Black Friday CPU deals 2024: The early discounts worth buying already

Intel Core i5-12600K | $342.50 $167 at Amazon
Save $178 - Here's a great option for anyone building on an Intel LGA1700 socket and a DDR5-compatible motherboard. One of our hardware editors used to pair this CPU with an RX 4090, which just goes to show how much power there is in it. For this price, you get it $10 off its lowest-ever price.

Buy it if:

✅ You're building on a budget
✅ You want a solid entry into the DDR5 world
✅ You aren't targetting 4K Max in RTS games

Don't buy it if:

❌ You can afford the 13600K

Price check: $140 at Walmart

UK: £152.62 at Amazon

Intel Core i5-13600K | $329 $210 at Amazon
Save $119 - The 13th Gen i5 is still our favorite CPU to recommend to most gamers. The previous lowest-ever price was around $225 back in August, but it didn't stay there for long. If you want to make the most of this discount, we wouldn't wait around.

Buy it if:

✅ You want a DDR5-compatible processor
✅ You want excellent value for money
✅ You want to game in 4K

Don't buy it if:

❌ You want the most up-to-date version
❌ You're still working with a last-gen motherboard

Price check: $225 at Best Buy

UK: £219 at Amazon

Intel Core i5-13700K | $419 $273 at Amazon
Save $146 - This is a great CPU for content creators, since it gives you some extra headroom over the 13600K, but doesn't break the bank like an i9 might. Here, you get it only $25 above its lowest-ever price. This may drop down further as we get through Thanksgiving week, but it's still a good price to pull the trigger on now.

Buy it if:

✅ You do some content creation
✅ You want a serious CPU
✅ You want to game in 4K

Don't buy it if:

❌ You require even more power
❌ You haven't settled on an Intel motherboard yet, and like the look of recent AMD Ryzen 7 chips.

Price check: $374 at Newegg

UK: £263 at Amazon

Intel i7-14700K | $464.99 $347.12 at Newegg
Save $117 - Those numbers have tiptoed down to $329 as recently as August, but this is still a fantastic price on the newer Intel i7-14700K. It's still one to watch if you're going for a record-breaking discount, though.

Buy it if:

✅ You want to future-proof
✅ You want to run at 4K

Don't buy it if:

❌ You don't need the latest generation

Price check: Amazon: $347.14 | Walmart: $347.49

UK: £329 at Amazon

Intel Core i9-13900K | $629 $401 at Amazon
Save $228 - The 13th gen Intel Core i9 has just dropped its price by another $40, making this a particularly strong deal if you're looking for a flagship model on the cheap.

Buy it if:

✅ You want a flagship processor
✅ You demand a lot of your CPU
✅ You're building an enthusiast rig

Don't buy it if:

❌ You think i9 processors are the best for everyone

Price check: $494 at Best Buy

UK: £386 at Amazon

AMD Ryzen 5 5500 | $159 $83.58 at Amazon
Save $75 - If you're looking to build a budget gaming PC, this is one of the go-to CPU options to choose from. It won't give you much in the way of futureproofing since it isn't DDR5 compatible, but it will offer you solid gaming performance for the money.

Buy it if:

✅ You're building on a budget
✅ You don't care about DDR5
✅ Futureproofing doesn't matter

Don't buy it if:

❌ You want to build on the latest motherboards

Price check: $140 at Walmart

UK: £74.99 at Amazon

AMD Ryzen 5 7600X | $299 $194.59 at Amazon
Save $105 - The 7600X has 4K potential and is a nice middle-man if you want something that won't cost an arm and a leg, but still gives you good futureproofing and compatibility. It could get lower in price as we approach November, but this is still under its average Amazon price.

Buy it if:

✅ You want a solid mid-range processor
✅ You're interested in content creation as well
✅ You want to play games in 4K

Don't buy it if:

❌ You want more cores and threads for your money

Price check: $249 at Walmart

UK: £179 at Amazon

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X | $569.99 $226.96 at Amazon
Save $343 - Not quite ready to leave your AM4 motherboard behind yet? This will help you get the most power out of the now aging (but still viable) socket. This processor's lowest-ever price is $214, so this really isn't far off and might drop down again when Black Friday properly arrives.

Buy it if:

✅ You're still on an AM4 motherboard
✅ You're not fussed about DDR5
✅ You want to maximize what your AM4 socket is capable of

Don't buy it if:

❌ You're planning on using DDR5 with it

Price check: $226 at Walmart

UK: £199 at Amazon

AMD Ryzen 7 7700X | $399 $269 at Amazon
Save $130 - If you want something a bit higher-end, this is touted by many to be one of the very best gaming CPUs ever made. It isn't as close to its lowest-ever price ($210) as we'd like, but it's still a decent mid-level between that and its MSRP.

Buy it if:

✅ You want a very capable processor
✅ 4K gaming appeals to you
✅ You play RTS games and city builders.

Don't buy it if:

❌ You want the most up-to-date version of this chip

Price check: $279 at Walmart

UK: £248 at Amazon

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X | $549 $332 at Amazon
Save $217 - The Ryzen 7000 Series flagship isn't at its lowest-ever price, but it is $50 under its average price at Amazon. This isn't a bad deal considering last month it was experiencing a big price leap back up to the four hundreds.

Buy it if:

✅ You want a flagship Ryzen 9
✅ You play CPU-intensive games
✅ You have an AM5 motherboard

Don't buy it if:

❌ A Ryzen 7 would be enough for you

Price check: $374 at Newegg

UK: £248 at Amazon