Buy the Intel BX80557E6420SLA4T Cache LGA775

$298.95

By the end of Summer, Intel's Conroe lineup will have ballooned from a meager five processors at launch to at least different 14 models. The once simple model number system is now well on its way to being the complicated mess that plagued the P4's system before it.

First it was the introduction of the value E4xxx series, then the larger cache Exx20 series, followed by the even cheaper E2xxx CPUs and now the new 1333MHz FSB processors.

The new 1333MHz FSB CPUs will end in the number 50 (e.g. E6750), with the exception of the E6540 which is also a 1333MHz CPU. Although Intel isn't announcing pricing at this point, we don't expect the new 1333MHz FSB CPUs to cost any more than their predecessors; in other words, we expect the E6750 to carry the same price tag as the E6700 does. We've included the post July 22nd price cuts for the unreleased Intel processors in the table below (note that current processors will fall in price as well, although the table reflects present day pricing for currently available CPUs), as well as pricing for chips to be released in Q4:

Intel sent out samples of its Core 2 Duo E6750 ahead of their scheduled availability as a preview (and probably to jab at its competitor a bit), so the processor we're previewing won't be available for a little while. Intel's internal roadmaps show Q3 as the timeframe to expect its 1333MHz FSB CPUs, but Intel's official statement is that these CPUs will be available "later this summer."

Keep in mind that AMD's pricing is keeping the company's lineup quite competitive with Intel below $300. You can buy all Socket-AM2 AMD processors for less than $300, resulting in great price/performance from the guys in green.

Note that AMD will respond with its own set of price cuts in late July to keep the landscape competitive after Intel's cost cutting measures.