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Intel cuts prices on the Core 2-family and silently launches the Core 2 Duo E6320 and E6420, now with 4MB of L2 cache

Intel is set to cut prices for its Core 2 dual and quad-core products next week; however, online retailers have already reduced prices. Under the new pricing structure, Intel offers its Core 2 processors starting at $113 per unit, in 1,000 unit quantities. The quad-core Core 2 Quad Q6600 also drops to a more affordable $530 per unit, in 1,000 unit quantities, price bracket as well.

In addition to the new Q2’2007 price cuts, Intel has also silently launched its lower clocked Core 2 Duo processors with 4MB of L2 cache. The new Core 2 Duo E6320 and E6420 are similar to the E6300 and E6400; however, the E6x20 models feature more L2. Intel prices the new E6x20 models the same as the E6x00 models.

Intel Core 2
Model
 Core
Frequency 		Q2'07
Pricing
NeweggZipZoomFly
Q66002.4 GHz $530$659
$559.99
E67002.66 GHz $316$485
$340.90
E66002.4 GHz $224$235
$234
E64202.13 GHz $183NA
$199
E64002.13 GHz $183$196
$194
E63201.86 GHz $163NA
$175
E63001.86 GHz $163 $176
$175
E44002.00 GHz $133
NA
$149
E43001.80 GHz $113 $135
$129

Despite the mild Q2’2007 price cuts, Intel plans to aggressively cut prices on its complete lineup in Q3’2007, with the exception of the recently launched Core 2 Extreme QX6800. Under the Q3’2007 pricing, the Core 2 Quad Q6600 falls to $266 per unit, in 1,000 unit quantities. Intel also plans to release refreshed Core 2 Duo processors with 1333 MHz front-side buses ranging from $163 to $266 per unit, in 1,000 unit quantities.

AMD also previously cut prices on its Athlon 64 X2 and Athlon 64 FX products earlier this month. AMD’s new pricing places the Athlon 64 X2 3600+ in customer’s hands for under $100. Despite AMD’s aggressive price cuts, the upcoming quad-core Barcelona is nowhere to be found.

Expect retailers to officially begin reducing prices on Intel Core 2 processors in the next few weeks, if they haven’t so already.

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The Onslaught Continues
By Ard on 4/21/2007 2:34:51 PM , Rating: 5
I don't think AMD can survive too much more of this. Barcelona better be all they say it is and more if they expect to turn the tide. In any event, Q3 can't come quick enough. I'm all for a Q6600 at $266, which I will then take straight up to 3GHz.




RE: The Onslaught Continues
By johnadams on 4/21/2007 2:53:14 PM , Rating: 2
Agreed. AMD is being beaten left and right. It's no surprise that their Q1 profits were dissapointing also, and I would think it is due to Intel's introduction of the Core Duo line-up.

Barcelona seems to be a little late. It should've come right when Intel introduced its dual-core line-up. Anyhow I got myself a C2D so won't be switching back to AMD anytime soon. ;)


RE: The Onslaught Continues
By AntDX316 on 4/21/07, Rating: -1
RE: The Onslaught Continues
By Messudieh on 4/25/2007 3:40:57 PM , Rating: 2
Yes ... lower price = more greedy, right?

Right?

And yes, I realize in the long run, it could be taken that way if AMD goes out of the processor market.


RE: The Onslaught Continues
By sprockkets on 4/22/2007 1:04:47 AM , Rating: 2
Once the 7050 comes out for Intel, the disadvantage caused by the G965 will disappear. Oh wait, I forgot, the memory controller may not be as good as the G965, so maybe not.

In any case, I just don't understand how Intel can price their stuff so low, and build so many new 45nm fabs. It just seems they are too far ahead now to catch up.

But then again, this comes from the company where the CEO just couldn't stand the fact that they allowed AMD to gain market share. Come on, like no one is asking for your neck if you can't have total market domination.

Whatever the case, they are hell bent on killing AMD with demos of pre release processors, price cuts, and other crap. But as good as Intel is, I will never forget the fact that they coerced people like Asus into not even branding the old AMD boards back in the AMD750/KX133 days, to the Via ballon incident, to you giving them also an ultimatum on either making chipsets or cheap CPUs. Convince people like you are now to buy your silicon based on performance, not based on blackmail. It is unfortunate you got where you are now due to that when you had nothing to show but Prescotts, and that people will buy that crap as long as it has your logo on it. Thanks to that processor, we have computers at work that sound like vacuum cleaners pumping out massive amounts of hot air.


