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- Image of a lit CPU in dark light, Courtesy of Mollie Dominy

Intel Raises CPU Prices by 10%—Gamers Brace for Budget Pain

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming | By Mollie Dominy | Last updated Sep 28, 2025 1:56 PM ET

Oh great, just what we needed in 2025 – another reason to cry into our energy drinks while staring at our diminishing bank accounts! Intel has decided that their 13th and 14th gen processors weren’t quite expensive enough, so they’re cranking up those Intel CPU prices by a whopping 10 percent. Because, apparently, building a decent gaming rig wasn’t already like trying to afford a small car.

Why Intel Thinks We Need More Expensive Silicon

Here’s where things get spicy (and not in a good way). Intel’s reportedly jacking up these prices partly because AI PCs have been about as successful as a screen door on a submarine. You know, those fancy laptops that were supposed to revolutionize everything but ended up being as underwhelming as the final season of your favorite TV show that got cancelled too early.

The company’s brilliant strategy seems to be: “If people aren’t buying our AI stuff, make everything else more expensive!” It’s like when your local game store raises prices on retro cartridges because nobody wants their overpriced “collectible” Funko Pops.

What This Means for Your Next Build

If you’ve been sitting on the fence about upgrading your rig, congratulations – that fence just got a lot more uncomfortable! Here’s what you’re looking at:

13th Gen Core processors: Expect to pay roughly 10% more than current prices
14th Gen Core chips: Same deal, your wallet’s gonna feel it
Budget builds: Time to dust off those older generation CPUs or consider Team Red (AMD, for the uninitiated)
High-end gaming rigs: Prepare for some serious sticker shock

The Timing Couldn’t Be Worse

Image of a lit CPU in dark light, Courtesy of Mollie Dominy

This price hike comes at a time when we’re all still recovering from the great GPU shortage hangover of the past few years. Remember when a decent graphics card cost more than a used car? Those were dark times, my friends. Now Intel’s adding insult to injury by making their processors more expensive too.

The irony here is thick enough to cut with a thermal paste applicator. Intel’s pushing Intel CPU price increases because their AI initiative flopped harder than a speedrunner missing a frame-perfect jump. Meanwhile, us regular folks just want to play our games at decent framerates without taking out a second mortgage.

Should You Panic Buy or Wait It Out?

Here’s the million-dollar question (or should I say, the slightly-more-expensive-CPU question): Do you pull the trigger on that build now, or do you wait and hope prices stabilize?

Panic buying might make sense if:

You’ve been planning an upgrade for months
Current deals are still available
You absolutely need that performance boost for upcoming releases

Waiting might be smarter if:

Your current rig is still handling games just fine
AMD’s next generation might shake things up
You’re hoping Intel realizes this strategy is about as popular as microtransactions in single-player games

The truth is, nobody has a crystal ball (unless you’re playing Terraria, in which case, nice job on that boss fight). But one thing’s for certain – Intel’s decision to raise Intel CPU prices is going to make building that dream gaming PC feel more like a nightmare for your bank account.

So there you have it, fellow PC enthusiasts. Intel’s latest move is about as welcome as a blue screen of death during a crucial save. Time to start checking those couch cushions for loose change!

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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