Intel has brushed off rumors that it is planning an across-the-board price increase for its consumer CPUs. Earlier this week, Intel sent a letter to some of its distributors warning them of the price increase, claiming that it was due to, among other things, investment in new factories and the need for restructuring.

While notifying channel partners of specific price changes is not particularly unusual, the notion that Intel would stick its neck out in such communications with sob stories about its investment strategy is woefully lacking in credibility. Therefore, it is no great surprise that the company outright denied that such a communication took place.

According to our friends at Tom's Hardware, an Intel spokesperson had this to say:

"Normally, Intel does not comment on speculation regarding portfolio price changes. However, we can confirm that Intel has not sent a letter as explained to customers and partners and has not initiated any price changes to its CPU portfolio at this time. We have nothing further to comment on this matter."

Of course, this does not mean that Intel's CPU prices are set forever, but that the rumors of imminent price increases on all existing Alder Lake and Raptor chips in the "next two to four weeks" as PCGamesHardware claims are not true This means that.

I don't particularly want to dance around other media proverbs, but the idea that Intel would issue vague pricing instructions to its consumer CPU channel partners that included justifications pointing to the need for investment and restructuring really should have raised a red flag.

This is not at all how Intel typically does things. Typically, pricing notices are extremely formal, limited to pre-defined, thoroughly to-the-point templates, and relate to clear product SKUs.

It also does not fit Intel's modus operandi of giving advance notice of broad price changes rather than communicating very specific price changes. Even less credible is the supposed reference to a future unannounced product price increase that by definition is not even a price increase.

In any case, it seems unlikely that now is the best time to test the resolve of PC enthusiasts with a price increase, when PC component sales are more like pissing themselves, left behind in a Pacific-sized calm than a slump.