[DEAD] i7-12700K $299.99 Micro Center In-Store Only

Wow! I picked one up the other day for 349 with an open box Tuf for 239 -20 for the combo. Looks like I’m calling to see if they will refund the new price difference.

I’m running it on Win10 under the U12S Chromax which includes the 1700 mount in box btw. Running great so far.
 
holy crap that's a hell of a processor for the money. Win11 and DDR5 aside...
Only reason I got another 12th gen is I have a second kit of DDR5 (the dog slow Crucial kit without heatspreaders) and mobo I won in NE shuffle with GSkill 5600 DDR5, but I don't OC my wife's rig to avoid having to troubleshoot a second rig so no worries there haha.

You could buy a DDR4 Z690 board and re-use your old RAM, that's still a lot of value and performance at ~$250 mobo +$300 CPU.
 
Doesn't require DDR5


But why even bother with purchase of a completely new platform if you're going to buy the bargain-basement system?

I know that it took awhile for DDR4-requiring game to come out, but you would be absolutely brain-dead to buy a CoffeeLake motherboard today running DDR3!
 
Last edited:
But why even bother with purchase of a completely new platform if you're going to buy the bargain-basement system?

I know that it took awhile for DDR4-requiring game to come out, but you would be absolutely brain-dead to buy a CoffeeLake motherboard today running DDR3!
Please tell us you're using DDR5...
 
Just got one a week or so ago we well.
Has anyone had luck doing this over the phone or do we need to go in the store?

This is a great deal. Also noticed that the i5-12600k is down to $229, but I think the 12700k is the best bang for the buck now.
Of course that 12600k beats pretty much all the 10th and 11th gen in just about everything for $229 so that is also really tempting.
Coolers are still a bit of an issue though.
 
I've had to go back so many times to have them price match themselves. Started at 399 then 369 then 349 and now this. Everytime they drop the price and consumers cash in on that price, you're changing the day of purchase to that new date. So you now have an additional 15 days return policy if something goes wrong.
 
It's crazy, and prices are now lower than Black Friday.

I bought one launch day from BB for $453, then at $417 with coupons. Getting one for $323 almost feels like I'm stealing from Intel! :D
 
I'd pick this up if the RAM didn't cost literally 4 times the CPU itself with no signs up a DDR5 supply explosion. I'm not going to waste my money on a 12th gen DDR4 mobo.
 
I'd pick this up if the RAM didn't cost literally 4 times the CPU itself with no signs up a DDR5 supply explosion. I'm not going to waste my money on a 12th gen DDR4 mobo.
I don't see any reason to upgrade to DDR5 anyway, the performance gains are negligible if you already have decently fast DDR4. Maybe in a couple of years, sure. But not right now or even next year.
 
Not sure why people are so hung up on DDR5 for this CPU and platform.

If you were buying a new system today would you choose, even taking DDR5 out of the equation:

1. LGA1200 Intel 10th and 11th series + DDR4
2. AM4 Ryzen 3/5 + DDR4
3. LGA1700 Intel 12th gen + DDR4

I think you’re going to see with a deal like this 12700K at $300 it’s a no brainer even with a DDR4 board. The Alder Lake build is not only going to cost similar or less, it’s actually going to offer a lot more features like more PCIE 4.0 m.2 SSDs, WiFi 6E, Thunderbolt, aRGB headers, 2.5gbs or better NIC etc.

Even looking at DDR4-only options, If building today at this price point I think it’s a nobrainer to go with the 12700K over any other Intel or AMD offering.
 
But why even bother with purchase of a completely new platform if you're going to buy the bargain-basement system?

I know that it took awhile for DDR4-requiring game to come out, but you would be absolutely brain-dead to buy a CoffeeLake motherboard today running DDR3!
The DDR4 boards are far from bargain-basement. You can compare them to their DDR5 equivalents and see they are still premium boards.

You can also compare them to last-gen Intel and AMD boards and quickly see there are big upgrades and literally no reason for a NEW build to consider an old Intel or amd platform for similar money. Big updates to PCIE 5.0, m.2 slots, cooling, aRGB, WiFi, NIC speeds, Thunderbolt 4 etc.
 
Because DDR5 is 3-4x MSRP $1000+, and it will drop to $300 soon enough


I'm just saying that, if you buy an early DDR4 motherboard, then you will get stuck with both memory and motherboard

If you already own DDR4 then maybe the upgrade makes sense, but for anyone else? Wait the 1 year for them to fix DDR5 availability.

This isn't the age of motherboards supporting both SIMM and DIMM slots - the timing is so different that it's cost-prohibitive to offer mixed slots on a motherboard.
 
I'm just saying that, if you buy an early DDR4 motherboard, then you will get stuck with both memory and motherboard

If you already own DDR4 then maybe the upgrade makes sense, but for anyone else? Wait the 1 year for them to fix DDR5 availability.

