Tired of seeing the same old Intel processors for sale? Tell me about it. By this point in time, the six-core Core i7-980X Extreme Edition is looking a little bit tired, and Intel knows this! So don’t worry, because according to latest rumors, this time care of Digitimes, Intel is prepped to launch some fresh models during Q3, and believe it or not, some are speed-bumped Core 2’s. You read that right.
Of most interest might be the Core i7-970, the second six-core model that Intel will release. Clocked at 3.20GHz and priced at $885, it’s going to be a tough sell, as it’s not priced much lower than the $999 3.33GHz Core i7-980 Extreme Edition, which has the added benefit of being unlocked. It’s hard to say whether or not the Core i7-970 will include the same beefy CPU cooler as Intel’s current top offering, but we’re likely just weeks away from finding out.
In the mainstream playing field, July is going to see one speed-bump, which comes in the form of the Core i5-760. As that model is priced at $205, $9 above the i5-750, no CPU looks to be phased out as a result. Also this month, Intel will launch the i7-870S, a lower-power variant of the i7-870. If current pricing keeps until this launch, then this model should only cost about $10 more than the non-S version.
Throughout both July and August, there looks to be a handful of price-drops as well, primarily for Core 2 products. The exceptions are the i5-540, from $133 to $117, and the i7-950, from $562 to $294. Brand-new models set to be introduced are the Pentium E5700 and E6800, the Celeron E3500 and also the i3-560. In October, a few more price-drops will occur, one of which will put the Celeron E3400 from $53 to $42. It’s a modest chip, but at that price, it would offer a ton of value!
Intel will launch the Pentium E5700 for US$75 in early August and Core i3-560, Pentium E6800 and Celeron E3500 at the end of the month with prices of US$138, US$86 and US$53, respectively. At the end of August, Intel will also reduce its quad-core Core i7-950’s price from US$562 to US$294. For mid-July, Intel will reduce its Core i3-540, Pentium E6600 and Pentium E5500 CPU prices from US$133, US$84 and US$75 to US$117, US$75 and US$64, respectively.