Intel chops mobile CPU prices, intros Core 2 Solo line

Intel has confirmed yesterday's processor price cuts, which saw up to 40 per cent knocked off what the chip giant charges for some of its CPUs. A batch of new ones were released too, including the first single-core Core 2 processors.

The update to Intel's price list also saw the addition of the recently announced mobile Core 2 Extreme gaming CPU, the X7900. But the chip company also rolled out a new top-of-the-line mobile Core 2 Duo, the 2.6GHz T7800, priced at $530.

That pushed down the price of the T7700 and the T7500 from $530 and $316 to $316 and $241, respectively - cuts of 40 per cent and 20 per cent.

Intel also introduced the 2GHz T7250 which has the same basic spec as the existing T7200, but a 800MHz frontside bus clock to the older part's 667MHz FSB. The new chip costs $209 - less than the $294 T7200.

New to Intel's line-up: the 1.2GHz Core 2 Solo U2200 and the 1.06GHz Core 2 Solo U2100, priced at $262 and $241, respectively. Both ultra-low voltage (ULV) chips have 1MB of L2 cache and sit on a 533MHz FSB.

The mobile Celeron M line was expanded with the 2GHz 550 and the 1.73GHz 530, in at $134 and $86, respectively. The existing 1.86GHz 540 saw its price call from $134 to $107, a drop of 20 per cent.

The ULV Celeron M series gained a new member: the 933MHz 523. It costs $161, the same as the old 1.2GHz 443.

Little wa changed on the desktop side. The 1.8GHz Celeron D 430 had it price cut ten per cent, falling from $49 to $44, and the price of the 1.6GHz 420 was reduced 13 per cent to $34, from $39.

Intel extended its Pentium Dual-Core range by a single chip, the 2GHz E2180. It costs $84, the old price of the 1.8GHz E2160, which is now $74, down 12 per cent. The E2140 is priced at $64, down ten per cent from $71.

All prices are per processor when sold in batches of 1000 CPUs. Boxed prices will be higher.