14 DAY TRIAL // Sometimes, Intel and/or Advanced Micro Devices reduce the price of just one or two processors, based on market feedback. Makers of other devices often do the same. Other times, though, like now, prices are cut en masse.
Intel has reduced the prices of 31 processors, nineteen of which are Celeron units and the other Core-Series CPUs.
Pretty much all Ivy Bridge-, Haswell- and Bay Trail-based mobile Celerons have become cheaper, by 13% to 26% in some cases.
Their price range is now $75 / €75 (Celeron 1000M, 1005M, 1007U and 1017U) to $107 / €107 (Celeron M2910, N2920) rather than $86 / €86 to $137 / €137.
The more important price drops, however, happened for the Core i5 and Core i7 series though. Not percentage-wise, but in terms of raw cash.
The Core i7 HQ chips (Core i7-4850HQ, 4950HQ and 4960HQ) have become 5% to 7% cheaper than before, but given their prices, that translates into cuts of $33 - $34 / €33 - €34.
So the Core i7-4850HQ can be found at $434 / €434 now (instead of $468 / €468), the Core i7-4950HQ at $623 / €623, and the Core i7-4960HQ at $657 / €623 (versus the previous $657 / €657).
Core i5-4570R, i5-4670R and Core i7-4770R products for all-in-one desktop PCs have also received price cuts.
The quad-core units are $33 - $34 / €33 - €34 less expensive, 5% to 11% cheaper as it were. As for ultra low power dual-core units, they are between 4% and 10% cheaper as well.
The development would have been most welcome a month ago, when the holiday shopping season was starting out, but we'll have to live with what we get. Maybe Intel is hoping to arrange for greater shipments through this set of price changes, since CES 2014 (January 7-10) is bound to spark at least a bit more demand than usual.