Pictures, which look like slides from the roadmap of Intel Corp. have been published by an Asian web-site, revealing that Intel’s highly-anticipated Conroe processors will be launched in less than two months from now and also uncovering Intel’s intention to decease the price of entry-level dual-core chips to the levels of value Intel Celeron processors.

Intel Core 2 Duo processors for desktops will apparently be launched on the 23^rd of July, 2006, but the number of models will be relatively limited, just as expected. Initially, Intel will offer four Core 2 Duo processors and one Core 2 Extreme chip, five new chips in total, HKEPC web-site reports. The family of desktop “Conroe” chips with 1066MHz processor system bus will consist of Core 2 models E6700, E6600, E6400 and E6300 that will operate 2.67GHz, 2.40GHz, 2.13GHz and 1.86GHz, respectively. The E6700 and E6600 models will sport 4MB unified L2 cache, whereas the E6400 and E6300 will have 2MB unified level-two cache. Pricing of the parts is claimed to be even more aggressive, than expected previously: $530, $316, $224 and $183 for the E6700, E6600, E6400 and E6300, respectively.

The most advanced member of the Core 2 family will be Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800, which will operate at 2.93GHz, use 1066MHz processor system bus and equipped with 4MB level-two cache. It will cost $999 in 1000-unit quantities and will provide end-users increased performance and some other improvements over typical Core 2 Duo products. 

The introduction of the new desktop chips, which boast with low-power high-performance micro-architecture, will trigger Intel to lower the pricing of its dual-core microprocessors based on the aging NetBurst architecture, namely Pentium D. Even though the latter do not win all performance benchmarks against current rivals Athlon 62 X2 chips, their decreased price, lowered power consumption and some other advantages may improve popularity of such chips among performance-demanding end-users. 

Intel is planning, if the slides published are to be believed, a price slash on the 4^th of June, when it will lower the whole-sale cost of Intel Pentium D 960 to $224, whereas the models 930, 920 and 820 will cost $178. On the 23^rd of July, Intel will decrease the pricing of Intel Pentium D 960, 950, 945, 940 and 820 to $316, $224, $163, $183, $133 and $113, respectively. Meanwhile, its Pentium D 805 will cost only $93, starting from that date. 

Intel did not comment on the news-story.