If you’re in the market for a new CPU, this week’s Amazon Prime Day sale (July 16-17) offers a great opportunity to get a powerful processor for gaming and general productivity for steeply discounted prices. In fact, Amazon has already launched an impressive selection of deals on AMD Ryzen and Intel Core CPUs. Most of the AMD deals are exclusive to Prime members–just like all official Prime Day deals–but everyone can take advantage of the limited-time Intel deals.
Prime Day AMD and Intel CPU Deals
AMD Ryzen Processors
Intel Core Processors
On the Intel side, 12th- and 13th-generation processors are included in the sale. You can around $100 on average, but a few of the higher-end processors have even steeper discounts, such as $190 off the Intel Core i9-13900KF, which drops the price to only $440. On the AMD side of the CPU battle, the discounts are, on average, even more substantial, with the the Ryzen 9 7000 Series desktop processors discounted by upwards of $270.
For folks unfamiliar with how Intel names its CPUs, all the products on sale might look the same. However, there’s an easy way to decode product names like the Intel Core i9-12900KF. For example, the “12” in 12900KF indicates this is a 12th-generation processor. The 900 then indicates the exact model you’re looking at, while the KF indicates this is a high-performance CPU (K) that requires discrete graphics (F).
In short, models with a “13” are newer than models with a “12.” There’s plenty more to learn about Intel naming conventions, and you’ll find a detailed rundown on the company’s website. Intel processors also differentiate between “P-cores” and “E-cores,” which are short for performance and efficient cores. Intel also uses i3, i5, i7, and i9 to name its processors. Generally speaking, the higher the number, the better the processor, at least when compared to models within the same generation.
Some of the standout Intel deals beyond the 13900KF: The Intel Core i7-12700K for $190 (was $230) and the 12700KF for $176 (was $245). You can step up to the 13th-gen version to get four more efficiency cores and four additional threads–plus a boost in max clock speed–by spending $281.
AMD Ryzen processors, meanwhile, also use 3, 5, 7, and 9 to distinguish its processors as well as a four-digit number. In our list, you’ll see a mix of 5000 Series and 7000 Series models. AMD started releasing 8000 Series CPUs earlier this year, but there aren’t many models available to purchase just yet. The best values can be found on the 7000 and 5000 Series–which, despite its name, is only one generation behind the 7000, as the 6000 Series was only ever manufactured as mobile CPUs.
The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D is seeing one of the biggest discounts, as it’s on sale for $469 (was $699). The “X” means an AMD processor is designed for overclocking, while the 3D denotes the processor utilizes a vertical cache stacking technology that increases L3 cache, which is a boon for gaming. The 7950X3D has 16 cores and 32 threads and a max clock speed of 5.7GHz. Meanwhile, the Ryzen 9 7900X3D is available for $327 and has 12 cores with 24 threads and a max clock speed of 5.5GHz. Performance differences, according to CPU User Benchmark, are minimal, so if interested in one of these, you’ll have to decide whether a small jump in speed is worth the extra cash.
For the 5000 Series the Ryzen 9 5900X offers a lot of bang for your buck at $224 (was $570). With 12 cores, 24 threads, and a max clock speed of 4.8GHz, this unlocked desktop processor is consistently one of the top AMD sellers on Amazon.
If you need help comparing your different options, the aforementioned CPU User Benchmark is a good resource for direct comparisons between processors.
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