Digitimes reckons the rises target chips launched in October 2022, nudging street brackets from $150–$160 (€138–€147) to $170–$180 (€156–€166), though exact SKUs are not spelled out.

The move comes as punters give a cold shoulder to NPU-toting newcomers, leaving inventories of Arrow, Meteor and Lunar Lake unloved while the older products are shifting. Industry whisperers pin it on a “lukewarm” consumer response to AI PCs.

Chipzilla has already shuffled Raptor Lake’s iGPU drivers into legacy support, which does not scream future-proof, yet the tills keep ringing because value shoppers prefer proven frames to blowing AI bubbles.

Rising DDR4 prices are piling on the pain. System builders clinging to cheaper memory to dodge DDR5 mark-ups now face tighter supply and wilder quotes, squeezing the budget end of the market.

With Windows 10 hitting end-of-life in October 2025, some corporate refreshes may still land, but retail demand is unlikely to surge unless festive discounts do the heavy lifting.