Intel’s Desktop CPUs Reach Unprecedented Low Prices for Black Friday

Black Friday is the perfect opportunity to snag some great deals on PC parts, especially if you’re considering a CPU upgrade. While I’ve often sided with AMD in the past, I know plenty of gamers have a soft spot for Intel. Whether it’s because Intel chips provide a smoother upgrade path if you’re working with an existing setup or simply because they’re often priced more competitively, there’s a lot to consider.

If you’re hunting for bargains, the current Black Friday pricing on Intel’s Core i5, i7, and i9 is definitely worth exploring. This year, I’ve zeroed in on the 12th Gen processors as they’re offered at incredible prices. While newer generations have hit the market, gaming performance has been relatively consistent. However, if you’re interested in the latest, there are discounts on 14th Gen CPUs too.

For example, the Core i5-12600K is slashed to just $150 at Newegg, while the Core i7-12700K is a bit pricier at $188. If you’re aiming for top-tier performance, the Core i9-12900K is now a steal at $255.

### 🔥 Must Check Black Friday Deals 🔥

Black Friday is not just about CPUs. Retail giants like Best Buy, Walmart, and Amazon are rolling out deals, offering substantial savings on video games, accessories, laptops, gaming PCs, and more. Lenovo and HP have enticing deals on desktops and monitors, while Newegg is the go-to for PC gaming accessories and components.

### Intel’s Record-Breaking Prices Might Tempt AMD Fans

Through my years of reporting on deals at Windows Central, Black Friday has proven to be the time to maximize savings on PC upgrades like CPUs. Right now, the big buzz is around AMD’s Ryzen 7800X3D and 9800X3D, but those aren’t seeing discounts or, in some cases, aren’t even in stock. If you’re with Team Red, I suggest you look at alternative AMD Ryzen deals I’ve covered elsewhere.

Over the years, Intel’s 12th Gen processors have held their ground, keeping up well with gaming demands despite new chip releases. Recently, as I was helping friends shop for affordable PC parts, I had to revise my recommendations thanks to these incredible deals.

If you aim for budget-friendly yet powerful performance, the Core i5-12600K is now just $149.99 at Newegg. Just use code BFEDY2A35 at checkout. It’s a smart choice if you want to allocate some budget to other PC areas without compromising on gaming power. Looking for the newest? The Core i5-14600K has dropped to $215.

For those wanting a bit more power, the Core i7-12700K is now at a new low of $187 on Amazon. It offers additional cores and threads, enhancing multitasking capabilities and complementing more powerful graphics cards. Meanwhile, the more recent Core i7-14700K hasn’t set a new low yet, but it’s $340 at Best Buy—just $10 off its earlier price.

The powerhouse Core i9-12900K is also at its lowest, priced at $254.99 if you apply the code BFEDY2A34 at Newegg. While it may be excessive for many, if you’re after the highest multitasking and gaming prowess, this chip is unbeatable. The newer Core i9-14900K is seeing a considerable discount as well, down to $424.99 at Newegg.

A remarkable feature of Intel’s 12th, 13th, and 14th Gen desktop CPUs is their use of the same LGA1700 socket, which means they support both DDR4 and DDR5 RAM. This setup offers flexibility for future upgrades without the need to swap out your motherboard or memory.

While Intel’s latest Core Ultra desktop chips, like the Core Ultra 9 285K, have introduced a new socket, they’re really optimized for productivity rather than gaming, so I’m not recommending them just yet for gaming rigs.

### Are AMD’s Black Friday Deals Better?

This Black Friday, both Intel and AMD are vying for your dollars with competitive pricing on CPUs. While it’s an excellent time to buy, two of the most sought-after AMD gaming processors aren’t seeing discounts. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is holding firm at around $459, and the newly launched Ryzen 7 9800X3D is sold out.

For those sticking with AMD, the Ryzen 5 7600X and Ryzen 9 7900X are worth a look. The Ryzen 5 is marked down to $194.99 at Newegg, and you get a bonus of a 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD from Team Group—just use the code BFEDY2A33 at checkout. The Ryzen 9 7900X can be had for $326.99 at Newegg when you enter the code BFDDY2A84. While the Ryzen 5 will suit most gamers, the Ryzen 9 is a solid choice for those who need more cores for productivity tasks.