Key Takeaways
1. AMD dominates the CPU market in January 2026, with 88.32% of sales and $7.2 million in revenue, while Intel lags behind at 11.68% and $929,583.
2. There was a significant 51% drop in CPU sales from January 2025 to January 2026, indicating gamers are not upgrading their systems.
3. The Average Selling Price (ASP) of CPUs rose by 34.4%, increasing from $227 in January 2025 to $305 in January 2026.
4. Rising costs of RAM, SSDs, and GPUs have contributed to the decline in CPU sales, making upgrades less affordable for consumers.
5. Future CPU sales could improve with Intel’s upcoming Nova Lake CPUs, depending on market conditions and potential price reductions for other components.
TechEpiphany has shared the CPU sales figures from Amazon US for January 2026. The report indicates that AMD continues to lead the market in both the number of CPUs sold and the revenue generated. Intel holds a far-off second place, which aligns with expectations since the Arrow Lake CPUs did not meet consumer hopes, and the upcoming Nova Lake CPUs are not available yet.
Sales Data Insights
In terms of sales, AMD moved 23,050 Ryzen CPUs, which makes up 88.32% of all CPUs sold on Amazon in January 2026. In contrast, Intel managed to sell only 3,050 units, capturing a mere 11.68% of the market. Revenue reflected these numbers, with AMD raking in $7,196,106.50 (88.57%) while Intel earned only $929,583.00 (11.43%). The best-selling CPUs included the AMD Zen 5 Ryzen 9000, followed by the Zen 4 Ryzen 7000, and the older Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 models.
Comparisons to Previous Years
While the total of 26,100 CPUs sold in January 2026 might seem impressive at first glance, a comparison with January 2025 reveals a troubling trend: many gamers are not upgrading their systems.
According to TechEpiphany, 3DCenter has compiled a detailed table tracking CPU sales data on Amazon from December 2024 through January 2026. There was a shocking 51% drop in CPU sales from January 2025 to January 2026. During this same period, the Average Selling Price (ASP) surged by 34.4%, climbing from $227 in January 2025 to $305 in January 2026.
Rising Component Costs
Furthermore, prices for consumer DDR5 and DDR4 RAM have skyrocketed in recent months, and there’s no sign of this trend reversing. SSDs and GPUs have also seen significant price increases. For example, the 1 TB Kingston NV3 was priced at just $53 in May 2025 on Amazon, according to camelcamelcamel, but it is now listed at $170. Similarly, the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB has also experienced a sharp uptick in price.
In essence, the 51% drop in CPU sales in January 2026 on Amazon can be directly attributed to the rising costs of RAM, SSDs, and GPUs. After all, what good is a powerful new CPU if you can’t afford other essential parts at fair prices?
Future Outlook
It’s uncertain how much longer this challenging market will persist. Intel is expected to launch its next-gen Nova Lake CPUs, reportedly with extreme power limits, by the end of 2026. If this happens, CPU sales might rebound, especially if prices for memory, storage, and GPUs also decrease.
TechEpiphany on X, 3DCenter on X, camelcamel, Teaser image source: Intel, AMD, PabitraKaity on Pixabay, edited.
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