Intel cuts desktop CPU prices

Intel updated its desktop processor price list over the weekend, with several chips going down a notch ahead of the back-to-school season and AMD’s earnings announcement tomorrow. The cuts range from 11 to 19 percent and affected products are within the Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Pentium and Celeron families – pretty much every desktop CPU line except for the Core i7.

On the Core 2 Quad front, Intel’s 2.66GHz Q9400 was cut 14 percent to $183 from $213, while its low power Q9400S variant was cut 12 percent to $245 from $277. The Q8400 and Q8400S fell 11 and 13 percent respectively to $163 and $213, while the 2.5GHz Q8300 also dropped 11 percent to $163 from $183.

Meanwhile, the 2.93GHz Core 2 Duo E7500 fell 15 percent to $113 from $133, Pentium desktop chips got cuts ranging from 4 up to 14 percent, and the 2.2GHz Celeron E1500 was reduced 19 percent to $43 from $53. The move comes as Intel prepares to introduce new Lynnfield processors in early September and gradually re-brand its desktop CPU lineup focusing on three main designations: Core i3, Core i5, and the high-end Core i7.