To compete with AMD’s Zen 3-based Ryzen 5000 processors, Intel has lowered the price of its Core 10 processors, and it has done so in such an aggressive way that has left us very surprised.
In certain ranges, Core 10 processors have dropped so much in price that they now offer a good value. However, if you compare the level of performance offered by the AM4 platform and the LGA1200 platform at their most affordable levels, you will realize that AMD continues to position itself at a higher level.
It is not difficult to explain, an AM4 motherboard with B550 chipset offers, for less than $80, support for overclocked memories at a maximum of 5GHz, full compatibility with the Ryzen 3000 series and 5000 series, integrates the PCIe Gen4 standard, and also guarantees a longer lifespan, since in principle it should be compatible with the next generation of Ryzen processors to be launched by AMD.
On the other hand, a motherboard with a B460 chipset does not support overclocked memories at more than 2,6GHz if we mount a Core i5 or lower, and 2,9GHz in case you use a Core i7 or higher. They do not have the PCIe Gen4 standard, and on top of that, they will not be compatible with the new Intel Rocket Lake-S processors, which means that their lifespan will be limited to one generation.
Taking all that into account, and knowing that Ryzen 5000 processors have outperformed Intel in both performance and efficiency, it is understandable why Intel has lowered the price of its processors so sharply, and in such a short time. Because it is the only way it has, right now, to compete effectively with AMD, and to clear the stock it has been accumulating.
Intel has lowered the price of its Core 10 processors
This price drop has been noticed in all ranges until relatively recently, the Core i9 10900K had a price that easily exceeded $600, and now you can buy it for $499,90.
Although it is a significant reduction, Intel has lowered the price, more sharply, on its mid-range and lower mid-range Core 10 processors. Thus, you can now find the Core i5 10600K for $229, when in the middle of last year it was around $305. This is a significant drop and makes it an excellent choice for building a powerful gaming PC on a tight budget. The Core i5 10600KF is even cheaper and can be purchased for $199,90.
Similarly, Intel has lowered the price of the Core i7 10700F, an 8-core, 16-thread processor with a high level of performance that is now available for $275,90. Other processors that have come down quite a bit in price are the Core i5 10400F.
Confirming that Intel has lowered the price of its Core 10 processors to this level is a clear symptom of the reality that the general consumer processor sector is currently experiencing. Before the arrival of Zen 3, Intel could boast the highest single-threaded performance, but with the launch of the Ryzen 5000, it no longer has anything to position it above AMD, not even “secondary” aspects such as platform value or efficiency.