RE: The Onslaught Continues
By tacoburrito on 4/23/2007 12:20:28 AM , Rating: 2
Intel is sitting on about 8 billions of cash (their fabs, machinery, and patents are worth another 20B or so). They are using this money to build more fabs while trying to drive AMD to the ground.

As much as I love Intel and what they are doing with their product line and innovation, I'm not too happy that AMD is slowly being bleed to death. Competition is good for the marketplace.


RE: The Onslaught Continues
By PrezWeezy on 4/23/2007 12:58:07 PM , Rating: 2
If AMD were on top they would do the same thing. I personaly agree with you that the competition has been great for us, the consumers, though. I do believe that AMD is well enough established that it should be able to come back. Even if barcelona flops, they can cut back and start small again. And the reason Intel can afford to cut the prices is also because a chip to Intel, in manufacturing costs, is about $40. The reason we pay so much for those tiny pieces of silicon is the R&D that goes into them. So they are taking a loss yes, but they are selling more chips because it is a lower price, thereby making up for that loss. I will most likely always buy Intel, but I certainly hope AMD stays alive and kicking.


RE: The Onslaught Continues
By Lazarus Dark on 4/21/2007 3:12:58 PM , Rating: 2
I will absolutely be getting a q6600 if it can be had under 300 later this summer! And unless amdati has something interesting up its sleeve, I'm liking the intel chipsets of late more than amd chipsets.


RE: The Onslaught Continues
By Ringold on 4/21/2007 3:57:06 PM , Rating: 4
If companies can't take sustained losses, GM would've withered on the vine a decade ago.

No, AMD will survive, and I wouldn't be shocked if some players gave it some "pity business", much in the way some airlines buy Airbus jets which dont fit their operation or are just inferior for the mere purpose of keeping a competitor to Boeing on life support. AMD will keep trying until it succeeds.

If it takes it too long to turn a profit though Hector Ruiz may be forced out. If the problem just looks nearly insurmountable for a public company, private equity could even possibly come in, buy it out and make whatever investments or changes that are necessary but can't easily be done by a company that has to report to the masses every 3 months.

Thats not at ALL to say AMD will be a company we'll want to buy performance mainstream chips from for a long time, though. :) They'll either hit it with Barcelona, or they're screwed, and some of what I mentioned becomes inevitable. We'll just never see this industry reduced to an Intel-monopoly; there's too much profit to be made. Not enough for 3 players, but plenty for 2.


RE: The Onslaught Continues
By Crazyeyeskillah on 4/21/07, Rating: -1
RE: The Onslaught Continues
By Howard on 4/21/2007 7:24:18 PM , Rating: 5
Do you remember how much P2s and P3s cost when they first came out? Did you selectively block that from your memory?


RE: The Onslaught Continues
By Thorburn on 4/22/2007 3:20:18 PM , Rating: 2
The Pentium II and III were, relative to the K6 series, expensive CPU's to produce.

The 350nm Klamath core used in early Pentium II's was large for a desktop processor and the 512KB L2 cache had to be bought in (the chip on my desk has cache chips from Mitsubishi).

Even with the 250nm Pentium II and III's the cache kept the prices high, especially as it always ran at half the CPU speed so as the core speed scaled, so did the L2 cache.

The Celeron cores with 128KB L2 cache built into the die were actually very reasonably priced because they escaped from this limitation, and performed very well as the cache was full speed.

The 180nm Coppermine cored Pentium III's also pulled prices down considerably as the 256KB L2 cache was on die.


RE: The Onslaught Continues
By GoatMonkey on 4/23/2007 1:34:38 PM , Rating: 2
AMD and Intel are both just companies trying to make a profit. The one that has the better product at the time will charge more relative to their normal pricing structure. Neither of them are saints.


RE: The Onslaught Continues
By AntDX316 on 4/21/07, Rating: -1
RE: The Onslaught Continues
By Ard on 4/21/2007 9:09:15 PM , Rating: 1
Yes, except that AMD is nowhere near as massive as a GM or Intel. They can't afford to keep bleeding ($1 billion in the last 2 quarters alone) money like this, quite literally since this last quarter ate up $300 million of their cash reserves. If they don't turn things around, it's not going to be a pretty situation. Honestly, the ATI acquisition came at an extremely bad time and I wonder, if in hindsight, AMD wishes they would've waited.