Intel last week released a new lineup of 1333 MHz front-side bus processors at low price points, but held off price cuts for existing processors until July 22. The day has arrived and Intel price cuts for existing Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors are going into effect at various retailers.

Intel Core 2 Quad

Model / Core Frequency / L2 Cache / FSB

QX6800 2.93 GHz 8MB 1066 MHz
$999

Q6700 2.66 GHz 8MB 1066 MHz
$530

Q6600 2.40 GHz 8MB 1066 MHz
$266

Intel's star for this round of price cuts is the quad-core Core 2 Quad Q6600. The price cut cuts the Core 2 Quad Q6600 price in half to $266 per processor, in 1,000-unit quantities, from the existing $530 price. The Core 2 Quad Q6600 is the only sub-$300 quad-core processor available on the market. Intel has positioned the Core 2 Quad Q6700, which launched last week, at the $530 price point.

Retailers have adjusted prices of the Core 2 Quad Q6600 accordingly. A quick search for the processor at online retailers shows prices starting at $275. ClubIT, Mwave, Newegg and ZipZoomFly have the processors listed below $300. However, Newegg has already sold out of Core 2 Quad Q6600 processors.

Intel Core 2 Duo

Model / Core Frequency / L2 Cache / FSB

E4500 2.20 GHz 2MB 800 MHz
$133

E4400 2.00 GHz 2MB 800 MHz
$113

The price cuts also affect Core 2 Duo E4000-sequence processors. Intel's Core 2 Duo E4400 drops $20 to $113 to make way for a new Core 2 Duo E4500. The new Core 2 Duo E4500 debuts at a $133 price point with a 200 MHz clock speed advantage.

Intel Quad Core Xeon UP

Model / Core Frequency / L2 Cache / FSB (Expected August '07)

X3230 2.66 GHz 8MB 1066 MHz
$530

X3220 2.40 GHz 8MB 1066 MHz
$266

X3210
2.13 GHz 8MB 1066 MHz
$224

If the $266 price tag is still a bit too steep, Intel plans to cut prices of its Xeon processor lineup in August. The Xeon price cuts affect quad-core Xeon UP and MP processors. The Intel quad-core Xeon processor lineup includes a 2.13 GHz X3210. Intel plans to drop the price on the Xeon X3210 to $224 come August.