X-bit labs

Pentium 4 2.4GHz Next Week?

Category: Other

by Anna Filatova

[ 03/29/2002 | 10:30 PM ]

Three independent sources, at the same times reported similar info about Intel planning to launch its new Pentium 4 2.4GHz processor next week, which is about 1 week ahead the actual schedule (see this news story). The price remained unchanged, however: the CPU will cost $562 in 1,000-unit quantities (as we have already told you here this CPU started selling in Japan for $580-$600).

In fact, the situation is kind of paradoxical. The prices on Pentium 4 CPUs should drop on April 14, and at present the 2.2GHz model already sells for $562. So only one thing is possible: either all the three info sources are mistaken and Pentium 4 2.4Ghz will be still launched on April 14, or the price drop will take a place a week earlier (it is most likely to happen on April 7).

But enough discussion of paradoxes. There is one more cool this about this info bit on Pentium 4 2.4GHz. Intel’s official representative announced that at first this model will be made of the standard 8-inch wafers (200mm), but by the end of April already the production will move to 12-inch wafers (300mm). This way Pentium 4 2.4GHz will become Intel’s first CPU made of 12-inch wafers.

By the way, if I am not mistaken on March 13 AMD promised to "start the shipments of 0.13micron Athlon later this month" (see this news story). So where are they? Or they were talking about samples only? And as for the mass pieces, the maximum AMD is now able to offer is Athlon XP 2100+ working at 1.73GHz.