Since we're reviewing a pre-release processor, it is a bit difficult to gauge street prices of the new Pentium 4-2.0 GHz. There are currently listings on a few of the online hardware search engines, but these prices are likely a tad inflated due to basic supply and demand. Worse, there seems to only be listings for the current FC-PGA 423-pin version and not the newer 478-pin variety. Current online prices place the new 2.0 GHz Pentium 4 (retail) at around the $600 range, which due to price decreases this week, is at a noticeable premium compared to the $270 Pentium 4-1.8 GHz. This comparison gets even worse when bringing the AMD Athlon into the equation, as the high-end 1.4 GHz model sports a price tag of just over $100.

When purchasing an entire high-end computer, this price discrepancy is a bit easier to swallow, as a few hundred dollars on a $3-$4K system is really just a spit in the bucket. If you're looking to possibly upgrade to a Pentium 4-2.0 GHz, then get ready to bust open your piggy bank and pay the man. Comparing the Pentium 4 to the Athlon on pure upgrade CPU prices puts the ball firmly in AMD's court, as you could build a bare bones Athlon 1.4 GHz system for around the price of the new Pentium 4-2.0 GHz.

In a very slight way, the balance of processing power seems to have shifted over to Intel. While previous comparisons had the Intel vs. AMD competition on fairly equal ground, the Pentium 4-2.0 GHz has increased its lead in 3D gaming and multimedia performance, while making up a lot of ground in business and productivity applications. There has been a lot of attention placed on the potential deluge of SSE2-updated programs and new games, but as we have just seen, just playing the basic clock speed card may actually pay more immediate dividends for Intel.

Vince Freeman
Editor

Pros:

• Fastest Pentium 4 You Can Buy
• Impressive 3D Gaming Performance
• 2.0 GHz Finally!

Cons:

• Expensive Processor
• Still Built on 0.18-micron technology
• Costly Platform until the i845 Emerges