£999 2GHz P4 box approaches

If it's not already here

By Robert Blincoe • Get more from this author

Posted in Personal, 28th August 2001 09:11 GMT

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Mesh chose the Bank Holiday weekend to jump the Intel gun slightly and announce its 2GHz P4 machine. It also seems up for a price fight.

Mesh brought out a PC with 256MB SDRAM, 40GB hard drive, 19 inch monitor, DVD, CD-R for £1099 ex VAT - pretty close to the golden £999 number we predicted 2GHz P4 boxes would appear at in late September.

The Mesh PC is £1291.33 inc VAT and if the company had trimmed down some of the specs, such as the monitor size, or a Dell-style 10GB hard drive, it could have come in under a grand.

We expect to see a £999 2GHz P4 before the week is out.

Meanwhile PC World did a three-day only Bank Holiday special on an Advent brand 1.7GHz P4. This was £1024.43 ex VAT and came with 128MB RDRAM, 40GB hard drive, but you did get a 15-inch TFT flat panel display.

Beleaguered Gateway came in with a bit of a sale following the P4 price cuts. It knocked off £100 from its inc VAT prices to produce a 1.6GHz P4 with 128MB RDRAM, DVD for £899. Also on sale is a 1.8GHz P4, 256MB RDRAM, DVD and CD-R for £1,299. ®