Weekly CPU Prices - Week of November 17, 2008
November 19, 2008
Welcome to the Sharky Extreme Weekly CPU Prices. This is a weekly update on CPU prices we find around the net.
We have several different tables to help you find what you are looking for, sorted by manufacturer; (AMD or Intel) sorted by price; tables showing only high-end or low-end CPUs, all to make your research and subsequent buying decision a bit easier. Use our handy "jump to" feature at the bottom of each page to quickly get where you need to go.
If you are new to this feature and are wondering just exactly how we get these prices, and how YOU can get them, the last page of this guide describes our search methods. Please note that most prices listed were found using PriceWatch and are only for phone orders, requiring that you call the vendors and tell them you found a specific price on PriceWatch or "on Sharky Extreme's Weekly CPU Price Guide, which uses PriceWatch." Also please note that prices change daily, while our guide is only updated weekly; so you will need to get an updated price.
So without further ado here is the Weekly CPU Pricing Guide...
Unfortunately, this is an even slower period for AMD price changes than usual. The AMD charts are entirely devoid of price drops, in fact, with only one price changing at all and that one being an $8 increase to the 2.3 GHz Phenom X4 9550.
While not quite as stagnant as their AMD counterparts, this week's Intel processor listings are nonetheless holding pretty steady. Only three of the prices we track fell at all, with both the 2.5 GHz Core 2 Quad Q9300 and 3.0 GHz XEON E3110 processors falling by $5 and the Core 2 Duo E7400 dropping by only $1. Overall, a very uneventful week, but at least there was only a single price increase, and that was just $2.
This is about as slow a week for CPU price changes as we've seen in quite a while, with only three of the AMD and Intel processors we track falling at all and none dropping by more than $5. Adding insult to injury, the largest price change turned out to be an $8 increase, but hopefully the official release of the Core i7 line will lead to a more eventful next few weeks.
The High-End processor market is made up of the fastest and most expensive CPUs that you can buy. This is also an area where money talks and money walks, especially at the top-end of the scale, where the budget-minded definitely fear to tread. To help select the right high-end CPU for your own specific configuration, we've sorted these based on model, speed and then split the CPUs into retail and OEM sections if required. This is an excellent method of gauging where the high-end "best buys" may be, especially between the OEM and Retail versions.
The Entry-Level processor selection is comprised of both Intel and AMD value CPUs, which combine a lower overall cost with slightly less robust performance. It's still a great place to get some serious bang for your processor buck, and many gamers love the cost savings that these entry-level processors allow. The following chart groups the Intel and AMD value processor by model and line, and then sorts each of these sections by retail price. While a bit shorter than the High-End price chart, it still gives a very good view of the overall price structure, and eagle-eyed readers will pick out the best buys with little effort.
Tracking processor price levels is just one facet of our guide. We also track price changes, from one week to the next, outlining where the best CPU deals may exist at a specific point in time. In the following chart, we've tried to make it even easier on you by sorting the data using the price change column and ranking the largest drops right at the top. This type of chart can really help buyers who track processor prices closely, watching for any opening to purchase. This listing, along with the forthcoming one that is sorted by price, should be invaluable tools in any buying decision. Just remember to keep your eye on both sides of the equation, as the biggest price drop may be indicative of a good deal, but the overall price and its competitive position still needs to be evaluated.
High-End or Low-End, it's all the same in the following CPU price chart. This is the big one, the grand-daddy price list gathering all the previous CPU prices and combining them into one monster chart. To top it off, we also sort based on price, starting with the low-cost processors, and moving up to the most expensive, cutting-edge performance models. This gives an incredible view of the overall CPU market, not only comparing the basic Intel vs. AMD processors against each other, but allowing a closer look at how the different processor lines match up as well.
