9700K $199 Micro Center (plus $20 off MB)

mazeroth

Limp Gawd
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Oct 2, 2015
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Sure Microcenter knows that once the Ryzen 5000 series is officially on market, then not only will people lose interest in Intel's current 10K chips in favor of the 5000 or further discounted 30000 non-XT chips, but they will truly have little interest in Intel's prior 9000 series. This is very much clearing out stock that would just gather dust for years. I'm more curious if Intel is offering some hidden or back-end reimbursement to retailers like Microcenter for doing this.

Considering the limited official re-usability of Intel sockets between generations, Microcenter will at least make a little back on whatever Z board is almost certainly sold with the 9700k.
 
So tempted...I have a Z270 board that I sold an i5-8400 out of. But I rebuilt it as Ryzen 5 3600....now do I go to 9700k ??? 1440p@144hz + 1080Ti (eventually 3080)
 
Sure Microcenter knows that once the Ryzen 5000 series is officially on market, then not only will people lose interest in Intel's current 10K chips in favor of the 5000 or further discounted 30000 non-XT chips, but they will truly have little interest in Intel's prior 9000 series. This is very much clearing out stock that would just gather dust for years. I'm more curious if Intel is offering some hidden or back-end reimbursement to retailers like Microcenter for doing this.

Considering the limited official re-usability of Intel sockets between generations, Microcenter will at least make a little back on whatever Z board is almost certainly sold with the 9700k.

Or people working from home would like a $199 i7 and they aren't going to research it for hours. MC charges $150 for 10 minutes of assembly and recommends their Inland SSD and Powerspec PSU along with no-name RAM but it's Intel and running Excel, who cares. aka though it has an Intel SSD https://www.microcenter.com/product/620975/powerspec-b744-desktop-computer
 
Mine runs 5Ghz all core and gets what I need done just fine. This is a really decent deal.
 
The only downside to this is that you're really already at the apex of the socket and you can't upgrade any further (ok technically a 9900k could upgrade but that would be the dumbest upgrade ever unless you picked up a cpu for $5 down the road), where as if you went the direction of a 3700x there still is more out there. Now this may or may not be an issue for some people, hell this has historically been what I do is get a 1 generation old CPU that's at the top and just ride with that (still rocking my 4790k but that's in need of an upgrade soon), but part of me wants to give AMD a try maybe with a more budget CPU (e.g. 3600) knowing that some future Ryzen 3 upgrade path will be out there.
 
This was sitting at $299 for a while this year. A decent deal, but now it's a pretty good deal.

https://www.microcenter.com/product...ake-36ghz-eight-core-lga-1151-boxed-processor

Here's an OC'd comparison to the 8-core Ryzen 3000 processors. It's faster in every game. Those looking to pick up discounted 3700X's once the 5000 series launch may want to consider this route:


Nice! Kid is looking at a new build for his own with Ryzen, but this might be a better deal. but after some consideration between this and the I9 9900k he went with this instead! He upgraded from an 15 3350p to this 9700k with an Auros z390 (@169.99 before tax). Thanks for the heads up!
 
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Sure Microcenter knows that once the Ryzen 5000 series is officially on market, then not only will people lose interest in Intel's current 10K chips in favor of the 5000 or further discounted 30000 non-XT chips, but they will truly have little interest in Intel's prior 9000 series. This is very much clearing out stock that would just gather dust for years. I'm more curious if Intel is offering some hidden or back-end reimbursement to retailers like Microcenter for doing this.

Considering the limited official re-usability of Intel sockets between generations, Microcenter will at least make a little back on whatever Z board is almost certainly sold with the 9700k.

Why do you say this? That's not true at all.

Lot of people love intel just for their stability and overclockability.

You assume people are broke, want AMD or care about useless cores which honestly, not many people use.

Intel can compete on price until Alder Lake comes out and destroys AMD 2nd half of 2021
 
I'd love to pick up one at $199, I'm currently sitting on very bad overclocking 8600K (running 4.75GHz so just getting 4.9~5GHz out of 9700K + 2 extra cores would be nice for After Effects) so it's a simple drop-in upgrade for me. Been eyeing a full-upgrade AMD 5000 system as well but for $199 I would definitely consider sticking a bit longer with current system.

Problem is 9700K has always been outrageously priced in Finland, only recently it had a 50€ drop so now it's 340€ (~$398). Never seen any deals on it either. It's funny you guys could pick some up at micro center and sell it onwards to some unlucky Finns at $250 and we'd be happy on both ends even despite adding 24% import tax it would save me a lot lol.
 
Why do you say this? That's not true at all.

Lot of people love intel just for their stability and overclockability.

You assume people are broke, want AMD or care about useless cores which honestly, not many people use.

