Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/716



Introduction

Welcome to the first installment of the CPU and Video Card Price guide for February 2001. We publish this article to help you, the consumer, find the best deals on the internet. All the tedious work like finding the best prices and locating reputable retailers has already been done so all one has to do is figure out what product is right for them. As always we encourage the reader to investigate every retailer's reliability before ordering, but we have eliminated typically problematic ones from our price guides.

If you encounter any problems with a vendor on our list, please email us, and we will take appropriate action. Remember that we will only list vendors with positive customer feedback. If you have any suggestions, don't hesitate to let us know.

Also be sure to check out AnandTech's Hot Deals Forum for even more great CPU, video card and other technology buys.

Disclaimer

AnandTech does not endorse any vendor listed in the following price guide. AnandTech does not receive any advertising fees or/and sponsorship contracts from the listed vendors. All views expressed by listed vendors do not reflect the opinions of AnandTech.

AnandTech, nor any of the vendors mentioned guarantee that the prices listed in this guide.

This Week

This week, we continue to see the effects of the price cuts Intel announced in late January. Now, the Pentium 4 and Pentium III 1.0GHz are even more appealing to their AMD counterparts. The higher clocked Celerons are also showing the effects of the price drops.

AMD finally gives us the Athlon-C 266MHz FSB processor this week. Though prices for this chip are high (even for AMD), expect prices to drop as their popularity picks up. Prices on Thunderbirds and Durons should remain steady until Intel poses a serious threat.

In the video card category, we see that the there have been some price fluctuations for the 3dfx Voodoo5. NVIDIA's prices will remain steady until the NV20 is released. As for ATI prices continue to drop for the third consecutive price guide. How low can ATI go? That remains to be seen...



Intel CPUs

AnandTech Weekly CPU Prices - Intel
CPU Price Change Vendor Shipping Promotion
Pentium 4 - 1.5GHz (400)
$629
$153
NA
OEM
Pentium 4 - 1.4GHz (400)
$420
$100
$11
OEM
Pentium 4 - 1.3GHz (400)
$406
NA
$9
OEM
Pentium III - 1.0GHz (133)
$258
$41
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 933MHz (133)
$230
$25
$15
OEM
Pentium III - 866MHz (133)
$193
$4
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 850Mhz (100)
$179
$25
$15
OEM
Pentium III - 800MHz (133)
$175
$5
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 800Mhz (100)
$183
$6
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 750Mhz (100)
$158
$5
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 733MHz (133)
$154
$6
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 700Mhz (100)
$135
$17
$10
OEM
Pentium III - 667Mhz (133)
$119
$7
$9
OEM
Pentium III - 650Mhz (100)
$117
$8
$9
OEM
Pentium III - 600MHz (E-133)
$107
$0
$9
OEM
Pentium III - 600MHz (E-100)
$111
$5
$9
OEM
Pentium III - 550MHz (E-100)
$145
$10
$9
OEM
Pentium III - 500Mhz (E-100)
$121
$0
$10
OEM
Celeron 800 FC-PGA
$162
$40
$9
 
Celeron 766 FC-PGA
$114
$16
$11
OEM
Celeron 733 FC-PGA
$93
$17
$11
OEM
Celeron 700 FC-PGA
$80
$0
$10
OEM
Celeron 667 FC-PGA
$73
$0
$10
OEM
Celeron 633 FC-PGA
$60
$7
$9
OEM
Celeron 600 FC-PGA
$61
$0
$10
OEM
Celeron 566 FC-PGA
$57
$0
$10
OEM
Celeron 533 FC-PGA
$61
$1
$10
OEM

The prices of the Pentium 4 continues to fall this week after Intel announced price cuts two weeks ago. The price of the 1.5GHz part dropped a steep 20% putting it well under the $700 mark. Intel's 1.4GHz P4 dropped another $100 putting it where the Pentium 3 1.0GHz was at the end of 2000. New this week is the addition of the 1.3GHz Pentium 4. Because this product is relatively new to the market, the price is quite high compared to it's faster brothers.

Intel's high-end Pentium III line of processors also saw a decent drop in price this week. Topping the list of price cuts is the 1.0GHz part which is now selling for $258. Other notable drops in prices came from the 933MHz and 850MHz parts which both dropped $25 in price. The rest of the Pentium III line remained relatively calm, showing minimal price fluctuations.

The Celeron 800 has finally dropped significantly in price since its debut. Although still high in price and lacking in performance compared to its mid-level Pentium III cousins, this 100MHz FSB Celeron is a step in the right direction for the low-cost Intel market. The 766MHz and 733MHz dropped $16 and $17 in price, respectively, making them a much better value than in previous months.

Related Reviews

Make sure you check out our latest Intel Pentium III Coppermine and Intel Celeron FC-PGA reviews for more information.

