While you can purchase pre-built PCs, some prefer buying individual components and building their own rig. This allows for a hand-picked design and often saves you some money. And if you’re currently planning to build a new gaming PC or upgrade the components of your existing one, then you’re in luck. This is because Micro Center has introduced a new bundle through which they are offering a big discount on three components.
However, it is important to keep in mind that the following bundle is limited to in-store pickup only. So, if you place an order, you’ll have to visit a local Micro Center branch to pick it up. You can see a full list on its website here.
What does the Micro Center Intel bundle offer?
This $259.99 Micro Center Intel bundle offers three components, each of which we go into greater detail on down below.
- Intel Core i5-12600KF
- MSI Z790-P Pro WiFi DDR4
- G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB DDR4 Kit
CPU: Intel Core i5-12600KF
The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a powerhouse in the mid-range category which offers great performance without a premium price tag. It features 10 cores (6 Performance cores and 4 Efficient cores) and 16 threads, making it a great choice for multitasking, gaming, and creative workloads. The Efficient cores are used for light tasks, while the Performance cores get activated during resource-hungry tasks.
When it comes to speed, the 12600KF has a base clock of 3.7 GHz, which can go all the way up to 4.9 GHz for better performance. Aside from that, it has a TDP of 125 W, so you’ll need a decent CPU cooler to help keep the temps low. We recommend checking out our top picks for the best AIO CPU coolers if you’re planning to get one.
We reviewed the i5-12600K and gave it a ton of praise for its strong single-core performance and relatively low power consumption. In fact, we called it “one of the best CPUs that Intel has manufactured” that stands out as a personal favorite. Keep in mind that this Micro Center bundle features the KF version which lacks integrated graphics, so you’ll need a GPU to get up and running. The rest of the specs are unchanged.
Motherboard: MSI Z790-P Pro WiFi DDR4
Next up, we have the MSI Z790-P Pro WiFi DDR4 motherboard. This board is designed to support the Intel 12th, 13th Gen, or 14th Gen processors and makes for a solid CPU motherboard combo with the 12600KF. It combines advanced features with support for DDR4 memory, making it an excellent choice for budget-conscious builders who want advanced features without upgrading to DDR5.
The Z790 chipset offers PCIe 5.0 support, multiple M.2 slots, Wi-Fi 6, and USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, ensuring fast connectivity and future-proofing your build. It also supports overclocking, which is great for getting the most out of your Intel i5-12600KF. If you have a high-speed internet plan, then the 2.5G Ethernet port on the side will be beneficial to you.
On top of that, to make sure you don’t run into any stability or performance issues, the motherboard offers a 14+1+1 DRPS VRM system. For cooling, it comes with an extended heatsink, MOSFET thermal pads rated for 7W/mK, additional choke thermal pads, and M.2 Shield Frozr.
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB DDR4 Kit
Finally, for RAM, we have the G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB DDR4 Kit. The bundle offers two 8GB sticks, each capable of reaching a maximum speed of up to 3200 MHz. This RAM is ideal for gamers, casual content creators, and general users who don’t need the extra speed of DDR5 but still want reliable and fast performance. 16GB should be enough for most users, but you can always upgrade later in case you want more memory.
Great value for money and free from instability issues
The Intel bundle is available for only $259.99 on Micro Center. If you purchase the three components individually, it would cost you around $379. However, thanks to the bundle, you can save $119.98. This extra money can be used to purchase the other components, such as a GPU, cooler, PSU, and case. These older-gen parts allow you to save a large amount of cash and also avoid the recent Intel 13th and 14th Gen instability issues which have been causing Team Blue’s latest processors to degrade over time, forcing a large amount of refunds that ended in replacements going out of stock.
You can check out our top picks for the best GPU for Core i5-12600K if you’re confused about which one to go with. For the PSU, we recommend getting one of the best power supplies for gaming, as they’ll make sure your components are safe from issues such as sudden power spikes.
If you want to explore more deals, you can check out the AMD 9000 series bundle and X3D bundle from Micro Center.
