Black Friday’s here, and if you’re looking to upgrade your PC, it’s the perfect time to snag some deals on CPUs. As someone who’s been loyal to AMD’s Team Red for quite some time, I totally get why many gamers are drawn to Intel. Maybe it’s the simpler upgrade path from your current setup, or perhaps it’s the great discounts you often find with Intel processors.
Speaking of discounts, the Black Friday deals on Intel’s Core i5, i7, and i9 chips are too good to miss. I’ve zeroed in on the 12th Gen processors since they offer the best prices, and in terms of gaming performance, they’re still holding strong even with the newer models released over the last couple of years. The 14th Gen CPUs are also seeing some price cuts.
Right now, you can grab the Core i5-12600K for $150 at Newegg, and if you’re looking for a bit more power, the Core i7-12700K is just a tad higher at $188. For those who want top-tier performance, the Core i9-12900K has dropped to $255.
🔥 The Hottest Black Friday Deals 🔥
- Best Buy: Big savings across video games, accessories, and more!
- Walmart: Early discounts on nearly everything.
- Target: Live deals on a wide array of products.
- Dell: Excellent offers on laptops, gaming PCs, and more.
- HP: Major savings on laptops, desktops, and accessories.
- Lenovo: Doorbuster deals on PCs, monitors, and more.
- Newegg: Discounts on PC gaming gear, parts, and more.
- Razer: Enjoy free shipping for a limited period.
- Samsung: Live holiday discounts on laptops, TVs, phones.
- Amazon: Constantly updating sales on a vast selection of items.
Record Discount Prices on Intel Chips Might Tempt You Away from AMD
After eight years of hunting deals for Windows Central, I can tell you, Black Friday is hands down the best time to score on PC upgrades, especially CPUs. We’re not even at Friday yet, and the hot deals are rolling in fast.
AMD’s been getting a lot of buzz, mainly because of the interest in the Ryzen 7800X3D and 9800X3D. However, these aren’t discounted right now (and you can’t even find the latter), pushing many gamers to look elsewhere for an upgrade. I’ve detailed some top AMD Ryzen alternatives to the 7800X3D in another article, which is a must-read for Team Red fans.
Now, looking at Intel, the 12th Gen Core CPUs are still strong contenders given that gaming performance changes have been minimal lately. After helping friends hunt for discounted PC components, I’m rethinking my recommendations based on the awesome prices popping up.
The Core i5-12600K has hit an all-time low at $149.99—just make sure to use the code BFEDY2A35 at Newegg. It’s a fantastic choice if you want solid gaming performance while saving some cash for other PC components. Interested in a newer chip? The Core i5-14600K is also down to a record-low $215.
Meanwhile, the Core i7-12700K is posting new low prices at $187 via Amazon. It offers more cores and threads, making it ideal for multitasking and pairing with more robust GPUs. The newer Core i7-14700K hasn’t hit any all-time lows as yet, but it’s close, available for $340 at Best Buy.
For those seeking ultimate power, the Core i9-12900K is at its lowest—$254.99 at Newegg, but remember to enter code BFEDY2A34 at checkout. It might be overkill for some, but if you’re after superior multitasking and gaming capabilities, it’s worth the spend. Additionally, the Core i9-14900K has seen a hefty reduction, now $424.99 at Newegg.
The neat part? Intel’s 12th, 13th, and 14th Gen desktop CPUs all use the LGA1700 socket and support DDR4/DDR5 RAM. This means you can opt for an older chip now and easily upgrade later without swapping out your motherboard or RAM.
As for Intel’s latest Core Ultra desktop chips (including the Core Ultra 9 285K), which have switched to a new socket, I’m not recommending them for gaming right now. Intel’s focus seems to be more on productivity with these, and gaming gains over the 14th Gen just aren’t there yet.
Any Good Black Friday Deals on AMD CPUs?
AMD and Intel are fiercely competing for the best-priced CPUs this Black Friday, making it a stellar time to upgrade your PC.
Though, if you’re after two of the most sought-after AMD gaming CPUs, you might be out of luck. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D isn’t discounted, priced around $459, and the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is sold out everywhere not long after launch.
For AMD enthusiasts, I suggest checking out the deals on the Ryzen 5 7600X and Ryzen 9 7900X. The Ryzen 5 is down to $194.99 at Newegg, sweetened by a free 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD from Team Group—just use code BFEDY2A33 at checkout.
Meanwhile, the Ryzen 9 7900X dropped to $326.99 at Newegg when using code BFDDY2A84 at checkout. While the Ryzen 5 caters well to most gaming needs, the Ryzen 9 offers a productivity performance boost with those extra cores.
