Weekly CPU Prices - Week of July 10, 2006

How Do We Find Those Prices?

Each week we scour the price engine circuit to find the lowest online prices for CPUs. CPU prices change frequently and the prices we obtain and post each week are a snapshot of the CPU price market for a given moment in time. Prices can go up and down daily, depending on market conditions and availability. The "Change" column lists the price difference between this week and last week's posted prices on Sharky Extreme.

OEM vs. Retail Prices

Most of the prices listed are for the "OEM" versions of the chips, also referred to as "tray" or non-retail, which are typically 10 to 15% cheaper than their retail or boxed counterparts. OEM CPUs usually do not come equipped with a heat sink or fan. They also usually come with a weak warranty, often in the range of 15-30 days. That is usually enough time for you to burn-in your CPU and make sure it's ok. Retail prices are higher since they generally include the longer warranties, fans, heatsinks, etc. that OEM packaging does not. If we quote retail prices for certain CPU models, it will be noted as such.

Prices listed do not include any additional charges for shipping, sales tax, etc. Be sure and ask your vendor about those charges before ordering.

So, how can I get that Price?

Some online vendors will have different prices for phone vs. online orders. Many vendors will honor these online prices only if you can state where you found the price; therefore you must mention a price engine such as www.pricewatch.com and/or tell them that you saw the price in Sharky Extreme's weekly CPU pricing guide, which uses Pricewatch. Before you think of buying from any of the vendors listed in our charts, we recommend you do your own research concerning a particular company's customer service and prior history, or just hit our very own Sharky Forums and ask for some advice.

Incidentally, the list of vendors we come up with each week is generated by hand from our own research and Sharky Extreme does not receive any sort of advertising fee, sponsorship or other type of promotional incentive from any of these companies that appear on the list. We are in no way recommending or endorsing any of these companies, we're just bringing you a weekly snapshot of prices and their sources.

So use the tables as a reference guide of what is available but try not to grumble if you can't find the CPU of your choice at our listed price; CPU prices are constantly changing depending on market conditions. Happy hunting!