Intel can compete on price until Alder Lake comes out and destroys AMD 2nd half of 2021

fanboyism-598x300.jpg
 
Just FYI: The 9900k is at $299
This is pretty great considering my brother is looking to do an upgrade and HAS to have Intel... Hey its his money. So any one have a used 9900k its worth like 250 now so hit me up! :D
 
Seems like a great upgrade from my i3 6100. I was eyeballing ryzen, but 6/12 vs 8/8 at the same price now.. I think I’d rather just have the 8 cores. $300 for cpu/board/cooler. Not bad
 
The 9900K is a great purchase. You can very very easily 5ghz all cores. Fantastic price.

The 9900K is coming back next year as the 11900k or something like that on the 1200 socket and will feature PCI 4.0. Apperently there are also some "gaming" improvments which intel claims will be faster in gaming performance over the new Ryzen 3. We will see.

Intel is going to go ALL-CORE 5ghz x 8 cores until they launch Alder Lake ( 1700 socket ) 2nd half of 2021 which will feature DDR5 and PCI 5.0. The CPU die / package is package changing to a rectangle and will feature up to 16 cores I think? 12 Cores? it's either a max of 12 or 16.

Very exciting times for us PC guys.
 
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I have a 3950x build with 64gbs and a FE 3080 that mitigates your off-topic thread crap bullying attack on me. MODS?

I also have my new 10900K build with a 3090.

They are both great systems.

I know more Intel desktop guys than AMD. That's not going to change with Ryzen 3. Ryzen 3 gains gaming performance @ 1080p ... if you move up to 1440p and 4K ... yeah, not really.

I sure wouldn't tell anyone to spend $600 with tax on a 5800x over a 9900k @ $299 especially if they are gaming at 1440p or 4k. That's all I'm saving. Has nothing to do with being a fanboy.

@ the end of the day, just get what you enjoy, can afford. AMD seems to raised their pricing a bit. Intel might seriously drop their pricing until the 11900K comes out and even that CPU might be $399 ( hoping )
 
I am leaving right now to go to Micro Center Fairfax for this deal and a motherboard. Anyone need a really nice MSI Z270 Carbon Gaming + delidded 7700k that runs so cool (even at 4.8 Ghz? :) EDIT: Based on some quick research, there seems to be minimal difference between the 7700k and 9700k in real world tests (I'm not a big gamer).Maybe I won't buy this right now...
 
I am leaving right now to go to Micro Center Fairfax for this deal and a motherboard. Anyone need a really nice MSI Z270 Carbon Gaming + delidded 7700k that runs so cool (even at 4.8 Ghz? :) EDIT: Based on some quick research, there seems to be minimal difference between the 7700k and 9700k in real world tests (I'm not a big gamer).Maybe I won't buy this right now...

Probably wise as long as your current CPU does what you need it to do. You're just trading 4C/8T of a Skylake iteration for 8C/8T of Skylake iteration. Since you're at 4.8Ghz, you wouldn't gain much gaming at 1440p and above. I'd generally suggest to anyone to wait and see what Zen3 and Rocket Lake bring to the table before spending on a 9700k combo unless you're on an older DDR3 based platform.
 
Probably wise as long as your current CPU does what you need it to do. You're just trading 4C/8T of a Skylake iteration for 8C/8T of Skylake iteration. Since you're at 4.8Ghz, you wouldn't gain much gaming at 1440p and above. I'd generally suggest to anyone to wait and see what Zen3 and Rocket Lake bring to the table before spending on a 9700k combo unless you're on an older DDR3 based platform.
I’ve been trying to upgrade my i3 6100 for a while now. I5s nor i7s in the 7x00 range have dropped below $150 or more. He can almost get $300 for his 7700k on ebay right now making this a near free upgrade depending on his board choice.
 
I’ve been trying to upgrade my i3 6100 for a while now. I5s nor i7s in the 7x00 range have dropped below $150 or more. He can almost get $300 for his 7700k on ebay right now making this a near free upgrade depending on his board choice.

In that case, I'd definitely do it.
 
I am leaving right now to go to Micro Center Fairfax for this deal and a motherboard. Anyone need a really nice MSI Z270 Carbon Gaming + delidded 7700k that runs so cool (even at 4.8 Ghz? :) EDIT: Based on some quick research, there seems to be minimal difference between the 7700k and 9700k in real world tests (I'm not a big gamer).Maybe I won't buy this right now...

You're going to love the 9900K .. I just sold my 9900K system maybe 4 months ago. 16 x 5ghz threads ... it's a beast.
 
I have the 9900k, I am tempted by the new ryzen, but ultimately I am happy with what I have and probably won’t upgrade. Once tamed, the 9900k is a rockstar
 
Pretty tempted, seeing as how long this 4c/4t CPU has lasted me - which makes me less concerned about going 8c/8t vs 8c/16t.
It also meets my Never Pay More Than $199 for a CPU rule, that the Ryzen's 5000 series is so proudly exceeding.

*Update - been doing some research, Aorus Elite looks like the obvious choice at $170. With the $20 combo discount, that's down to $150.
(Always get that Intel Gb LAN lol)
 
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What a great time to be an enthusiast! Good options on both team red & blue.
 
