Why is the CPU market heating up in 2025? A Newbie's Analysis

Three Major Changes in the CPU Market in 2025

Since the beginning of this year, the CPU market has shown three major trends: price rebound, demand shift, and reassessment of the value of older models. First, in terms of price, many people once expected CPUs to continue to decline, but the actual situation has taken a reverse trend. Second, demand has shifted from the traditional "performance improvement" to "AI compatibility / efficiency optimization," prompting certain CPU specifications to regain attention. Finally, older CPUs have become important options for newbies or users with limited budgets due to their price advantages and mature platforms.

Price: From decline to rebound?

According to market reports:

• In multiple countries and regions, the prices of Intel 12th to 14th generation CPUs have risen by more than 10%, with some areas seeing increases of up to 20%.
• The AMD 5000 series old models have also seen price increases of $5–20 per piece in certain channels.
• The reasons for the price increase, aside from rising manufacturing costs, include demand driven by AI, inventory adjustments, and changes in channels.

For newbies, this means that the strategy of "waiting for a special price to buy in" may not be as reliable as imagined. If you plan to upgrade your computer, it is advisable to plan ahead moderately, rather than waiting indefinitely for a price drop.

Demand: How the AI era can make the CPU shine again

In the past, many users upgraded their CPU for higher gaming frame rates or faster editing speeds. However, in 2025, with the expansion of AI applications (such as content generation, machine learning tasks, edge device computing, etc.), the CPU is given a new role: in addition to traditional general-purpose computing, it must also support AI inference, collaborate with GPUs, or undertake tasks independently. As a result, older CPUs, which were once considered "excessive," are now favored due to their platform stability, mature ecosystem support, and reasonable prices. Meanwhile, high-end AI custom platforms also impose higher requirements on CPU specifications, thus driving the overall demand for CPUs upward.

Technology: Why "Old Generation CPU" has also become a popular choice?

Several reasons have led to the old generation CPU being valued instead:

• Slot and motherboard compatibility: Older platforms have undergone market validation, and the support for motherboards, coolers, and BIOS is more comprehensive, resulting in lower upgrade risks.
• Cost-performance advantage: When the prices of the new generation CPUs rise significantly and platform costs (such as new motherboards and memory) are high, choosing the previous generation "slightly used models" often achieves similar performance at a lower cost.
• Advantages of Multi-core and Multi-threading: Even if it's not the latest architecture, as long as the number of cores/threads is sufficient, it is completely adequate for daily use by ordinary users.

Therefore, as a newbie, you might consider the approach of "sufficient demand + reasonable budget" instead of "pursuing the latest generation," allowing you to make a wiser CPU choice.

Practical advice for Newbies

• Clarify your usage: If it's just for browsing, watching videos, or light gaming, there's no need to go for high-end; if you have heavy workloads like editing, streaming, or 3D, then consider a stronger CPU.
• Set a budget and leave some room: Don't put all your budget on the CPU; consider the motherboard, memory, cooling, and future upgrade space.
• Pay attention to the platform and its supporting components: for example, is the memory DDR4 or DDR5? Is the socket LGA or AM? Does the motherboard chipset support future upgrades?
• Pay attention to price trends: Although prices are rising, there is still an opportunity to pick up bargains if the old models "devalue" or go on sale.
• Cooling and power consumption must match: high-performance CPU generates a lot of heat and consumes a lot of power. If the cooler and case ventilation are insufficient, the performance cannot be fully utilized.
• Consider future upgrade paths: choosing a motherboard platform that is compatible with upgrades for the next few years may be more cost-effective than investing in the highest-end CPU all at once.

Summary

The CPU market in 2025 can be described as "hot yet not overwhelming, with opportunities and traps coexisting." For hardware newbies, the most important things are: clarify needs, set a rational budget, and choose the right one rather than the most expensive. While prices are rising, a stronger CPU does not always mean "the most suitable"; instead, choosing a platform that suits your needs + a reasonable CPU can achieve the best balance between cost and performance. I hope this article can help you take the first step in purchasing a CPU from a newbie-friendly perspective.