By now, you must have heard that AMD's upcoming Ryzen processor has been generating a lot of buzz to the point that preorders for some variants are already getting sold out at retailers such as Amazon. Intel chips appear to be bracing for impact and this can be seen in the pricing movements for the Core i7 and Core i5 chips in retail stores.
For example, you can now purchase the i7-6850K from Micro Center for $550, down from its $700 price. The $500 price for the 6800K version also got slashed by $140.
The price cuts have extended to midrange chips. Take the case of the 4.0 GHz Core i7-6700K, which now costs $260 from its original $400 price tag.
Prices vary from retailer to retailer. At Amazon, for example, the discounts are not as big. It is not yet clear if it is going to pick-up the trend as well. Nevertheless, you can now snag Intel's Kaby Lake i7-7700K for as low as $349 there as well as at NewEgg. Elsewhere that price is even cheaper, going as low as $299.
There is still no word if the price drops are going to be permanent and there is certainly no official statement yet coming from Intel's camp. The expectation, however, is that the low pricing could extend well into March when AMD Ryzen chips begin hitting the market.
AMD Ryzen
Intel's widely reported concern about Ryzen is not entirely unfounded. The upcoming chips are performing admirably, going toe-to-toe with their Intel counterparts in terms of performance but for a fraction of the price.
Take the case of the AMD Ryzen 7 1700X. Leaks reveal that it will deliver the same performance as Intel's high-end Core i7-6900K. The AMD chip, however, will only retail for $389. Even with the latest round of discounts, pricing still seems to be unbeatable.
It is important to note that the 1700X is considered mid- to high-tier in the Ryzen range. There are two higher-end processors above it: the Ryzen 7 1800 Pro and the AMD Ryzen 7 1800X. The latter has a $499 price point while the former is said to get an even lower value. These chips could still trounce the discounted pricing of the Intel high-end chips despite offering better performance.
There are some sources that say Intel is also addressing the AMD Ryzen threat by starting to promote its 8th-generation processors. Unfortunately, these chips are expected to be released in the second half of 2017.
