Intel shifted the majority of its Pentium 4 processors to 64-bit capability over the weekend.
Intel quietly introduced the Intel 5×1 series, which shifts the existing 775-pin, 32-bit Pentium 4 line—known as the 5xx series—to 64-bit memory addressing.
For customers, all this means is that Intel is encouraging its customers to buy 64-bit chips instead of the older 32-bit Pentium 4s; save for the 64-bit capability, the new 5×1 series is identical to the older 32-bit Pentium 4s, and priced identically. The unspoken message is that a customer will receive 64-bit capability for free.
All of Intels 775-pin chips now include 5×1 representatives with one exception, ranging from the 3.8-GHz Intel 571 on the high end to the 3-GHz Intel 571. On Intels price list, the 64-bit version of the Intel 520 is also labeled as the Intel 520.
Prices of the new chips range from $163 to $637, in lots of 1,000 units.
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