Intel slashes desktop, server processor prices

Barely two weeks after the release of AMD's first B3 Phenom processors, Intel has reacted by applying rather substantial price cuts to a cross-section of its desktop and server processors. The cuts apply to both 45nm and 65nm offerings, and they cover 18 CPUs from the Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Pentium, Celeron, and Xeon lineups.

Here's the list of affected processors with their specifications, their previous prices, and their new prices as of today:

Processor	Cores	Speed	Cache	FSB	Old price	New price
Core 2 Quad Q6700	4	2.66GHz	8MB	1066MHz	$530	$266
Core 2 Quad Q6600	4	2.4GHz	8MB	1066MHz	$266	$224
Core 2 Duo E8300	2	2.83GHz	6MB	1333MHz	-	$163
Core 2 Duo E7200	2	2.53GHz	3MB	1066MHz	-	$133
Core 2 Duo E6850	2	3GHz	4MB	1333MHz	$266	$183
Core 2 Duo E4600	2	2.4GHz	2MB	800MHz	$133	$113
Pentium E2200	2	2.2GHz	1MB	800MHz	$84	$74
Pentium E2180	2	2GHz	1MB	800MHz	$74	$64
Celeron E1400	2	2GHz	512KB	800MHz	-	$53
Celeron E1200	2	1.6GHz	512KB	800MHz	$53	$43
Celeron 440	1	2GHz	512KB	800MHz	$53	$44
Celeron 430	1	1.8GHz	512KB	800MHz	$44	$34
Celeron 570	1	2.66GHz	1MB	533MHz	-	$134
Celeron 560	1	2.13GHz	1MB	533MHz	$134	$107
Celeron 550	1	2GHz	1MB	533MHz	$107	$86
Xeon X3230	4	2.66GHz	8MB	1066MHz	$530	$266
Xeon X3220	4	2.4GHz	8MB	1066MHz	$266	$224
Xeon 3085	2	3GHz	4MB	1333MHz	$266	$188

The price drops should put renewed pressure on AMD both at the low end, where dual-core Pentiums gnaw at the heels of Athlon 64 X2s, and in the mid-range, where the Core 2 Quad Q6600 looks like a dangerous competitor to the $235 Phenom 9850 Black Edition. The cheaper Core 2 Duos also ought to spoil things for upcoming triple-core Phenoms to some extent, although it's a little too early to see how these chips will match up just yet—stay tuned for a review.