Intel Slashes Processor Prices

Intel slashed prices on several microprocessors on July 22, including some high-end desktop and server models.

Included in this round of price cuts is the Core 2 Quad Q6600 model for high-end and gaming PCs, which dropped 50 percent, from $530 per 1,000 units shipped to $266 per 1,000 units shipped. On July 16, Intel introduced a new quad-core model in its Core 2 Quad line, the Core 2 Quad Q6700, which offers a better clock speed—2.66GHz—compared to the current Q6600, which runs at 2.4GHz.

On the desktop side, Intel cut the price of its Core 2 Duo E4400 processor—a model that runs at 2GHz—15 percent from $133 to $113 per 1,000 units shipped. The company also dropped the price of its Pentium dual-core E2140 processor from $74 to $71, a reduction of 4 percent, and its Celeron D processor from $39 to $34, a cut of 13 percent.

/zimages/1/28571.gifClick hereto read more about Intels and AMDs plans for the second half of this year.

In its server portfolio, Intel cut prices on two of its quad-core Xeon models for single-socket servers. The Xeon X3220 dropped nearly 50 percent from $530 to $266 per 1,000 units shipped. The X3210 fell 47 percent, from $423 to $224.

The price cuts, which had been expected, came a week after the Santa Clara, Calif., company announced its second-quarter financial results.

Intel unveiled the Xeon X3220 and X3221 at the 2007 CES Expo in Las Vegas in January. The X3220, which has a clock speed of 2.4GHz, and the X3210, which has a clock speed of 2.13GHz, each have a 1066MHz FSB (front side bus) and 8MB of L2 2 cache.

Finally, Intel also cut the prices of two of its mobile processors by 20 percent. The Celeron M 530, which runs at 1.73GHz, fell from $134 per 1,000 units shipped to $107. The 520, which offers a clock speed of 1.60GHz, dropped from $107 per 1,000 units shipped to $86 per 1,000 units shipped.

/zimages/1/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest news in desktop and notebook computing.