Intel's May roadmaps confirm 333 move

WE KNOW FROM Intel's confirmation today that it has pulled its 2.53GHz from the third quarter into this quarter, but roadmaps seen by the INQUIRER confirm that Intel is planning DDR 333 support in the 845GE and 845PE chipset roadmap, although the desktop CPUs still top out at 2.80GHz in Q4.

At the same time, Intel is pulling in a 1.80GHz Willamette-128 processor into this quarter, managing to top the previous estimate of 1.70GHz.

According to the latest, early May roadmaps, the 845GE and 845PE processors are aimed at the holiday market, and the documents we've seen show that there are "minimal" board and BIOS changes to migrate the DDR266 to the DDR 333 platforms, using the previous design guidelines.

And the latest roadmaps continue to show that the Tehama-E, the 850E launched today, will migrate in the second quarter of next year into Intel 850E "Springdale".

More interestingly, Intel has made a stab at pricing up all of its desktop Pentium 4 CPUs from now until the 27th of October.

The next price cut, after today's introductions, comes on the 26th of May, when the 2.4GHz in both 533 and 400MHz FSB versions, will cost $400, the 2.26GHz Pentium 4 will cost $241, as will the 2.2GHz Pentium 4. Then the 2.0A will fall to $193, and that is where 2.0GHz Pentium 4 will be. The 1.9GHz Pentium 4 will cost $173 on the 26th of May, while the 1.8A will cost $163, the same as the 1.8GHz. The 1.7GHz Pentium 4 will fall to $143.

At the launch of 2.66GHz and 2.6GHz Pentium 4s, they will cost $562, while the 2.53GHz introduced today will fall to $433, as will the P4 2.5GHz chip.

On the 27th of October, Intel is estimating that the 2.8GHz Pentium 4 will cost $637, the 2.66 and the 2.6GHz parts will drop to $401, the 2.53 and 2.5GHz Pentium 4s to $305, the two flavours of 2.4GHz to $253, while the 2.26, the 2.2, the 2.0A and the 1.9 will cost $163. By then the 1.8A will cost $150, as will the $150.

Intel will price its 1.8GHz Celeron at $103 at launch, and its 1.9GHz Celeron Willamette-128 at $138, while next week there will be price adjustments on the 1.7GHz and other existing Celerons.