The desktop processor market is teeming with offers from all sides. AMD’s hex-core Ryzen 5 5600X is just $209 while the octa-core Ryzen 7 5800X retails for $319. High-end SKUs such as the Ryzen 9 5900X and the 5950X are also at their lowest prices since launch. The former is priced at $369 and the latter at $519 on Microcenter. This puts them below Intel’s Core i7-12700K and Core i9-12900K, price-wise at least:
The Intel Core i7-12700K is discounted to $349, while the Core i9-12900K is also heavily discounted by $100 off its introductory MSRP of $549.
Overall, this is a great opportunity for gamers and content creators. For the former, the Core i9-12900K is the better choice while the latter is better off with the multi-threaded grunt of the Ryzen 9 5950X.
As AMD and Intel prepare to launch their next-gen Ryzen 7000 and 13th Gen Raptor Lake processors respectively, this is one of those times when upgrading will be as cheap as it gets. While the Zen 4 family is a big step up from the existing Ryzen 5000 components, Intel’s next-gen CPUs will be something of a refresh, retaining the same core architecture and socket.
