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Best Cyber Monday CPU deals 2021: the best from Intel and AMDHere be the best Cyber Monday deals on CPUs from around the web
Here be the best Cyber Monday deals on CPUs from around the web
The CPU deals continue now that we’ve entered Cyber Monday. There’s plenty of great deals on current-gen processors, and substantial savings if you’re happy to go older.
Speaking of motherboards, we’re tracking a few offers for them on our mainCyber Monday dealshub, where you’ll also find our recommended deals on the full breadth of PC gaming hardware. You can also check out our specialised hubs below:
Cyber Monday CPU deals:
Best Intel CPU deals (UK):
Who’da thunk that thebest CPU for gamingwould be on sale less than a month after launch? The only catch to this deal is that you’ll also need a new motherboard with an Intel LGA 1700 socket. It’s also an OEM model, but it’s physically and functionally identical to the retail model, so don’t worry too much about that. Unless you insist, in which case,Overclockers also has the retail model for £260 (down from £279).
In all honestly you’re unlikely toneedthe overwhelming power of the Core i9-12900K; the much cheaper Core i5-12600K is only marginally slower in games. Still, for those who can’t pass up the chance the own the mightiest gaming CPU on the planet, this sale on the OEM model grants it a new price low.
This is a decent price on a very effective gaming CPU. It doesn’t have the newer 12th Gen chips' enhanced gaming and multitasking capabilities, but will still do the business at all resolutions and has a bigger selection of compatible LGA 1200 motherboards.
Not too long ago this was the biggest, fastest CPU in Intel’s Core range, and now it’s available for much less than the Core i9-12900K that replaced it.
In the absence of any compelling deals for theCore i5-10600K, this non-overclockable variant makes for a very reasonable alternative. You won’t get the PCIe 4.0 support of later generations, but its gaming performance will serve you well.
This is perhaps a little too long in the tooth for most, unless you’re upgrading from an even older entry-level CPU. In which case, the Core i5-9600K remains a decent mid-ranger that’s far more affordable than its closest 10th, 11th and 12th Gen equivalents.
Best AMD CPU deals (UK):
This was £210 for maybe an hour on Black Friday before jumping back up. Killjoys. This price isn’t quite as much of a bargain, but keeps it competitive with the Core i5-12600K - which, remember, also needs an expensive new motherboard to function.
AMD’s Ryzen 7 chips have always been ideal for those who want to give their gaming PC some extra multitasking chops. With eight cores and 16 threads, the Ryzen 7 5800X continues that tradition.
The ultimate Ryzen, now a little less terrifyingly expensive. This packs in 16 cores and 32 threads, so maybe you could spend your savings on a nice liquid cooler?
Best Intel CPU deals (US):
Be sure to use the code ‘EMCAYAA23’ at checkout to get the maximum discount on this, another of Intel’s highly capable Core i5 processors. Until Alder Lake came along, this was the closest Intel came to beating the Ryzen 5 5600X, so it’s a powerful little chip even if it seemed like a stopgap at launch.
No code necessary here. This is the beefiest Core i7 from the 11th Gen era, so is both less than a year old and a decent multithreader.
When you’re on the tightest of budgets, there’s nothing wrong with turning to Intel’s Core i3 chips. The Core i3-10100F is a relatively capable quad-core option, and one that won’t even make you break $100.Neweggalso has it for $92, should Amazon’s stock run dry.
Best AMD CPU deals (US):
To get the lowest price on this mighty powerful (yet surprisingly power-efficient) CPU, punch in the code ‘RYZEN5858’ at checkout.
Possibly the closest thing you’ll find to a ‘low’ price for AMD’s strongest Ryzen chip, unless you take your chances and hope it gets cheaper on Black Friday proper.
How to get a great Cyber Monday CPU deal:
Upgrading to one of today’s best gaming CPUs can make a surprising difference to your PC’s overall gaming performance, particularly if you tend to play games at 1080p, where frame rates are more dependent on CPU power than 1440p and 4K. This also means that when using higher resolutions, you’ll need a higher-end GPU but can get away with a more mid-range CPU.
There are pros and cons to both Intel and AMD. Intel CPUs generally offer better gaming performance overall, but they tend to be more expensive than their AMD equivalents. AMD CPUs also more commonly come with their own coolers, and all of them are unlocked for overclocking, which isn’t necessarily the case with every Intel CPU. Only Intel CPUs with a K or KF on the end of their name can be overclocked.
Right now, the absolute best CPU for gaming is the Intel Core i5-12600K, which recently replaced the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X as our first and foremost recommendation. Both of these show that for gaming specifically, you don’t need to pay past the middle tier.
However, if you stream games, run a lot of background apps or happen to use your PC for work, then you’ll want a CPU with lots of cores to maintain multitasking performance. This is where it can be worth paying more for, say, one of Intel’s Core i7 CPUs or AMD’s Ryzen 7 chips.
If you need help installing your CPU, then you’ll find everything you need to know in ourhow to install a CPUguide.
