Official Intel Price Cuts In Effect

[werty316]

Availability of Core 2 Duo and reduced prices on Pentium D

Intel officially lifted the performance NDA for its Conroe Core 2 Duo processors two weeks ago. While Core 2 Duo performed very well obtaining processors was a tad difficult. That was because the official Intel launch with retail availability was still set for July 27th, 2006. Now July 27th, 2006 has come and Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme processors are popping up at major online retailers. Online retailers such as Monarch Computer, Mwave, Tiger Direct and ZipZoomFly have Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme products list or in stock.

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Core 2 Duo retail pricing is close to Intel’s previously released pricing with the lower-end Core 2 Duo E6300, E6400 and E6600 models selling for around $50 more on average. Higher end Core 2 Duo 6700 models sell for $65 over wholesale pricing while the flagship Core 2 Extreme is selling for $83 more. Average pricing was calculated using current prices of Core 2 Duo processors from the above listed online merchants.

In conjunction with the Core 2 Duo launch Intel also slashed prices on four Pentium D models—the Pentium D 945, 915, 820 and 805. Retailers are slowly updating prices to reflect the price cuts. Mwave and ZipZoomFly have updated its prices on Pentium D 915, 820 and 805 models to reflect the reduced pricing. Tiger Direct has the newly released Pentium D 915 listed at prices similar to Mwave and ZipZoomFly while Pentium D models 820 and 805 still have old pricing. Intel’s Pentium D 945 is nowhere to be found from online retailers. Intel is expected to cut prices further in October.

Article Source: http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=3544

[Das Capitolin]

Article Source: http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=3544

Maybe it's just me, but I think that the sudden HUGE drop in price has me wondering why I have had to pay almost double for the same chip only one month earlier. Maybe if Intel and AMD kept their pricing down all the time, they would be better off. Now I just feel the same way as when I see people signing up for cell phone service and getting a free phone, the same phone I would have to pay for despite being a long time customer.

[GIBSON]

Maybe it's just me, but I think that the sudden HUGE drop in price has me wondering why I have had to pay almost double for the same chip only one month earlier. Maybe if Intel and AMD kept their pricing down all the time, they would be better off. Now I just feel the same way as when I see people signing up for cell phone service and getting a free phone, the same phone I would have to pay for despite being a long time customer.
Well, I agree on that one. Pricing should have an continuous downwards trend. Lets say that they'd drop 1% or so a week. Or even a half %. Would be more fair to everyone than sudden price drops.

[tomato]

That is the risk of playing the technolgy game... how long do you wait to purchase a particular component, only to find that it's price has dropped soon thereafter you purchased it!!! It sucks :(

[werty316]

Thats how the cookie crumbles as its impossible to stay on top with hardware as new hardware is released roughly every six months or so.

[Kougar]

Maybe it's just me, but I think that the sudden HUGE drop in price has me wondering why I have had to pay almost double for the same chip only one month earlier. Maybe if Intel and AMD kept their pricing down all the time, they would be better off. Now I just feel the same way as when I see people signing up for cell phone service and getting a free phone, the same phone I would have to pay for despite being a long time customer.

Which is exactly why I am no longer a Sprint customer after 5+ years. Sure, Sprint offers a customer appreciation program for those that have stuck with them for over 2 years, where they give you $200 off any phone. However that applies to the original non-sale MSRP price of a phone, and a new customer can walk in and buy the exact same phone for up to $350 or even more off with a new agreement. So I became a "new customer" myself, but for Cingular. :-P

Thought it was interesting that they haven't even released the Pentium D 945 yet and just released the Pentium D 915, and are already slashing them. I think that it will be very interesting to see how long the lower price "trend" lasts, as AMD and Intel appear set to go back and forth like ATI and nVidia have been doing for years now. As some (I forget which) site pointed out, when was the last time Intel changed their roadmaps to beat an AMD offering in both price/performance? (Referencing the changing of the E4200 being cancled for the E4300, solely to 1-up AMD's future X2 3600+ chip.)

[GIBSON]

Thought it was interesting that they haven't even released the Pentium D 945 yet and just released the Pentium D 915, and are already slashing them.
Are they really that far behind?
I sometimes think it's funny (and well, sad at the same time too) when I look at certain online stores where they are selling certain CPU's and GPU's well over there prices. I always tend to think like, man, some people who just aren't savy enough are just getting ripped off at this place.

[ToXic_WaSTe]

Maybe it's just me, but I think that the sudden HUGE drop in price has me wondering why I have had to pay almost double for the same chip only one month earlier. Maybe if Intel and AMD kept their pricing down all the time, they would be better off. Now I just feel the same way as when I see people signing up for cell phone service and getting a free phone, the same phone I would have to pay for despite being a long time customer.

Okay, say you want a new CPU... This is a brand new Computer you are assembling or youre just looking at retail models. You see the core 2 duo and say WOW! lets buy that, and right next to it there is a Pentium D, at almost the same price, HAH, you say... I know what to get and you snag the Core 2 Duo...


But what if this happens. You see the core 2 duo and say WOW! lets buy that, and right next to it there is a Pentium D, you yell. DUDE! it cost about 400$ less, HMMMM , you say... What to buy, what to buy..... I'll go with the pentium D its much cheaper and do i really need top of the line since its only going to become old within weeks, Naaah Ill snag the Pentium D


Intel still have to sell the old Pentium and get rid of the stock... :-D
Hope my point is clear :P

[GIBSON]

Okay, say you want a new CPU... This is a brand new Computer you are assembling or youre just looking at retail models. You see the core 2 duo and say WOW! lets buy that, and right next to it there is a Pentium D, at almost the same price, HAH, you say... I know what to get and you snag the Core 2 Duo...


But what if this happens. You see the core 2 duo and say WOW! lets buy that, and right next to it there is a Pentium D, you yell. DUDE! it cost about 400$ less, HMMMM , you say... What to buy, what to buy..... I'll go with the pentium D its much cheaper and do i really need top of the line since its only going to become old within weeks, Naaah Ill snag the Pentium D


Intel still have to sell the old Pentium and get rid of the stock... :-D
Hope my point is clear :P
Nope I'd personally get the core 2 duo 8-) If you're really thinking about your money just get an E6300 or E6400. Their bang for the buck is incredible, and well, the Pentium D can hardly be cheaper than those unless they throw it at you for free!

[ToXic_WaSTe]

Nope I'd personally get the core 2 duo 8-) If you're really thinking about your money just get an E6300 or E6400. Their bang for the buck is incredible, and well, the Pentium D can hardly be cheaper than those unless they throw it at you for free!

I agree with you, I was just giving an example of how the average user would think... People who dont know anything about computers make bad decisions when buying one. Like commercials saying, "with this x1300 graphics chips you'll be able to play the newest games faster then ever before" .... Its a bunch of S***. Intel just needs to clear stock:P

[Kougar]

The Pentium D 945/915 models were on the Intel roadmap for being released with the price slashing...same chip but with the hardware virtualization disabled.

I agree that the price slashing is solely to spur potential buyers, in particular those that don't know anything about what they are buying.

After seeing what an OCed $183 E6300 can do (Even taking into account $230 price gouging) it's simply an incredible deal. It's smoking the FX62 in more tests than not, regardless of the cache size... Any potential Intel chip buyer that plans to OC shouldn't even consider anything cheaper than the E6300... but most won't know that.

By the end of August there will be a plethora of new boards, both nForce5 and 965P. And Abit will be releasing a currently very promising looking AW9D-MAX board as well... :grin: