Intel's first quad-core desktop processor, the Core 2 Extreme QX6700, which is scheduled to be released next month, will sell for US$999 in 1,000-unit quantities.

The Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor will be available in January 2007 at US$851, the sources added.

As prices for both the QX6700 and Q6600 are too high, it will prevent the quad-core CPUs from gaining popularity, stated the sources. According to Intel's roadmap, quad-core processors will only account for 3% of the company's total desktop CPU shipments within one year following the launch, the sources indicated.

The sources suggested that prices of quad-core CPUs may start declining in the third quarter of 2007 when Intel is expected to launch its next-generation quad-core processors, codenamed Yorkfield. At the same timeframe, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) will likely begin releasing its own quad-core CPUs, the sources said.

By: DocMemory
Copyright © 2023 CST, Inc. All Rights Reserved