prices to clear up stock in preparation for the new chips.
Today’s best Intel CPU deals
Intel Core i9-14900K:was $649.99 now$527.69 on AmazonRight now the Intel Core i9-14900K is at its lowest price ever, with the best performance in class among its peers. It can be overclocked as high as 6.0GHz while maintaining a pretty low idle power usage. However, the biggest complaint is its lack of true improvement over the previous gen’s chips.
Intel Core i7-14700K:was $329.99 now$199.99 on AmazonEasily the best chip from Intel’s Raptor Lake lineup, with the strongest gaming performance for an Intel chip, and thus competitive against AMD’s best CPUs. And, unlike the i9, this chip receives a substantive spec upgrade over its predecessor, though it can run quite hot as a result of its performance.
Intel Core i5-14600K:was $329.99 now$199.99 on AmazonThough its initial issues at launch include the fact that it’s barely superior to the previous gen, the price drop makes this chip far more attractive as a purchase thanks to still solid performance that’s well suited for both gaming and creative work.
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Named by the CTA as a CES 2023 Media Trailblazer, Allisa is a Computing Staff Writer who covers breaking news and rumors in the computing industry, as well as reviews, hands-on previews, featured articles, and the latest deals and trends. In her spare time you can find her chatting it up on her two podcasts, Megaten Marathon and Combo Chain, as well as playing any JRPGs she can get her hands on.
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