Black Friday CPU deals 2024: The discounts worth buying

Intel Core i5-12600K | $342.50 $149 at Amazon
Save $193 - 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.

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: $169.99 plus $20 off promo at Newegg

UK: £174.98 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: $255.99 at Newegg

UK: £200.38 at Amazon

Intel i7-14700K | $464.99 $339.99 at Amazon
Save $125 - 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: $359.99 +$20 off promo at Newegg | Walmart: $347.49

UK: £329 at Amazon

AMD Ryzen 5 8600G | $229 $160 at Amazon
Save $69 - This is our pick for the the best value DDR5 processor out there, and if you're looking for a great price-to-performance CPU to pair with some speedy memory, you can't go wrong here. The 8600G previously hit an all-time low of $149 earlier this year, but this is still a great deal.

Buy it if:

✅ You're building on a budget
✅ You need the extra speed of DDR5
✅ You want power and cooling efficiency

Don't buy it if:

❌ You need more power

Price check: $209.99 at Newegg | $169.72 at Walmart

UK: £129.98 at Amazon

AMD Ryzen 5 5500 | $159 $83.49 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: $83.49 at Newegg | $87 at Best Buy

UK: £74.99 at Amazon

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X | $124.99 $105 at Amazon
Save $20 - This is our pick for the best budget DDR4 CPU, and it's at an all-time low price this Black Friday. This one is starting to show its age - the AM4 socket this CPU uses isn't compatible with speedier DDR5 memory - but it's a terrific option if you're looking to put together a build on a budget, and want something just a little more robust than the 5500.

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: $111.08 at Newegg | $121 at Walmart

UK: £98 at Amazon

AMD Ryzen 5 7600X | $299 $186.97 at Amazon
Save $112 - 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 December, 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: $203.99 +$25 off promo at Newegg | $209 at Best Buy

UK: £182.97 at Amazon

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X | $549 $226.94 at Newegg
Save $322 - 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: $269 at Best Buy

UK: £214.98 at Amazon

AMD Ryzen 7 7700X | $399 $269.99 at Amazon
Save $129 - 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: $269.99 at Walmart

UK: £259 at Amazon

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X | $549 $326.92 at Amazon
Save $223 - 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: $351 +$25 off promo at Newegg

UK: £259 at Amazon