> stock is gonna be tiny Leaks are messy. In my experience, AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is way more efficient, but Intel Core i5-14600K handles project multitasking better. Both kinda fit that $400 budget.

Tbh leaks are mostly clickbait until late November. In my experience, those low stock rumors are usually just marketing tactics to drive early sales. With a 400 dollar budget, you should keep an eye on these specific models:

• AMD Ryzen 7 9700X 8-Core 3.8GHz
• Intel Core i5-14600K 14-Core 5.3GHz I've tracked price trends for years, and usually the mid-tier chips see the most aggressive cuts.

Spot on about the stock rumors being marketing fluff. Tbh they just want you to panic buy early. I've been through this dozens of times and the leaks are rarely 100 percent accurate anyway. When I was doing my final portfolio I almost missed my deadline because I was waiting for a discount that never showed up. It taught me a huge lesson about valuing my time over a 20 dollar saving.

• Look at previous gen hardware if the new stuff stays high
• Factor in the cost of a decent cooler too
• Keep an eye on local pickup deals In my experience you can definitely make that 400 work if you stay flexible. Dont let the hype train stress you out... you've got this project to focus on!