Will prices of core 2 quads go down?

[squilliam]

With the release of the core i7, I was hoping to see much lower core 2 quad prices and thought that maybe I could just upgrade to a quad processor instead of upgrading to an i7, thus saving money on motherboard, RAM etc.

However, prices for certain core 2 quad processors (e.g. Q9550, Q9650) are higher then for the i7 920

and, despite their higher clock speeds, the i7 920 (as far as I know) is superior or very close to them in performance - it's even superior to the Q9650 and the Q9650 is almost twice the price!

I understand that the associated costs of an i7 (ddr3 RAM, high end mobo) make it a more expensive investment and maybe the CPU's like the Q9550 or below are better to go with in the long term, but for the price of a Q9650, you can get a 920 and a LGA 1336 motherboard which is frankly inexcusable

I guess this isn't so much directed at the lower end quad core CPU's as they are actually cheaper overall, but those "Extreme" core 2 quads that go for $1000 yet still get outperformed by the 920 or offer SLIGHTLY better performance (I mean like 3 more FPS for $600 more dollars) should really go down in price, IMO

not to mention that the "extreme" processors that DO outperform the i7 920 have a higher clock rate

and lastly, the i7 is better with multi-threading and supports hyperthreading. This may sound like a rant, but I really don't see any reason for CPU's like the QX9770 to be priced to high

what do you guys think?

[paphman910]

I think intel will do a bit of a price reduction since the Phemon II will come out. Intel probably has stopped production of the Core 2 Quad making it rare so prices will not come down much.

Paphman910

[enaberif]

Originally Posted by paphman910

I think intel will do a bit of a price reduction since the Phemon II will come out. Intel probably has stopped production of the Core 2 Quad making it rare so prices will not come down much.

Paphman910

They are releasing or possibly releasing more quads perhaps this month.

[MpG]

Originally Posted by Squilliam

This may sound like a rant, but I really don't see any reason for CPU's like the QX9770 to be priced to high

The Extreme processor have NEVER been put forward as a cost-effective investment. And aside from the used market, you're never going to see them dropping in price. There are still QX6800's retailing for $1K, although hell if I know who's buying them. The fact that there are price/performance discrepancies between the LGA775 stuff and the LGA1366 stuff is a given. Two different archetectures, each with their strong points. That just makes it even more important to sit down and do a full cost calculation and use analysis before dropping the hammer on a purchase. Despite the entry costs, it's not impossible that an i7 build may be the better choice for someone, but it's not necessarily intuitive.

Based on Intel roadmaps, I believe the Q6600 is expected to be EOL halfway through this year, while the Q6700 and Q9450 are supposed to be EOL by the end of this quarter. Slight price reductions on existing models maybe, but there's not likely to be anything drastic happening.

[ImmaPC]

Core 2 Quad prices may go down a bit due to the release of the Phenom II, but unlike speculations from some other people on this thread, I don't believe Intel will stop producing some Core 2 Quad models, otherwise there would be no competitor to Phenom II.

I'm unsurprised that the i7 920 is outpaced by high-end Core 2 chips like the QX9770/9775 mind you, they are in a completely different performance and price bracket. Sheesh, the i7 920 is around $350 at it's lowest, whereas the QX9770 is ~$1500 at it's lowest. In order to do a fair comparison, you would have to compare the i7 Extreme 965 to the QX9770 as they are both roughly in the same price range, and same performance as well.

The strongest points for the QX9770 are basically that it is easily overclockable, fast, have 45nm and it is (or soon to be was) the very best that Intel could offer for the QX9770's time. I think you pay a premium for having the best, even if it's relatively a bit better than the next best thing.

If you really, really want to upgrade, then unfortunately yout must take the time and work out the cost of everything. The minimum cost of a comlete i7 920 setup, with 3GB of DDR3-1333, and MSI X58 Platinum, came to ~ $744 +tax and S&H. This is based on lowest prices from various dealers, but sometimes it's good to get it from different places than one place where you would end up spending more money.

Anyway, for $744, you can get a Q9450/9550 with ~$300 to spare, or you can get a Q9650 and not have any money left. Mind you, there's the other option of the i7 setup that is newer and more flexible in terms of upgrades because it is still fresh out. You can spend the money now and get a better CPU for what you have, or you can wait a bit and get the newer technology, one that will have a longer life expectancy.

I hope my rant serves you good in the short-term. I bought an i7 setup, spent ~$1100 tax+shipping included, and now I'm waiting for the RAM. I hope the article doesn't sound biased, because everything I said in there is true, except for any speculations.

[squilliam]

but doesn't it make sense for intel to lower the prices of the extreme core 2's? I mean, nobody's going to buy them, especially now since the i7 extreme is out

I dunno, I think it makes good business sense, after all, what do retail stores do to get rid of old product? they drop the price - and unless intel drops the price, those CPU's are just gonna lay around and what good will that do anyone?

[CanadaRox]

Originally Posted by squilliam

but doesn't it make sense for intel to lower the prices of the extreme core 2's? I mean, nobody's going to buy them, especially now since the i7 extreme is out

I dunno, I think it makes good business sense, after all, what do retail stores do to get rid of old product? they drop the price - and unless intel drops the price, those CPU's are just gonna lay around and what good will that do anyone?

I think that Intel has actually stopped producing the QX9xx0's (QX9650 I'm 100% sure is stopped) so it doesn't matter to them a ton.

[ImmaPC]

Originally Posted by squilliam

but doesn't it make sense for intel to lower the prices of the extreme core 2's? I mean, nobody's going to buy them, especially now since the i7 extreme is out

I dunno, I think it makes good business sense, after all, what do retail stores do to get rid of old product? they drop the price - and unless intel drops the price, those CPU's are just gonna lay around and what good will that do anyone?

Actually, it`s kinda funny that way because when retailers get rid of old stock, it can mean that they either a)have a surplus or b)don`t want it anymore. Given they have enough to put them on sale, it means that the manufacturer is still producing the product at regular or high capacity, meaning that it's still around. However, with the i7 out, Intel will eventually manufacture less and less of their Core 2 chips, meaning that there will be less, meaning more demand, meaning higher prices.

[magictorch]

I don't think the current 45nm prices are going to change much if past price-drops on older core2 Intel cpus are anything to go by.

[Avoozl]

It looks like there will be a price cut soon on Jan 18th.

Tech Trader Daily - Barron’s Online : Intel Reportedly Cutting Prices; Pacific Crest Cuts Estimates

And here is the before and after prices in USD

Baisse des quad Intel le 18 - HardWare.fr