Intel Slashes Microprocessor Pricing

zippyjuan · 07-23-2007, 09:01 PM

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/cpu/dis...723105508.html

Quote:

Intel’s Quad-Core Chips Now Available at $224.
Intel Slashes Microprocessor Pricing

Category: CPU

by Anton Shilov

[ 07/23/2007 | 10:56 AM ]

Intel Corp. on Monday officially updated its price-list by including its recently released Intel Core 2 central processing units (CPUs) and also reduced the pricing on certain of its microprocessors. As a result of the dramatic reduction, a quad-core processor from the world’s largest chipmaker now costs just like its dual-core brethren in business quantities.

Intel’s quad-core desktop Core 2 Quad Q6600, Xeon 3220 and Xeon 3210 saw their prices plummeted by 47% - 50%, a rather unprecedented price slash in the recent history. Other price reductions were not as dramatic: from 4% to 15%.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Xeon 3220 chips run at 2.40GHz, come with 8MB L2 cache and uses 1066MHz processor system bus (PSB). The processors are sold by Intel Corp. at $266 in 1000-unit quantities, whereas Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 (3.00GHz, 8MB, 1333MHz PSB) and E6600 (2.40GHz, 8MB cache, 1066MHz PSB) dual-core processors are sold for $266 and $244. Intel Xeon 3210 (2.13GHz) chip for single-processor configurations is available at $224, while Intel Core 2 Duo E6400/6420 at 2.13GHz cost $183. It should be noted Intel Xeon chips require motherboards that recognize those chips.

While the Core 2 Duo E6850 operates at higher clock-speed and will be slightly faster in applications that take advantage of two cores (or rely on one core only), the Core 2 Quad Q6600 is likely to be more efficient in future applications that heavily rely on execution of several threads simultaneously.

In fact, the price-point and similarity of specifications are likely to catalyze more computer makers and end-users to choose the CPU with four cores instead of a chip with two cores, which will further encourage software makers to tweak their software for multi-core processors. At least, this seems to be a reason why Intel decided to slash the price of its quad-core products by as much as 50%.

johnnymk · 07-23-2007, 09:07 PM

Is adequate software the bottleneck for quad CPU's?

Showtime · 07-23-2007, 09:14 PM

It's amazing how much processing power $300 will get you now compared to 3 times that last year.

redcolours · 07-23-2007, 09:57 PM

that quad core q6600 is mine.

beatbox32 · 07-24-2007, 08:37 AM

oh my god oh my god oh my god! I'm soooooo getting a quad-core for my next PC upgrade..

-beatbox32

Hoser · 07-24-2007, 04:23 PM

I was also thinking about the q6600. Does anyone here have one and has tried overclocking?

InfiniteNothing · 07-24-2007, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnymk

Is adequate software the bottleneck for quad CPU's?

Yes and no. Many tasks are linear in nature where you have to calculate A before B and B before C so you can't process A, B, and C at the same time.

Jeffbx · 07-24-2007, 06:59 PM

On the other hand, I can't find any software that has trouble running on my trusty 'ol 3.4GHz P4.

beatbox32 · 07-25-2007, 11:09 AM

I do a lot of work with video editing and music sequencing. Having my dual-core has helped greatly with this and I'm hoping I would get good results from a quad-core as well.

-beatbox32

johnnymk · 07-25-2007, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beatbox32

I do a lot of work with video editing and music sequencing. Having my dual-core has helped greatly with this and I'm hoping I would get good results from a quad-core as well.

-beatbox32

I am curious..what are the benefits for video editing? Speed? Or just the ability to do do video editing while doing something else?

beatbox32 · 07-25-2007, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnymk

I am curious..what are the benefits for video editing? Speed? Or just the ability to do do video editing while doing something else?

I've noticed that it seems to really increase the rendering speed when spitting out an AVI or MPEG file. It also helps during editing when previewing portions of video and rendering effects. This is through Adobe Premiere which I know takes advantage of multiple-CPUs.

Results appear to be the same for Cubase, which I use for composing. I use a lot of virtual instruments (VSTs) that are CPU hungry.

-beatbox32

redcolours · 07-25-2007, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoser

I was also thinking about the q6600. Does anyone here have one and has tried overclocking?

dont have one (yet), but reading about it, it seems capable of hitting 3 to 3.2GHz with stock cooling. i think one company even sells one of their PC lines overclocked to 3.2GHz (i think cnet had a comparative review of it w/ other systems).

under $300, maybe even $275 soon.... DAMN!

