After a year and a half! Two Intel CPUs return to the top ten bestseller list: DDR5 price hikes play a key role

Two Intel processors have made their way back into the top 10 of Amazon's best-selling CPU list after nearly a year and a half, with the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus ranking sixth and the Core i7 14700K following closely in eighth place.

The last time Intel had a processor in Amazon's top 10 was around the end of 2024, when AMD's Ryzen 9000, 7000, and 5000 series dominated nearly all ten spots, leaving Intel completely off the list—a rather embarrassing situation at the time.

Over the following year and a half, Amazon's top 10 best-selling CPUs became almost a one-man show for AMD, with the Ryzen 9800X3D and Ryzen 5800X3D holding the top positions for extended periods, while Intel's new products failed to break in no matter how they adjusted pricing.

The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus had been hovering around the top 20 previously, and its surge to sixth place this time is mainly driven by cost-effectiveness. This processor features 20 cores plus 4 efficiency cores, totaling 24 cores, and is currently priced slightly above $250 (approximately 1,680 RMB), a significant drop from its launch price, making its value proposition increasingly apparent.

The Core i7 14700K's entry into the list is even more surprising. This 14th-gen 20-core processor has been on the market for nearly two years and should logically be past its sales prime, yet it still cracked the top ten.

Reports indicate that this shift is directly linked to the rising costs of DDR5 platforms. Ryzen 7000 and 9000 processors only support DDR5 memory, causing several models to slip in rankings, including the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, Ryzen 9 9950X, and Ryzen 9 9900X.

Meanwhile, the Ryzen 5000 series continues to hold strong at the top of the list, as the AM4 platform pairs with DDR4 memory, making upgrade costs far lower than a full platform overhaul.

The Core i9 14900K and Core i7 14700K also benefit from this trend, as the LGA 1700 platform supports both DDR4 and DDR5, allowing consumers to opt for cheaper DDR4 memory, pushing their rankings to recent highs.

Intel has reportedly been advancing its Raptor Lake "NEXT" project, likely in response to this wave of demand for existing DDR4 platforms. Until DDR5 memory prices drop, extending the life of older platforms remains the market's dominant theme.