Intel has launched its 12-gen CPUs, and the flagship i9-12900K (and its KF variant) is available to purchase, at least in theory. Unfortunately, the 12900K is out of stock and has been since before its official launch. So, where and when can people buy Intel’s latest flagship CPU? We’ll discuss below.
When will Intel’s 12th-gen 12900K CPU come back in stock?
Unfortunately, the i9-12900K and i9-12900KF quickly sold out when pre-orders were opened. The CPUs have come back in stock sporadically but were soon gone again. It seems like the i9-12900K will be out of stock for a while.
The processors are available from four retailers so far: Amazon, B&H Photo, Newegg, and Walmart. As of now, none of them have the 12900K in stock aside from third parties sellers listing them at marked-up rates. Even the listings that are price-gouging are selling out quickly.
As with most tech items over the last couple of years, a mixture of high demand and persistent scalpers has resulted in a demand for this CPU that far exceeds the supply. The processors themselves, Z690 motherboards, and DDR5 RAM have all been affected by these factors.
Since the i9-12900K is the more desirable of the two, those with a dedicated graphics card might be best off searching for the i9-12900KF. The KF variant doesn’t have an iGPU, but is usually cheaper. For gaming purposes, users won’t see a difference in performance between the K and KF versions of the chip.
Unfortunately, none of the retailers mentioned above have any information on when the 12900K or KF will be back in stock. There are still worldwide transportation issues, and further processor shipments are likely being held up by backed-up shipping. However, as the situation improves, a steady supply of CPUs should start appearing.