Pretty tempted, seeing as how long this 4c/4t CPU has lasted me - which makes me less concerned about going 8c/8t vs 8c/16t.
It also meets my Never Pay More Than $199 for a CPU rule, that the Ryzen's 5000 series is so proudly exceeding.

*Update - been doing some research, Aorus Elite looks like the obvious choice at $170. With the $20 combo discount, that's down to $150.
(Always get that Intel Gb LAN lol)
One thing not mentioned much is the 9700k runs higher voltages, and has less cache than the 9900k. This results is worse performance per clock (30-35%) and much worse performance per watt (40%). Whether this matters to you is another thing.
 
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I just know how far behind my 4670K is right now and going from an OCed chip to a stock 9700K will be a massive upgrade.
That said, it's a good heads-up thanks. Going by the binning stats by Silicon Lottery, it's about a 0.05v difference? That's good for maybe 1-2 multiplier steps. I can live with that for $100 savings.

Obviously I don't think used 9900KS chips will be sold at $299 anytime soon, but I suppose there's the thought that the better binned chips could've trickled down to the normal 9900K sku (i.e. behavior seen with Ryzen 3000 series).
Who knows, but like I said - happy with the cost savings.
 
I just know how far behind my 4670K is right now and going from an OCed chip to a stock 9700K will be a massive upgrade.
That said, it's a good heads-up thanks. Going by the binning stats by Silicon Lottery, it's about a 0.05v difference? That's good for maybe 1-2 multiplier steps. I can live with that for $100 savings.

Obviously I don't think used 9900KS chips will be sold at $299 anytime soon, but I suppose there's the thought that the better binned chips could've trickled down to the normal 9900K sku (i.e. behavior seen with Ryzen 3000 series).
Who knows, but like I said - happy with the cost savings.

For reference my 9700k ran at 1.35v~ vs my 9900k at 1.26v. There is also the extra cache and hyperthreading.
 
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Holy hell - yeah that's more difference than I'd like. Those are at the very same clocks? Were those chips bought around the same time?
 
Its a very good price, just a question would the 3600 (non x) be a good deal over this? It is currently $180 in MC as well.
 
The 3600 would be a better deal since it offers a better upgrade path on a superior platform.
 
Those looking to pick up discounted 3700X's once the 5000 series launch may want to consider this route:

This pricing is in fact great for those already on this socket. One would have to be freaking nutters to consider switching to this platform.
 
Hmm - maybe I revisit this in one months time. Retail availability for Vermeer - is that actually November, or just paper launch?
This should allow market forces to get the 3700X under $199. Looking at my notes from June 2020 (I basically put together a full Ryzen build in a spreadsheet lol) - I was also hoping to see major reduction in the 3900X cost as well - especially if the performance difference in the next-gen is as claimed. That said, retail pricing for the other parts (e.g. mobo) has started coming down since June, so that's good.
 
Holy hell - yeah that's more difference than I'd like. Those are at the very same clocks? Were those chips bought around the same time?
The 9900k clocks higher, the 9700k would do 5.0 but it was very hot

Yes both were bought about April last year.
 
Hmm - maybe I revisit this in one months time. Retail availability for Vermeer - is that actually November, or just paper launch?
This should allow market forces to get the 3700X under $199. Looking at my notes from June 2020 (I basically put together a full Ryzen build in a spreadsheet lol) - I was also hoping to see major reduction in the 3900X cost as well - especially if the performance difference in the next-gen is as claimed. That said, retail pricing for the other parts (e.g. mobo) has started coming down since June, so that's good.

I am not sure you will see a huge drop in Ryzen 3xxx chips as the 5xxx chips have a hefty MSRP jump over the last gen. Hope you logic works out as I would like to double my 3600 to a 3900 for reasonable $.
 
I am not sure you will see a huge drop in Ryzen 3xxx chips as the 5xxx chips have a hefty MSRP jump over the last gen. Hope you logic works out as I would like to double my 3600 to a 3900 for reasonable $.

New you won't, but in the used market you should find deals, especially if availability on the 5XXX parts is good as people upgrade. I would think by January you should be able to get a 3900x in the $300-350 range used pretty regularly. You might get someplace like MC to blow out existing stock (if there is any), much like these Intel deals, but it will be rare.
 
When people start buying Ryzen 5X, they will be ditching 3X and 2X (and Intel variants) en masse.. then the 4X will come out.. one, two punch on the used market.. The 5X is really tempting.. all that extra cache makes a huge difference over the 4X..

This deal is tempting (about $400 with 32GB ram), but if I am going to bother with a rebuild, I still feel better on waiting.. especially since PCI Express 4 is the new standard, and storage will be using it.

I honestly feel you will see 8 core used CPUs with mobo for $2XX all over the place in the not too distant future. Want a used 2080? Another $2XX - $3XX
 
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