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Intel Core i5 chips to start at $196?

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On April 17, 2009, 7:02 PM EST

Last month we first heard that more affordable Core i7 derivatives were already being sampled and could arrive in their final form as early as July, with matching P55 boards. Due to overstock problems, however, several sites are now reporting that Intel may push back the release all the way until October. This will depend on a number of factors, including what AMD does with its Phenom II CPU, but as we wait for an official announcement from Intel, the folks at HKEPC claim to have obtained a list of the upcoming Core i5 parts with their respective specs and price.

The list covers both desktop (Lynnfield) and mobile (Clarksfield) variants. The first will reportedly come in three varying clock speeds: a 2.66GHz model priced as low as $196, a 2.80GHz model priced at $284, and a 3.46GHz part with a $562 price tag. These chips will have four cores and hyper-threading support (except for the lowest-priced model), 95W thermal envelopes, 8MB of L3 cache, include dual-channel DDR3 memory controllers, and will fit in a new socket for mainstream users: LGA-1156.

As for the Clarksfield variants, HKPEC lists a 1.6GHz model priced at $364, a 1.73GHz model priced at $546, and a 2GHz "Extreme" part with a $1,054 price tag. All three chips will allegedly be quad-core offerings with hyper-threading support and 35W thermal envelopes.

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User Comments (9)

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pcnthuziast
on April 17, 2009
9:53 PM
Another new socket... meh. I hope AMD has something in the works to compete directly with i7 and if they do they need to put it out there ASAP.

Reply

howzz1854
on April 17, 2009
11:53 PM
why is intel going back to socket change for every one of their new product just doesn't make much business sense to me. have they not learned the lessons from the old P4 days. more socket change means barrier of entry for the customers. even AMD learned it the hard way with their switch from 939 to phenom. are the management fresh out of school or what.

Reply

9Nails
on April 17, 2009
11:56 PM
I agree... Another socket? What's the point of a socket, if your motherboard needs to change with each generation of chip? Might as well have these things soldered on.

Reply

pcnthuziast
on April 18, 2009
12:00 AM
Also $196 for their next entry chip sux since you can already get the 920 at micro center for $230... Intel is startin to piss me off.

Reply

captain828
on April 18, 2009
2:31 AM
Why another socket? how many compatible Core i7 chipsets are there?How much does an X58 mobo cost, in average? what about the old 775 socket mobos?I say that it's pretty clear they want to capitalize on their Nehalem monopoly: Some people will buy these new i5 CPUs, but than they will have to totally change their mobo, RAM (optional; to take advantage of triple channel mem) and their CPU to go for a 1366 socket later on. So... who makes two of those components?

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Julio
on April 18, 2009
3:00 AM
Totally agree with you. This socket change non-sense must come to an end and be limited only to major architectural changes that justify breaking a logical and feasible upgrade path.

Reply

PanicX
on April 18, 2009
3:35 AM
"Due to overstock problems, however, several sites are now reporting that Intel may push back the release all the way until October"You gotta love how lack of pressure from AMD lets them abuse the market like this. I really miss the days where Intel was hustling to keep up.

Reply

yukka
on April 18, 2009
8:08 AM
Core i5 does not use quickpath internconnect and only has a dual channel memory controller. Its not just a slower Core i7 that can be overclocked back to full speed. The dual channel memory controller is built onto the cpu and it uses a front side bus which is not compatible with x58.This should allow Intel to sell it alot cheaper. It also means if you want i7 performance with triple channel memory and all the benefits that comes with x58, you will need to put your hand in your pocket and buy an i7, not get a x58, stick a i5 in it and overclock for a big discount.

Reply

aolish
on April 18, 2009
10:05 AM
Like everyone has said to many socket changes and imo still to expensive. But its to be expected with no competition on the market. AMD needs to hurry up with some similar offerings.

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