As predicted here earlier on this year, Intel will debut a 550MHz Pentium III at $744 on May 16, while other members of the PIII family experience price reductions. The 550MHz part will arrive on platform Pentium III, unless there are overheating problems that Intel has not yet fixed. (Story: 550MHz Pentium III has overheating problems) The 500MHz PIII will fall from $637 to $482, and the 450MHz Pentium III from $411 to $268. The Pentium II family shows all the signs of packing up its bags for the trans-Siberian train to Intel's gulag. The 350MHz Pentium II will, essentially, die on the journey. Its price will be $163 for the second price round in a row, while the PII/450 will cost $268 and the PII/400 $193. Because the Pentium III/450 costs $268 from May 16, it's gulag time for its Pentium II equivalent. There will be no changes in prices for Intel Celeron parts, given that the 466MHz Celeron is now the premier model and has some way to go before its price declines. All prices above are when you buy 1,000 parts. Intel, meanwhile, is denying that the Pentium III/550MHz has over-heating problems. ® See also Intel desktop chip prices How Intel's geese lay golden eggs