Intel desktop price cuts coming

More Core i7s too

Intel will be cutting the prices of some of its four-core desktop processors next month. It'll be adding some new ones to its line-up too, ahead of further introductions in May.

So say Taiwanese PC manufacturers, local newssites report. The cuts will see members of Intel's Core 2 Quad range - specifically, the Q8200S, Q9300, Q9400S and Q9550S - become 13-20 per cent cheaper.

On the big day - said to be 19 April - the chip giant will roll out the Q8400 and Q8400S, both clocked to 2.66GHz but priced at, respectively, $183 and $245. The 'S' variant has a 65W maximum power consumption - the other runs at up to 95W.

May's introductions, set to appear right at the end of the month, include Celeron and Pentium Dual-Core parts, the Core 2 Duo E7600 and two new Core i7s: the 3.06GHz 950 and the 3.33GHz 975.

The 975 will cost a whopping $999, though the 950 is, at $562, cheaper. Intel's 2.93GHz Core i7-940 currently costs $562, so it's a good bet it's price will fall in the near future, even though it's not mentioned in the reports coming out of Asia.

Further price cuts will come into force on 19 July, it's reported, with a handful of low-end parts getting 10-19 per cent cheaper. ®