Hardware Central's CPU Price Watch for July 15, 2009
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July 15, 2009
Welcome to the Hardware Central Weekly CPU Watch. 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 Hardware Central's Weekly CPU Price Watch, 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...
Only one of the AMD prices we track fell at all in this week's guide: the X4 940, which fell $4 from last week's price. Meanwhile the only other price change in these charts was a $14 increase in the tracked price of the X4 810.
Intel prices, meanwhile, saw even less downward movement than their AMD counterparts. The lone drop came in on the E7400, which fell just $1 from last week's tracked price. The rest of the prices we track in these charts either held steady or inched upwards.
The prices we tracked in this week's guide held about as steady as we've seen them be in a while. Only two prices (one from each camp) dropped at all, in fact, and a few others moved slightly upwards. But by and large, prices held right where they've been for 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.
Overclockers, computer-whiz kids, engineers, body builders, male and female readers can all be found on Sharky Forums! It's the best source of technical information online, and it's 100% fat-free. Head over and get your hands dirty
here...
We hope you've all had a thoroughly enjoyable read and we thank you for flying with us and understand that you have a choice...
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.
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.
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 Hardware Central 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!
