If you’ve considered purchasing a gaming PC recently, you may have noticed many being marketed as AI PCs. Yet, according to Intel’s reports, interest in such systems may not be as strong as anticipated.

Intel plans to raise prices on its older Raptor Lake processors by more than 10%, attributed to the underwhelming performance of AI PCs and associated market trends. These CPUs lack AI-accelerating Neural Processing Units (NPUs), making them less appealing as demand ebbs.

The newer Lunar Lake chips are more efficient, but they haven’t performed as well in gaming, leading to consumer hesitancy. The latest reports indicate that the AI PC segment is experiencing less traction than expected.

With upcoming competition and partnerships—such as Intel’s investment talks with Nvidia and potential negotiations with Apple—Intel is likely looking to optimize profits as the year closes.

During the tumultuous launch of Raptor Lake, the processors faced numerous issues, resulting in continued updates to address instability. Given these challenges, the price increase seems premature, yet it reflects Intel’s efforts to stabilize its position in the crowded CPU market, especially against AMD’s growing influence.

Looking forward, exciting developments are on the horizon with the anticipated release of the Nova Lake architecture, but Intel’s path ahead remains uncertain as they work to regain momentum in the face of stiff competition.