Upon first learning of Intel’s most recent price cut we immediately scanned the list of affected CPUs hoping to find the Core i7 retailing at a more sensible price point than it has up until now.
Unfortunately, disappointment set in when we realized that the price reduction has been focused on Intel’s aging Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Pentium and Celeron CPUs. While the world waits for Intel to come to its senses, the CPU giant seems adamant on retaining the hefty price tag for its high-end CPU.
The price cut is indicative of Intel’s desire to begin clearing out old CPU stock so that it can introduce its Core i5 to an unsaturated market. Core i5 has been labeled as a more consumer friendly Core i7. Based on the Lynnfield core, which is also used in i7, i5 aims to bring current generation CPU performance in at a more palatable price point. i5 was originally scheduled for release this month, but was pushed back to September in order for vendors to deplete old Intel stock before its release.
This is great news for gamers on a budget, as the still impressive Core 2 range has had its price lowered, offering some very impressive value for money purchases.
The monster quad-core Q9400 has been lowered from $213 (R1750) to $183 (R1520). Another excellent quad-core performer, the Q8400 has been reduced from $183 (R1520) to $163 (R1350).
Possibly the most exciting reduction for gamers is the dual-core E7500 which drops from $133 (R1100) to $113 (R940), making it a very difficult gaming CPU to beat in terms of value for money.
These cuts will put pressure on AMD’s Phenom II range which compete quite closely in terms of performance with Intel’s CPUs released prior to i7. It is likely to take a few weeks for the price reductions to affect the local market.
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