The new Ryzen 3000 processors (CPUs) are almost here, launching on July 7, and that means the second generation of Ryzen CPUs need somewhere to go. In a seeming effort to clear inventory, Micro Center is making the high-end Ryzen 7 2700X dramatically more affordable with a $120 price cut, bringing it down to just $199.
- Expect to see plenty of components deals on Amazon Prime Day
Normally, the Ryzen 7 2700X would retail for $319, but with the new batch of 7nm CPUs coming in, Micro Center has dropped the price to get these high-end processors moving. The sale includes the 8-core/16-thread processor, Wraith Prism Cooler (complete with RGB lighting), and a $30 discount on select motherboards when bundled with the processor.
This is a stellar processor to score a deal on. The processor's eight cores run at a 3.7GHz base clock and can boost up to 4.3GHz. In our testing, it shows excellent performance, blowing past the Intel Core i7-8700K in Cinebench R15 single- and multi-core scores. And, while it was a strong option at its original price, it's only that much better at $199.
One serious perk of the Ryzen platform is that, so far, all of the CPUs (except Threadripper) have been supported by the same AM4 socket on motherboards. That includes the new Ryzen 3000 series. This means computer builders opting for the Ryzen 7 2700X right now will still have future upgrade moves without needing to completely rebuild their rig.
The same motherboards that support the Ryzen 7 2700X can later support Ryzen 3000 series CPUs, leaving the door open to an upgrade when the prices of the new CPUs come down. Some features will be missed, like support for PCIe 4.0, but for those that don't need the latest and highest-end specs, there's a clear price advantage to going with the previous generation and waiting.
This deal from Micro Center may not last long, as stock may be limited, but it's likely not going to be the last time we see price cuts on Ryzen 2000 series processors, especially with Amazon Prime Day 2020.
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