Intel’s Desktop CPU Prices Drop to New Lows for Black Friday

Black Friday is undoubtedly the best time to snag deals on PC parts, and this year, there’s a bounty of CPUs available at amazing prices. I’ve been a die-hard AMD fan, sticking with Team Red for quite some time now. But I fully understand why loads of gamers lean towards Intel. Whether it’s the smoother upgrade path from their existing setup or simply scoring some impressive discounts, Intel tends to have some advantages.

Now, speaking of discounts, you definitely shouldn’t miss out on the Black Friday deals for Core i5, i7, and i9 chips. My focus has been mainly on the 12th Gen processors since they seem to offer the best bang for your buck. Despite newer models hitting the market recently, the gaming performance hasn’t drastically changed. That being said, 14th Gen CPUs are also selling at reduced prices, making them hard to ignore.

Let me paint a picture of these sweet deals: right now, you can grab the Core i5-12600K for just $150 at Newegg, while the Core i7-12700K is only slightly higher at $188. And for those craving top-tier performance, the Core i9-12900K has dropped to $255.

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Best Buy is offering huge savings on video games and accessories. Meanwhile, Walmart has early reductions across almost every category you can think of, and Target is already rolling out live deals on a ton of products. Dell is slashing prices on laptops, gaming PCs, and accessories, while HP is also cutting costs on laptops, desktops, and more. Lenovo has doorbuster deals on all kinds of PCs and accessories too. Over at Newegg, you can still find fantastic savings on PC gaming accessories and components. Razer is even throwing in free shipping for a limited period, and Samsung’s holiday deals on laptops, TVs, and phones are already live. Lastly, Amazon has a constantly changing roster of sales on pretty much everything you could want.

## Record Discount Prices on Intel Chips Might Lure You Away from AMD

In the eight years I’ve been tracking deals for Windows Central, Black Friday stands out as the prime time to get the best prices on PC upgrade parts, including CPUs. Although we’re still a couple of days out from the big day itself, the major deals are already making an appearance.

This year, AMD is taking the stage with a lot of buzz around their Ryzen 7800X3D and 9800X3D. Yet, these CPUs haven’t seen any price cuts, and the 9800X3D isn’t available at all right now. This lack of discount is prompting gamers to explore alternative options. For those Team Red loyalists, I’ve compiled a separate article on top AMD Ryzen discounts, particularly alternatives to the 7800X3D, which I highly recommend checking out.

Switching gears to Intel, the 12th Gen Core desktop CPUs still hold their ground today. Their gaming performance hasn’t seen major shifts even with new chip launches. Over the past weeks, I’ve been assisting friends in piecing together discounted PC setups and will certainly need to tweak some recommendations based on these outstanding prices we’ve just stumbled upon.

The Core i5-12600K can be snagged for its lowest-ever price at $149.99 if you apply the code BFEDY2A35 at checkout on Newegg. If you’re strategizing on where to save in your build, this processor offers strong gaming performance without breaking the bank. And if a newer chip catches your eye, the Core i5-14600K is down to just $215, another record low.

Moving to the mid-range, the Core i7-12700K has hit a fresh low at $187 on Amazon. It comes with more cores and threads for improved multitasking, pairing wonderfully with more robust GPUs. Although the new Core i7-14700K hasn’t matched its lowest price yet, it’s only $10 over the previous low from July 2024, currently priced at $340 at Best Buy.

And then there’s the powerhouse, the Intel Core i9-12900K, now at its lowest recorded price: $254.99. Use the discount code BFEDY2A34 at Newegg during checkout. This might be more horsepower than many will need, but for multitasking and gaming performance enthusiasts, this chip is a compelling choice. Meanwhile, the newer Intel Core i9-14900K is boasting a hefty discount as well, now at $424.99 at Newegg.

All 12th, 13th, and 14th Gen desktop CPUs from Intel use the LGA1700 socket, supporting both DDR4 and DDR5 RAM. This means even if you pick an older model with future upgrades in mind, you won’t need to swap your motherboard or memory.

As for Intel’s latest Core Ultra desktop chips, including the Core Ultra 9 285K reviewed earlier, they’ve moved to a new socket. However, I wouldn’t rush to recommend them for gaming just yet. Intel’s latest focus seems to have been on improving productivity performance, with gaming not seeing a notable leap compared to the 14th Gen options.

## Are There Any Good Black Friday Deals on AMD CPUs?

This Black Friday, AMD and Intel are both fiercely competing to offer the most wallet-friendly CPUs, turning it into a perfect opportunity for an upgrade.

However, two of AMD’s most sought-after gaming CPUs aren’t seeing discounts. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D remains at its usual $459, and the brand-new Ryzen 7 9800X3D is out of stock, just a few weeks after hitting shelves.

For those still loyal to AMD, I’m recommending the solid deals on the Ryzen 5 7600X and Ryzen 9 7900X. The Ryzen 5 7600X is now $194.99 at Newegg, and it comes with a complimentary 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD from Team Group, as long as you use code BFEDY2A33 at checkout.

On the other hand, the Ryzen 9 7900X has dropped to $326.99 at Newegg with the code BFDDY2A84 at checkout. While the Ryzen 5 7600X meets most gaming needs, the Ryzen 9 offers better productivity performance with its extra cores, making it an attractive upgrade option.