Why it matters: Thinking about buying an Alder Lake PC? If a new report turns out to be accurate, you might find one cheaper than expected. PC partners look set to benefit from an Intel reduction on the 12th-generation desktop and laptop processors, which would see the higher-end chips' prices slashed by over $100.

Citing industry sources, the report from Taiwanese publication DigiTimes (via Tom's Hardware) claims that Intel is in talks with specific PC vendors to cut Alder Lake prices by up to 20%, a move that comes after Intel increased the CPU prices in Q4 2022.

Like most tech companies, Intel is feeling the effects of a turbulent economy that has seen consumer demand for expansive products crash. The firm recently posted massive quarterly losses, cut employee wages and bonuses, and canceled expansion plans at R&D sites.

On top of all this, Intel is struggling to move high levels of inventory at a time when customers are cutting their stock levels as consumer demand wanes. Slashing the price of Alder Lake, which uses a hybrid core design, could be an effective way of selling off excess stock. DigiTimes does note, however, that customers who bought stock of the chips before the new year are furious about the price drop. But then don't we all feel that way when something we've just bought gets reduced.

[DigiTimes] Intel will cut 12th Gen CPU price as much as 20%https://t.co/FcZpu5JdjF

Here is price chart. I cut from new price. pic.twitter.com/sDt6Mf9dTj

— 포시포시 (@harukaze5719) February 1, 2023

Twitter user Harukaze5719 has put together a table showing the Alder Lake chips' launch prices, their prices after the Q4 2022 increase, and how much they will be following the 20% reduction. Some of the higher-end models, like the excellent Core i9-12900 series and the Core i7-12700K (which this writer loves), will see their prices fall by more than $100.

A big caveat in all this is that these cuts will be for tray processors that are sold in bulk to high-volume manufacturers like Acer, ASUS, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, MSI, Lenovo, etc., who might not pass the full saving onto the consumer. Still, we can expect to see at least some reduction in Alder Lake system prices.