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| The combined sales of AMD Ryzen and Intel Core CPUs have dropped considerably. |
The latest CPU sales data from Amazon US for January 2026 is in, and it paints a picture of two very different battles. On one side, AMD has delivered an absolute knockout punch against a struggling Intel. On the other, the entire PC building community is losing a war against skyrocketing component prices, leading to a dramatic 51% drop in sales compared to last year.
Data released by hardware analyst TechEpiphany on X shows that Team Green utterly dominated the Amazon US marketplace in the first month of the year. AMD sold a staggering 23,050 CPUs, capturing 88.32% of the total units sold. In contrast, Intel managed to move only 3,050 processors, a meager 11.68% share.
This dominance extended to revenue as well. AMD raked in over $7.19 million, accounting for 88.57% of the total revenue, while Intel brought in just under $930,000. The average selling price (ASP) was nearly identical for both brands—$312 for AMD and $305 for Intel—highlighting that the sales disparity wasn't due to AMD selling cheaper chips, but simply far more of them.
The Zen 5 and AM4 Effect: Why AMD Can't Lose
A deep dive into the sales breakdown reveals exactly why AMD is soaring. The new Zen 5-based Ryzen 9000 series led the charge, but perhaps more impressively, the aging AM4 platform continues to be a sales juggernaut.
- Socket Showdown: AM5 CPUs accounted for 56.3% of all CPUs sold, but the veteran AM4 socket still captured a massive 35.1% share, proving that budget-conscious builders and upgraders are flocking to the platform's incredible value. Intel's latest LGA1851 socket, designed for its Core Ultra 200 "Arrow Lake" chips, managed a paltry 1.5% share, while the older LGA1700 socket held 7.1%.
- Top Performers: The individual SKU chart is a testament to AMD's diverse appeal. The king of the hill was the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, selling an estimated 5,000 units alone—nearly one out of every five CPUs sold. The Ryzen 7 5800XT, a refresh of a Zen 3 classic, secured second place with 3,000 units, proving AM4 is far from dead.
- Intel's Faint Signal: Intel's best-selling chips were the Core i9-12900K, Core Ultra 7 265K, and Core i5-12600KF, each with around 400 units sold—a fraction of AMD's top sellers. As TechEpiphany noted, "Intel demand remains concentrated in a limited set of higher-end SKUs," but that demand is clearly very limited.
The 51% Crash: A Market in Crisis
While the AMD vs. Intel battle is one story, the overall health of the DIY PC market is a far more concerning one. As highlighted by 3DCenter's analysis on X, which compiled TechEpiphany's data, the total number of CPUs sold on Amazon US in January 2026 was just 26,100. That might sound like a decent number, but it represents a jaw-dropping 51% decline compared to January 2025.
What makes this decline even more painful is that it's accompanied by a massive price hike. The Average Selling Price for a CPU has jumped a staggering 34.4% in just one year, from $227 in January 2025 to $305 in January 2026.
So, what's driving consumers away? It's not a lack of desire for new hardware. The culprit is the soaring cost of virtually every other PC component.
It's Not Just the CPU: RAM, SSDs, and GPUs are the Real Problem
The data suggests a simple, brutal equation for consumers: What use is a new, more powerful CPU if you can't afford the parts to build a system around it?
The price of consumer DDR4 and DDR5 RAM has exploded in recent months. Graphics card prices remain volatile and high. But perhaps the most egregious example is solid-state drives. Take, for instance, the popular 1TB Kingston NV3 SSD. According to price-tracking site camelcamelcamel, this drive was selling for as low as $53 back in May 2025. Today, the same drive is listed at a shocking $170—more than triple its price less than a year ago.
When a single 1TB SSD costs more than many budget CPUs, and when a mid-range GPU can cost as much as an entire entry-level system from a few years ago, it's no wonder potential builders are slamming on the brakes. The 51% sales drop is the market's loud and clear signal: the upgrade path is being blocked by prohibitive costs.
Looking Ahead: A Glimmer of Hope?
The outlook for 2026 remains uncertain. Will this dreadful market trend continue? Intel is slated to launch its next-generation "Nova Lake" CPUs later this year, reportedly with ambitious performance targets. However, new CPUs alone won't solve the broader affordability crisis.
A recovery depends entirely on the prices of memory, storage, and graphics cards returning to saner levels. Until then, many gamers and PC enthusiasts are likely to hold onto their aging systems, waiting for a better day to build their dream rig. For now, the message from the January sales data is clear: the PC building market is in a deep freeze, and a 51% drop in sales is the chilliest indicator yet.
For the latest prices on CPUs and PC components, you can check current listings on Amazon.
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| Kingston NV3 1TB SSD price history. |
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| Amazon US CPU sales data from December 2024 to January 2026. |