CPU Price Watch: Intel Coffee Lake, AMD Ryzen
We’ve seen the CPU market undergo rapid alterations in 2017, as the battle between AMD and Intel reached a level of ferocity not seen the Phenom II days of 2010. This change in the previously calm CPU market kicked off with the release of AMD’s Ryzen CPUs in March, and will now only escalate with the launch of Intel’s Coffee Lake CPUs.
Ryzen has so far proven highly successful, and AMD’s pricing of Ryzen SKUs has put significant pressure on Intel. Specifically, AMD has sought to undercut Intel’s performance-competitive Kaby Lake CPUs, which in turn has lead Intel to drop its CPU prices.
Kaby Lake is now on the verge of being replaced by Intel’s new Coffee Lake CPUs, which have higher core counts than their immediate predecessors. Launched on October 5, Coffee Lake is now available from several retailers, but select models will be hard to obtain.
The i7-8700K Coffee Lake flagship chip is exclusively available from Newegg as of October 6, and it’s currently sold out. The i7-8700 is available from more retailers, but it’s also sold out everywhere. The i5-8600K is sold out on Amazon, and although it’s available from Newegg, the online retailer has indicated that there is a limit of one per customer and that the CPU will not ship for 15 to 20 days. The less expensive Core i3-8100 is also sold out on Amazon but is available on Newegg.
With several models sold out, this could point to a supply shortage of the new CPUs. To assist you with shopping for a new Ryzen or Coffee Lake CPU, we have listed where you can buy all of these processors for the least amount of money. We will endeavour to keep this list updated, and to keep you informed of any new developments in the CPU price game.
| CPU/Current Price | Starting Price | Cores/Threads @ Clock Speed | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMD Ryzen 3 1200 w/Wraith Stealth | $109 | 4/4 @ 3.1GHz | ✗ |
| AMD Ryzen 3 1300X w/Wraith Stealth | $129 | 4/4 @ 3.4GHz | Read The Review |
| AMD Ryzen 5 1400 w/Wraith Stealth | $169 | 4/8 @ 3.2GHz | ✗ |
| Ryzen 5 1500X | $189 | 4/8 @ 3.5GHz | Read The Review |
| AMD Ryzen 5 1600 w/Wraith Spire | $219 | 6/12 @ 3.2GHz | Read The Review |
| Ryzen 5 1600X | $249 | 6/12 @ 3.6GHz | Read The Review |
| Ryzen 7 1700 | $330 | 8/16 @ 3.0GHz | Read The Review |
| Ryzen 7 1700X | $400 | 8/16 @ 3.4GHz | Read The Review |
| Ryzen 7 1800X | $500 | 8/16 @ 3.6GHz | Read The Review |
| AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1900X | $550 | 8/16 @ 3.8GHz | ✗ |
| AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X | $800 | 12/24 @ 3.5GHz | Read The Review |
| Ryzen Threadripper 1950X | $1000 | 16/32 @ 3.4GHz | Read The Review |
| Core i3-8100 | $117 | 4/4 @ 3.6GHz | ✗ |
| Core i3-8350K | $168 | 4/4 @ 4.0GHz | ✗ |
| Core i5-8400 | $182 | 6/6 @ 2.8GHz | ✗ |
| Core i5-8600K | $257 | 6/6 @ 3.6GHz | ✗ |
| Core i7-8700 -- Sold Out | $303 | 6/12 @ 3.2GHz | ✗ |
| Intel Core i7-8700K -- Sold Out | $359 | 6/12 @ 3.7GHz | Read The Review |
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misousa I dont. Its these guys who support AMD. I pitty AMD because for most cases its way better to buy a 6 core i5 8600k for 257$ than a Ryzen 1700 for 330$. And the i5 has more overclocking potencial. I really wanted AMD to win this round I was even willing to loose perfomance just to support AMD but with this price diference its impossible for me to pay a lot more for less perfomance. We really need competion. Thanks AMD for trying and keep doing it.Reply -
dladouceurd Whats up with the 800 and 1000$ ryzen 5Reply
AMD Ryzen 5 1400 w/Wraith Stealth ($164.99 On Newegg)
$800
12/24 @ 3.5GHz
Read The Review
AMD Ryzen 5 1400 w/Wraith Stealth ($164.99 On Newegg)
$1000 -
alextheblue I normally ignore minor price discrepancies because I know they fluctuate but that Ryzen 1700 price is out of whack. It can be had "on sale" right now on Newegg, Amazon, et al for $295 (WITH Spire LED cooler), but even IF it goes off sale it still won't reach $344. Most likely the Ryzen price cuts will largely be made permanent. I don't think this is unusual or unexpected in this industry. Something new comes along, prices adjust.Reply
Well first, the 1700 is not $330 anymore, see above. Second, if someone is looking at the 8600K, and they were planning on doing heavy multitasking/streaming/otherwise need more threads, Ryzen 7 is still a potential competitor, as is a locked i7 8700 (both can be used effectively with a cheaper mainboard to bring price fairly close).20246775 said:I dont. Its these guys who support AMD. I pitty AMD because for most cases its way better to buy a 6 core i5 8600k for 257$ than a Ryzen 1700 for 330$. And the i5 has more overclocking potencial. I really wanted AMD to win this round I was even willing to loose perfomance just to support AMD but with this price diference its impossible for me to pay a lot more for less perfomance. We really need competion. Thanks AMD for trying and keep doing it.
Otherwise, if you're not using your system for heavily threaded workloads: I could argue "for most cases" you'd REALLY be better off with a locked i5/i3 or a Ryzen 5/3 - stick the extra money into graphics. Again, you save on the board too whether you go Intel or AMD. The unlocked Intel chips are really darned expensive, and you pay the overclocking tax again with the Z board. Hmm... I think I'm gonna start calling it the "K & Z Fee". -
mntrapper IF you happen to be close enough to one, Micro Center has the Ryzen 1800X for $349.99 (In store only). Now I just need to decide what LCS to use with it.Reply -
almostdecent Not sure about these prices frankly. Not hard to find Ryzen 1700x for $270, and 1600x for $180-$190.Reply -
IInuyasha74 Reply20247414 said:Not sure about these prices frankly. Not hard to find Ryzen 1700x for $270, and 1600x for $180-$190.
If you are able to find either at those prices or below the prices listed above, please post a long. -
almostdecent Sure thing. This is for 1700x. Bought at Fry's and use code in link: https://express.google.com/product/1676787581619227786_14862751189209440117_6136318Reply