Pentium III Reviews Publication Date
Intel Pentium 4 1.4GHz & 1.5GHz November 20th, 2000
Intel Pentium III 1.13GHz (1133MHz) July 31st, 2000
Intel Pentium III 933 May 24th, 2000
Intel Pentium III 866, 850 March 20th, 2000
Intel Pentium III 1GHz March 8th, 2000
Intel Pentium III 800 & 750 "Coppermine" December 20th, 1999
Intel Pentium III E FC-PGA (Socket-370) October 26th, 1999
Intel Pentium III E "Coppermine" (Slot-1) October 25th, 1999

 

Celeron Reviews Publication Date
Intel Celeron 800 January 3rd, 2001
Intel Celeron 700 June 26th, 2000
Overclocking the FC-PGA Celeron April 17th, 2000
Intel Celeron 600 "Coppermine128" March 29th, 2000


AMD CPUs

AnandTech Weekly CPU Prices - AMD
CPU Price Change Vendor Shipping Promotion
Athlon Thunderbird 1.2GHz
$265
$3
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 1.1GHz
$220
$6
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 1.0GHz (266MHz)
$279
NA
?
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 1.0GHz (200MHz)
$183
$7
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 950MHz
$150
$3
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 900MHz
$123
$4
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 850MHz
$104
$4
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 800MHz
$100
$2
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 750MHz
$73
$8
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 700MHz
$83
$5
NA
Athlon 1.0GHz
$317
$32
$11
OEM
Athlon 950MHz
$210
$13
$11
OEM
Athlon 900MHz
$127
$12
$11
OEM
Athlon 850MHz
$111
$1
$11
OEM
Athlon 800MHz
$104
$2
$11
OEM
Athlon 750MHz
$90
$8
$9
OEM
Athlon 700MHz
$79
$3
$12
OEM
Athlon 650MHz
$70
$3
$11
OEM
Athlon 600MHz
$64
$2
$9
OEM
Athlon 550MHz
$59
$10
$9
OEM
Athlon 500MHz
$73
$11
$10
OEM
Duron 850MHz
$98
$0
$9
OEM
Duron 800MHz
$73
$0
$10
OEM
Duron 750MHz
$61
$0
$11
OEM
Duron 700MHz
$50
$1
$10
OEM
Duron 650MHz
$47
$5
$11
OEM
Duron 600MHz
$50
$10
$10
OEM


There is still very little change in prices for AMD's lines of processors. The entire Thunderbird series has shown only minor fluctuations in price from two weeks ago. However, just because prices have not changed doesn't mean prices aren't good. The Thunderbird 1.0GHz is still a steal at $183 and the 850MHz part can be found for just over $100. AMD's Athlon-C (266MHz FSB) is finally starting to show up in some online retailers. Those looking to buy one of the new Althlon-C's should note that you must also purchase a motherboard capable of handling the 266MHz FSB like the KT133A. Because this processor is so new, prices for it are quite high. Expect prices to drop as more vendors get their hands on these processors. Also, don't hold your breath waiting for the rumored 1.3GHz Athlons as they will not be coming out anytime soon and will most likely not feature the cooler-running Palomino core.

It looks like the time to find a dirt cheap "classic" Athlon has now passed. This week we see major price increases in the high-end spectrum of the Slot-A processors. The price of the 1.0GHz part now exceeds $300 making it unreasonably expensive for those looking to upgrade their older motherboards. It would be more economical to purchase a new motherboard and Thunderbird processor. However, if a new motherboard is not an option, a simple BIOS upgrade will enable you to use a higher clock speed Slot-A Athlon.

The price of the Duron line of processors, like the rest of AMD's line of chips, has remained relatively unchanged this week. The 850MHz part remains priced much higher than the rest of the Duron line. The rest of the Duron's are still priced very competitively to their Intel Celeron counterparts. For overclockers, the Duron 650 can easily make it up to 850MHz and is a steal for under $50.

However a low-cost processor does not always a mean low-cost system, especially in the Duron's case. With the price of bare-bones video cards and sound cards still much more expensive than their equivalents integrated into motherboards, building a cost-effective Duron system may be difficult. The only motherboards available for the Duron are the same ones available for the Thunderbirds; most of which sell for over $120. There is currently no Intel i810 equivalent for AMD processors, so those looking for a truly low-cost system may have to look elsewhere, as SiS 730S and KM133 boards are not available just yet.

Related Reviews

Make sure you check out our latest Athlon and Duron reviews for more information.

