14 DAY TRIAL // Intel has started distributing its last full slate of single core Pentium 4s for the desktop as it prepares for the debut of its dual core line sometime in the second half of the year. Yesterday's launch shows updates for Pentium Extreme Edition, designed for gamers and power users, and the Pentium 4 6xx range aimed at the volume business and consumer markets.
Both series are built on a 90 nanometer process, include 2MB of L2 cache memory and Execute Disable Bit technology, which should protect against buffer overruns.
The Extreme Edition's front side bus remains at 1066MHz, while volume business and consumer buyers will have to continue scraping by with an 800MHz bus.
Clock speed on the Extreme Edition has been pushed up to 3.73GHz from the current 3.46GHz. The 6xx line features five models, ranging from 3GHz to 3.8GHz.
The 6xx products will co-exist alongside the existing 5xx sequence for the first half of this year. The new chips in some ways can be seen as some of the last of their kind. Starting in the second quarter, Intel will begin to sell dual-core processors. These chips won't run as fast as single-core chips but they will contain two separate "brains," thereby improving overall performance.
At the same time of the new processors launch, Intel decided to follow competitor AMD's steps and slash down on prices for the entry-level chips. The price cuts are as follows:
Celeron D - Socket LGA775
- 345J (256k L2 cache 3.06 GHz FSB 533 MHz 90nm) : from 127$ to 117$ (-7.87%) - 340J (256k L2 cache 2.93 GHz FSB 533 MHz 90nm) : from 117$ to 103$ (-11.97%) - 335J (256k L2 cache 2.80 GHz FSB 533 MHz 90nm) : from 103$ to 89$ (-13.59%) - 330J (256k L2 cache 2.66 GHz FSB 533 MHz 90nm) : from 83$ to 79$ (-4.82%) - 325J (256k L2 cache 2.53 GHz FSB 533 MHz 90nm) : from 79$ to 73$ (-7.59%)
Celeron D - Socket 478)
- 345 (256k L2 cache 3.06 GHz FSB 533 MHz 90nm) : from 127$ to 117$ (-7.87%) - 340 (256k L2 cache 2.93 GHz FSB 533 MHz 90nm) : from 117$ to 103$ (-11.97%) - 335 (256k L2 cache 2.80 GHz FSB 533 MHz 90nm) : from 103$ to 89$ (-13.59%) - 330 (256k L2 cache 2.66 GHz FSB 533 MHz 90nm) : from 83$ to 79$ (-4.82%) - 325 (256k L2 cache 2.53 GHz FSB 533 MHz 90nm) : from 79$ to 73$ (-7.59%)
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