This isn't the age of motherboards supporting both SIMM and DIMM slots - the timing is so different that it's cost-prohibitive to offer mixed slots on a motherboard.
Well yeah, I thought it went without saying to just reuse your DDR4. Getting in and out of a Z690 board is also inexpensive.

Bottom line you're taking advantage of 12700K performance at this Microcenter price, while not paying $1000+ for DDR5
 
I don't see any reason to upgrade to DDR5 anyway, the performance gains are negligible if you already have decently fast DDR4. Maybe in a couple of years, sure. But not right now or even next year.
I'm still running an i5 2500K, I don't upgrade very often and when I do I want to make sure it's as future-proof as possible.

When DDR5 starts crapping on DDR4 I'd rather not be forced to shell out for a brand new mobo and RAM. I don't mind waiting unless my 2500 finally gives out on me but it's still running like new after well over a decade.
 
There are MANY folks who don't want to run Alder Lake w/o DDR5.
Thats their problem. It's nice to have options anyway.

If there were no DDR4 Alder Lake boards, half the shitposting would be "lol Alder Lake ripoff because DDR5 is $1000+, what is Intel thinking" - guaranteed.
 
Last edited:
I'm still running an i5 2500K, I don't upgrade very often and when I do I want to make sure it's as future-proof as possible.

When DDR5 starts crapping on DDR4 I'd rather not be forced to shell out for a brand new mobo and RAM. I don't mind waiting unless my 2500 finally gives out on me but it's still running like new after well over a decade.
I'm still on a 6700K, the 2500K was / is a great processor, probably their best since the Pentium 4. I still have my 2500K boxed up and will probably never get rid of it, same with my Pentium 4 & Athlon Slot A processor.
 
This is very YMMV, but I was able to get BestBuy to price match the 12700K. I'm in shock that it worked actually, but the total came to $324 including tax. :cool:
Seriously I want to do this tomorrow. Anything I need to know about asking them to price match? on best buy website it says "limited quantity can't be matched"
 
Last edited:
Its what I'm running but paid almost 480.00 after taxes and express delivery on New Egg the only thing I really noticed was increased the minimum low FPS for Superpostion by alot so its better than my 10850K Comet Lake for Frame drops. The 12700K is 12 Cores 20 threads.
 
Seriously I want to do this tomorrow. Anything I need to know about asking them to price match? on best buy website it says "limited quantity can't be matched"
I used the chat feature on their website, and the best advice I can give is to not give up. It took me several tries until I was able to get an agent that was cooperative.

Start by just being friendly and saying hello, and that you hope they are doing well. It's always good to be nice!

Then ask if they might be able to price match an item. They will say yes, and will likely ask for a SKU number from the BB website and then the competitors website link. They'll take a few minutes to check things over and let you know. No real tactics unfortunately, simply because of how inconsistent the agents can be with adhering to their price match policy.

You can always go to an actual BB store and try there. I've heard of some success stories because many stores have 12700Ks in stock.
 
Awesome price. I need a friendly [H] member to pick one up for me if they go. Nearest microcenter is over 3 hours away.
 
I'm still running an i5 2500K, I don't upgrade very often and when I do I want to make sure it's as future-proof as possible.

When DDR5 starts crapping on DDR4 I'd rather not be forced to shell out for a brand new mobo and RAM. I don't mind waiting unless my 2500 finally gives out on me but it's still running like new after well over a decade.

I'm pretty sure that when that happens in games you'll have had 2-3 years of happy 12700k use under your belt especially since you're saving $50-100 on the chip compared to AMD stuff. Otherwise, I'd be waiting for the 3D zen chips supposedly coming out in 2 months and then Zen4 about a year from now. Plus whatever Intel comes up with then too.

I get having the latest and greatest but we're no longer looking at 5-10% perf gains per 1-2 year cpu generation. On top of that you have a new cpu architecture that requires a new windows OS. Welcome to bug town and sub par peformance-ville. Give it 6-12 months minimum and by then you've got the newest latest and greatest stuff out there. Hopefully with more DD5 out there not being scalped. Honestly, I can't blame the ram scalpers at this point, its easy money.
 
Which board are you going with? I’m finding it to be very snappy on the Tuf d4 even with only 3200 c14 ram and windows 10. I’m giving 11 a solid 6-12 months to mature before switching to that full time.
 
Which board are you going with? I’m finding it to be very snappy on the Tuf d4 even with only 3200 c14 ram and windows 10. I’m giving 11 a solid 6-12 months to mature before switching to that full time.
I chose the MSI Z690A Pro, the only one they had, but reading reviews it sounds like its a pretty solid mid tear board. Pretty much the same board along the lines of my Z170A that I'm using currently on my 6700K
 
Back
Top