DarkFury · 07-30-2007, 05:23 PM

Personally, I'm waiting for the G0 stepping version (SLACR) of this chip to hit the stores. Currently most stores still have the older B3 stepping (SL9UM) in stock and they are still clearing their old inventories.

Oh yeah... Quad core goodness is coming soon to the Fury household.

FEEL MEH POWA!!!!

Hoser · 07-30-2007, 09:09 PM

SLACR = Slacker?

What motherboard would you use for the q6600? I've read that people are having good luck overclocking this to 3GHZ (and beyond). What memory is better, DDR2 or DDR3. There are some motherboards that support both.

I'd have to buy everything (except hard drives) to put a machine with this together, but I think it'd be worth it.

DarkFury · 07-30-2007, 11:19 PM

The motherboard I chose is the Asus P5K Deluxe Wifi.

I was gonna go with the Nvidia 650i board (ASUS P5N32-E SLI Plus) or a 680i board (ASUS Striker Extreme), however after reading about all the memory incompatibility problems with those boards and realizing that I'd probably NEVER buy 2 cards for Nvidia SLI, I settled on the comfort of a stable Intel P35 chipset instead.

Now my latest conundrum is... what video card to use in this system. A low end card wouldn't do it justice, and the high end is really "too high" right now.

Right now, I'm leaning a bit towards a GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB solution... however that near $400 price tag is still a bit scary.

Hoser · 07-30-2007, 11:58 PM

I was looking at Gigabyte for a motherboard. For the same price the Asus has Wifi included. Having firewire and eSata connectors on the motherboard would be nice. I do like Intel chipsets. Any motherboard that I've owned with them has been rock solid stable.

I think some research on power supplies is going to be needed. The CPU alone is 95 watts. Antec makes good power supplies (IMHO). Probably nothing less than 500 watts would suffice.

DarkFury · 07-31-2007, 10:34 AM

I'm not worried about the power supply...

My trusty 750W PC Power and Cooling PS, is more than adequate to tame this beast.

redcolours · 08-01-2007, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkFury

The motherboard I chose is the Asus P5K Deluxe Wifi.

I was gonna go with the Nvidia 650i board (ASUS P5N32-E SLI Plus) or a 680i board (ASUS Striker Extreme), however after reading about all the memory incompatibility problems with those boards and realizing that I'd probably NEVER buy 2 cards for Nvidia SLI, I settled on the comfort of a stable Intel P35 chipset instead.

Now my latest conundrum is... what video card to use in this system. A low end card wouldn't do it justice, and the high end is really "too high" right now.

Right now, I'm leaning a bit towards a GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB solution... however that near $400 price tag is still a bit scary.

im getting an Asus P5KC, about $145. has 2 PCI-E x16 slots that i need for the quad-monitor setup im building.

as for the VGA card, i was thinking of a quadro, but for the price and what im going to do, 2 fanless 8600GT cards will suffice. will only cost me about $240. no 3D gaming in this machine, so no high end card needed.

redcolours · 08-01-2007, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoser

SLACR = Slacker?

What motherboard would you use for the q6600? I've read that people are having good luck overclocking this to 3GHZ (and beyond). What memory is better, DDR2 or DDR3. There are some motherboards that support both.

I'd have to buy everything (except hard drives) to put a machine with this together, but I think it'd be worth it.

same here - EVERYTHING (except drives) will have to be replaced. I do have a 600W modular PSU ready.

Id say go with the DDR2. DDR3 is still way too expensive. it IS faster (to pair with the FSB of the new core2s), but wait a few months and the price will start dropping with more selections and more supply, with possibly faster speeds and better latency.

Im not worried about the memory speed, if paired with a very good motherboard, one thats got independent speed, timing, and even voltage tuning.

bachviet · 08-15-2007, 11:51 PM

Pulled the trigger today on the Dell Dimension 9200 with Q6600/2GB RAM/DVD burner/80GB HD/nVidia 8300GS video card for $609.99 + tax.

07-23-2007, 09:14 PM	#3
Showtime Lakers fanatic Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: L.A. ->SoCal<- O.C. Posts: 7,338	It's amazing how much processing power $300 will get you now compared to 3 times that last year. __________________ NBA REPORT 10-11/ The 3-Peat! 1948 1949 1950 1952 1953 1954 1972 1980 1982 1985 1987 1988 2000 2001 2002 2009 2010 Reigning NBA CHAMPS!

07-23-2007, 09:57 PM	#4
redcolours in living colour Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: above a raging c Posts: 1,739	that quad core q6600 is mine. __________________ there are pictures, but no,nothing happens on my site.

