Due to somewhat lower than expected demand for Intel's latest processors, users prefer settling with Raptor Lake CPUs, which is supposedly causing a price hike.
Intel's Raptor Lake Chips Reportedly See a 10% Price Hike in Q4 2025, as these are More Cost-Effective Options Compared to Lunar Lake for PC Makers and Customers
Despite AI capabilities and higher power efficiency, Intel's Lunar Lake hasn't been the number one choice for consumers. This is something that Intel has previously admitted, and it has been several months, but the situation hasn't improved. While we did see PC shipments increasing drastically in the second and third quarters, it's mostly because of Windows 10 being phased out, and consumers adopting newer Windows 11-based systems, especially outside of the NA region.
That said, AI PCs also had a good impact on the sales, but realistically, there are several factors that have slowed down the adoption of Intel's newer processors like Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake. Digi Times reports that the supply chain sources suggest that Intel is planning to increase the prices of its Raptor Lake CPUs by around 10%. This may not be official, but we did see the previous three-gen processors listed for higher prices in regions like Japan and South Korea, which included the Alder Lake, Raptor Lake, and Raptor Lake Refresh chips.
The sources did suggest that the prices of Raptor Lake/refresh series CPUs have been increased by around 10%, but the prices have been inflated by over 20% for some SKUs in some regions. The new report suggests that the price hike is due to the "underperformance" of AI PCs, which aren't being adopted on a wide scale as initially expected. As Raptor Lake CPUs still offer excellent performance and are generally sufficient for most users, the need to upgrade to newer AI-capable chips, such as Lunar Lake, isn't just there since there are no "must-have" AI features that justify the upgrade.
Since Raptor Lake chips are reportedly $200+ cheaper than Lunar Lake equivalents, major PC brands like Lenovo, HP, and Acer are still ordering the older chips to build affordable systems that still sell like hotcakes. On top of that, the increase in DRAM prices, including both DDR4 and DDR5, as well as SSD NAND, which has seen a hike by around 15-25%, has resulted in more expensive PCs than ever. This further puts more pressure on PC makers to adopt older chips to reduce the overall cost.
Now with lower supply for Raptor Lake than before and higher demand, Intel is considering price hikes on whatever inventory it has left. Intel has yet to announce it officially, but several sources have reported the same recently, of which the effect can already be seen this month.
News Source: Digi Times
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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