Intel's upcoming 2GHz Pentium 4 has begun to appear on Web retailers' catalogues ready for its official release on 26 August - in just under two weeks' time.

US online store Buy.com has the 2GHz, 256KB on-die L2 cache chip - Intel part number BX80531NK200G - on its Web site here (http://www.us.buy.com/retail/computers/product.asp?sku=10310381&loc=2040). It's certainly the Socket 478 part - the version designed for the i845 chipset (aka Brookdale), though the blurb refers to the Socket 423 chip, presumably for Intel's Rambus RDRAM-based i850 chipset.

Buy.com wants $626.95 for the 2GHz P4, a nice mark-up on the $562 Intel is expected to charge PC makers for the part, albeit in batches of 1000 processors.

The 2GHz P4 is expected to launch on 26 August, alongside a 1.9GHz part, which Buy.com has in both Socket 423 (part number BX80528JK190G) and Socket 478 (part number BX80531NK190G) forms. Both 1.9GHz parts cost $421.95 from Buy.com. Intel's PC OEM price is $375 (again, in batches of 1000 chips).

Interestingly, Buy.com is offering the 1.8GHz P4 (Socket 478, part number BX80531NK180G) for $290.95 here (http://www.us.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10310378&loc=14617). Now, since this currently ships to PC OEMs for $562 and is expected to fall to $256 - a cut of 55 per cent - on 26 August, Buy.com has nicely confirmed Intel's next round of price reductions ahead of their official announcement into the bargain.

Buy.com is also offering on pre-order an Intel Socket 478 mobo based on the Rambus-supporting i850 chipset for the princely sum of $176.95 (Intel part number BOXD850MVL). ®

Thanks to reader Ken Knierim for the tip-off

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