AMD Ryzen 5 9600X beats Black Friday price at lowest in nearly a year
Table of Contents
For a new Socket AM5 PC build, the Ryzen 5 9600X is a fairly solid option. This efficient and pretty flexible CPU can set you off on a path with varied drop-in upgrades. It’s also efficient and the cheapest of the 9000-series pack. Right now, though, it’s particularly well-priced.
As a CPU with an MSRP of $280 at launch, the 9600X fell to around $180 during last Black Friday. But ahead of Prime Day, we’ve spotted an even better deal. The processor can now be picked up for $175. That’s $104 off of MSRP and, according to Camelcamelcamel, the lowest price since July 2025.
AMD Ryzen 5 9600X
What we like about the Ryzen 5 9600X
Low-cost
Building a new PC isn’t exactly cheap, but the cost of the 9600X has shifted in the right direction since its release. Now firmly under $200, it’s a low-cost option that opens the door to the largely impressive 9000-series. And it’s a solid option for a daily-use PC or a more modest gaming rig.
Latest PC & Tech deals
- ASUS ROG Strix 34” QD-OLED XG34WCDG - was $7499 now $629
- Hisense 75" U8 Series ULED Mini-LED 4K TV - was $1,499 now $1,354
- ASUS ROG XG27AQNGV- was $999 now $649
- TCL 98 Inch Class QM8L - was $2,499 now $2,309
- CyberPowerPC Gaming PC (RTX 5060) - was $599 now $459
Prices correct as of August 20th, 2026.
Pairs with mid-range GPUs
You probably won’t be buying this processor to go with an RTX 5090. Yet the best GPUs for the 9600X include a decent array of options. Anything from an Intel Arc B580 up to an Nvidia RTX 5080 should be fine, depending on your needs. And the spectrum includes AMD’s RX 9060/9070 models. Even last-generation cards should be fine if you have one to hand.
Socket AM5
The biggest advantage of the Ryzen 5 9600X? AMD’s Socket AM5 platform. While you won’t be looking backwards to the 7000-series, this CPU offers plenty of future drop-in upgrades for productivity or gaming grunt. The 9000-series and next-gen 10000-series will mean multiple options for years to come.
What to consider before you buy
Price, price, price. This is the best we’ve seen this processor at for some time, and it’s a flexible option. Is the 9600X one of the best CPUs for gaming? It makes our list based on its affordability. However, if you demand more overall oomph, you may want to check out the Ryzen 7 9700X. Expect to spend around $100 more, though.
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
AMD Ryzen 9 9900X 12-Core, 24-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor
AMD Ryzen 5 9600X
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D 16-Core Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D – 10th Anniversary Edition
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
Micro Center AMD 5500 Processor with GIGABYTE B550M DS3H AC R2 Motherboard
Micro Center Ryzen 9 9950X3D with MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WiFi and KLEVV CRAS V RGB 32GB DDR5 RAM
About the Author