Intel reportedly raises Raptor Lake CPU prices amid poor AI PC demand

Intel has reportedly increased Raptor Lake CPU pricing due to its continued popularity

According to a report from Digitimes, Intel are planning to raise the prices of its Raptor Lake CPUs by over 10%. This is due to the continued popularity of these chips, despite the release of newer Core Ultra processors.

Intel’s older Core series CPUs have remained popular for many reasons. One of those reasons is a lack of interest in Intel’s AI-equipped Core Ultra CPUs. Consumers are not interested in AI PCs, making many of Intel’s newer CPUs unappealing. This created increased interest in Intel’s older non-AI CPUs. This is because of their lower pricing. Adding their familiar Core i-series branding, it’s easy to see why there is interest.

Let’s face facts, most people have no idea what “Core Ultra” means. Intel’s i3, i5, and i7 branding is familiar, and that attracts many customers to Intel’s older products. Intel’s Raptor Lake CPUs are also Windows 11-ready and support DDR4 memory. Many consumers and businesses are migrating away from Windows 10. Until recently, DDR4-powered systems were a lot more affordable than their DDR5 counterparts. Both factors make Intel’s Raptor Lake CPUs attractive.

With DDR4 memory prices rising and Intel increasing its Raptor Lake pricing, the PC industry will be forced to use DDR5 memory and newer Intel Core Ultra CPUs. This places pricing pressure on system integrators and may increase the prices of pre-built PCs.

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