Intel Reacts To AMD Ryzen Apparently Cutting Prices On Core i7 And i5 Processors

It's hard to believe that we're mere days away from the official launching of AMD's first Ryzen processors. It's been a long wait, but an even longer one if you think back to a time when the world got this excited about a new CPU launch. To call Ryzen "disruptive" even before launch seems apt, but all we can do right now is wait for the reviews to go live (and of course here at HH) to see just how well it will perform under pressure.

With all the benchmark leaks and AMD teases that we have seen regarding Ryzen so far, it should come as no surprise that Intel should be concerned about how this will affect the sales of its processor lineup. So, what we're seeing now are a bunch of Intel processors dropping in price, perhaps as a bit of a preemptive strike against AMD's chips shipping later this week - though admittedly it's still a bit too early to tell.

Over at Amazon, the prices have been slower to fall, but we'd highly recommend that you keep an eye on the following pages, if you are looking for a good deal this week. So far, at Micro Center we've seen the beefy six-core Intel Core i7-6850K (3.60GHz) drop from $700 to $550, and the i7-6800K (3.40GHz) drop down to $360, from $500. Again, this linked Amazon pricing isn't as aggressive, however. 

Also, some mid-range chips are receiving price cuts as well. Those include the i7-6700K, a 4.0GHz chip dropping from $400 to $260, and the i5-6600K, a 3.50GHz quad-core part  dropping from $270 to $180. Even Intel's latest and greatest Kaby Lake-based i7-7700K has experienced a drop, from $380 to $299, with places like Amazon and NewEgg retailing for $349.

It will be interesting to see if more follow suit over the week, and after Ryzen breaks through the embargo wall like the Kool-Aid man. These sporadic price cuts by retailers often foreshadow permanent price cuts from the manufacturer, so if you don't currently see the price drops in effect at your favorite etailer, definitely keep your eyes peeled for changes. Of course, nothing has been officially confirmed by Intel, though these pricing trends are certainly encouraging.