07-24-2007, 08:37 AM	#5
beatbox32 Lieutenant Junior Grade Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Orange County, CA, USA Posts: 159	oh my god oh my god oh my god! I'm soooooo getting a quad-core for my next PC upgrade.. -beatbox32 __________________ -beatbox32 "Until and unless you discover that money is the root of all good, you ask for your own destruction. When money ceases to be the tool by which men deal with one another, then men become the tools of men. Blood, whips and guns--or dollars. Take your choice--there is no other--and your time is running out." - Atlas Shrugged

07-30-2007, 05:23 PM	#13
DarkFury Secretary of the Navy Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Chillin' N Da 'Hood Posts: 34,997	Personally, I'm waiting for the G0 stepping version (SLACR) of this chip to hit the stores. Currently most stores still have the older B3 stepping (SL9UM) in stock and they are still clearing their old inventories. Oh yeah... Quad core goodness is coming soon to the Fury household. FEEL MEH POWA!!!! __________________ DarkFury's Pimptopia - Don't Hate the Playa, Hate the Game! Home of the Original OG Pimp (accept NO imitations)

08-15-2007, 11:51 PM	#20
bachviet What's Da Pho*? Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: SoCal (714) Posts: 13,296	Pulled the trigger today on the Dell Dimension 9200 with Q6600/2GB RAM/DVD burner/80GB HD/nVidia 8300GS video card for $609.99 + tax. __________________ Dell Dimension 9200 \| Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4GHz) \| 4x1GB DDR2 \| 256MB nVidia GeForce 8800GT Dell Studio 17 \| Intel Core i7-720QM (1.6GHz) \| 2x2GB DDR3 1066MHz \| 1GHz ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 Intel P4-C 3.0GHz \| ECS 865PE-A \| 3x512MB PC3200 \| 128MB PNY GeForce 6600GT

07-23-2007, 09:07 PM	#2
johnnymk Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: May 2000 Location: LEVITTOWN< PA> USA Posts: 13,621	Is adequate software the bottleneck for quad CPU's?

07-24-2007, 04:23 PM	#6
Hoser Commander Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Omaha, NE, United States Posts: 1,275	I was also thinking about the q6600. Does anyone here have one and has tried overclocking?

07-24-2007, 06:59 PM	#8
Jeffbx Fleet Admiral Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Michigan Posts: 9,390	On the other hand, I can't find any software that has trouble running on my trusty 'ol 3.4GHz P4.

07-25-2007, 11:09 AM	#9
beatbox32 Lieutenant Junior Grade Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Orange County, CA, USA Posts: 159	I do a lot of work with video editing and music sequencing. Having my dual-core has helped greatly with this and I'm hoping I would get good results from a quad-core as well. -beatbox32

07-30-2007, 09:09 PM	#14
Hoser Commander Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Omaha, NE, United States Posts: 1,275	SLACR = Slacker? What motherboard would you use for the q6600? I've read that people are having good luck overclocking this to 3GHZ (and beyond). What memory is better, DDR2 or DDR3. There are some motherboards that support both. I'd have to buy everything (except hard drives) to put a machine with this together, but I think it'd be worth it.

07-30-2007, 11:19 PM	#15
DarkFury Secretary of the Navy Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Chillin' N Da 'Hood Posts: 34,997	The motherboard I chose is the Asus P5K Deluxe Wifi. I was gonna go with the Nvidia 650i board (ASUS P5N32-E SLI Plus) or a 680i board (ASUS Striker Extreme), however after reading about all the memory incompatibility problems with those boards and realizing that I'd probably NEVER buy 2 cards for Nvidia SLI, I settled on the comfort of a stable Intel P35 chipset instead. Now my latest conundrum is... what video card to use in this system. A low end card wouldn't do it justice, and the high end is really "too high" right now. Right now, I'm leaning a bit towards a GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB solution... however that near $400 price tag is still a bit scary.

07-30-2007, 11:58 PM	#16
Hoser Commander Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Omaha, NE, United States Posts: 1,275	I was looking at Gigabyte for a motherboard. For the same price the Asus has Wifi included. Having firewire and eSata connectors on the motherboard would be nice. I do like Intel chipsets. Any motherboard that I've owned with them has been rock solid stable. I think some research on power supplies is going to be needed. The CPU alone is 95 watts. Antec makes good power supplies (IMHO). Probably nothing less than 500 watts would suffice.

07-31-2007, 10:34 AM	#17
DarkFury Secretary of the Navy Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Chillin' N Da 'Hood Posts: 34,997	I'm not worried about the power supply... My trusty 750W PC Power and Cooling PS, is more than adequate to tame this beast.

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