Athlon Reviews Publication Date
VIA’s KT133A Socket-A Chipset: AMD 760 Performance without DDR SDRAM December 21st, 2000
AMD's 760 Chipset: DDR for the Athlon is here October 30th, 2000
ALi MAGiK 1: The Athlon gets a second DDR platform November 29th, 2000
AMD Athlon "Thunderbird" 1.2GHz & Duron 800MHz October 17th, 2000
DDR SDRAM - AMD Athlon Performance Preview September 14th, 2000
AMD Athlon "Thunderbird" 1.1GHz August 28th, 2000
AMD Athlon "Thunderbird" 1 GHz / 800 MHz June 4th, 2000
AMD Athlon 1GHz, 950MHz, 900MHz March 6th, 2000
AMD Athlon 850 February 14th, 2000
AMD Athlon 800 December 20th, 1999
AMD Athlon 750 November 29th, 1999
AMD Athlon 700 October 4th, 1999
AMD Athlon August 9th, 1999

Duron Reviews Publication Date
AMD Duron 850MHz January 8th, 2001
AMD Duron 800MHz October 17th, 2000 12:56 AM
AMD Duron 750 September 5th, 2000 12:00 PM
AMD Duron June 19th, 2000 12:00 PM


Video Cards

AnandTech Weekly Video Card Prices
Video Card Model Price Change Vendor Shipping Promotion
3dfx Voodoo5 5500 AGP
$139
$31
?
 
3dfx Voodoo5 5500 PCI
$223
$28
$15
 
3dfx Voodoo4 4500 AGP
$119
$10
$8
 
3dfx Voodoo4 4500 PCI
$115
$5
$6
 
3dfx Voodoo3 3500TV AGP
$100
$0
6
 
ATI RADEON 64MB DDR
$180
$10
$12
 
ATI RADEON 32MB DDR
$88
$20
$11
ATI RADEON 32MB SDR
$88
$12
$12
 
ATI RADEON ALL-IN-WONDER
$235
$0
$12
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 ULTRA 64MB
$379
$20
$12
NVIDIA GeForce2 PRO 64MB
$280
$5
$15
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 64MB
$259
$10
$8
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 32MB
$161
$0
$8
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 32MB VIVO (ASUS V7700 Deluxe)
$215
$0
$13
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 MX 32MB
$84
$3
$11
 
PowerVR KYRO 64MB
$105
$4
$10
 
Matrox G450 32MB
$123
$3
$12
 
Matrox G400 32MB
$109
$0
?
 
Matrox G400 DualHead
$149
$6
$4
 

The reader should note that 3dfx will soon cease to exist and, as such, will not be able to support their cards properly. Please buy a Voodoo card at your own risk. The price of the Voodoo5 5500 AGP has finally dropped since 3dfx's departure. Those looking for a 3dfx card may want to grab one of these now because they may not last long. The 5500 PCI has continued to increase in price of the last two weeks. This card is a good choice for people looking to add 3D acceleration to a motherboard without an AGP slot. The Voodoo3 3500 remains a great bargain at $100. This is an excellent buy for those looking to have video input and a TV tuner inside their PC.

The dropping price trend of ATI Radeon cards continues this week. The Radeon 64MB DDR can now be found for $180, now making it making it $79 cheaper than a GeForce2 GTS 64MB. The 32MB Radeon DDR and SDR versions are now equally priced. There is no reason to buy the SDR version as there is a significant gain in performance while using DDR memory. The Radeon 32MB SDR obviously has not been selling as well as expected which accounts for the lack in price change.

The prices of the GeForce2 GTS 64MB and the Pro remain relatively unchanged. For a high-end card, the Pro remains a better value in the long run over the GTS because of its faster memory. The GeForce2 GTS VIVO card remained relatively unchanged this week. NVIDIA's GeForce2 MX, although unchanged in price, is an excellence value when compared to the competition. We would strongly recommend against making any expensive video card purchases right now as the next-generation cards are due out very soon now. If you can wait a few months now is the time to do so; at worst you'll just get a better price on the card you were going to buy anyway.

The PowerVR KYRO 64MB saw a slight drop in price this week. This card is a unique alternative to the 3dfx Voodoo and NVIDIA GeForce cards. What makes this card unique is it's tile based rendering engine. Although this is not the most popular card on the block, it does have a decent user backing and maturing drivers not to mention a very competitive price.

Matrox's line of cards have also remained relatively unchanged this week.

Related Reviews

Make sure you check out our latest video card reviews for more information.

Video Card Reviews Publication Date
3dfx Voodoo5 5500AGP
July 11th, 2000
3dfx Voodoo5 5500PCI August 4th, 2000
3dfx Voodoo4 4500AGP
October 23rd, 2000
ATI Radeon 64MB DDR
July 17th, 2000
ATI Radeon 32MB SDR
October 13th, 2000
NVIDIA GeForce 2 GTS 32MB
April 26th, 2000
NVIDIA GeForce 2 GTS 64MB
June 21st, 2000
NVIDIA GeForce2 Pro 64MB December 5th, 2000
NVIDIA GeForce2 Ultra
August 14th, 2000
NVIDIA GeForce2 MX
June 28th, 2000
ASUS V7700 Deluxe (32MB GeForce2 GTS VIVO)
November 3rd, 2000
Imagination Technologies / STMicro PowerVR Series 3: KYRO
June 7th, 2000
Matrox Millennium G400 & G400MAX
May 20th, 1999
Matrox Millennium G450
September 5th, 2000

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