Double-digit Intel Alder Lake CPU price cut could make the Core i3-12100F a sub-US$90 bargain

Intel has reportedly decided to cut prices for the 12^th gen Alder Lake chips according to a report by DigitTimes. If true, this would be the second time in 2023 that Intel has changed the rates of its last-gen CPUs as the company bumped up the Alder Lake “Recommended Customer Price” (RCP) by about 10% without a peep at the beginning of January. Curiously, the price increase saw some 12^th gen CPUs cost even more than the 13^th gen Raptor Lake processors. The purported price cut will see the RCPs fall considerably.

Per DigiTimes, Team Blue will drop prices for certain Alder Lake models by 20%. Based on this data, Twitter user @harukaze5719 has created a table that depicts the original Alder Lake prices, rates after the January increase, and RCPs if the rumored cut happens. For instance, the Core i9-12900K which had an RCP of US$589 before Intel raised it to US$648 in January could go down to US$518. Similarly, the Core i7-12700K could see a drop of US$90 from the revised rate and could retail for US$360.

More interestingly, if the 20% price cut does hit the low-end Core i3 processors, it could make the chips no-brainer CPUs for budget builds. For instance, the Core i3-12100/F which had pre-hike prices of US$122 and US$97 respectively will possibly drop down to US$107 and US$86.

Assuming DigiTimes’ reporting is accurate, the question then becomes: Why is Intel considering dropping prices for Alder Lake CPUs? The answer may lie in the company’s admittedly dismal Q4 2022 earnings report which saw the company take a revenue hit of 20% with net income dropping from US$19.9 billion to US$8 billion. Q1 2023 is projected to be even worse revenue-wise. So, the rumored rate slash might be a way to stimulate consumer CPU demand.

It remains to be seen whether Intel actually lowers Alder Lake prices and, if it does, by how much. Remember, the figures mentioned here represent RCP and not the actual consumer prices. Therefore, users may see higher/lower rates at retailers.

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