Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/692



Introduction

Welcome to the sixth installment of our weekly CPU and video card price guide. 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

With the Christmas rush beginning to sputter out, CPU and video card prices have come to their lowest point in the year. This low point, however, is not significantly different from the prices mentioned in our guide two weeks ago. Intel's 1.4GHz Pentium 4 has broken the sub-$600 barrier and can now be considered a high-end solution under certain circumstances.

Although AMD has officially released their much anticipated 133MHz CPUs, they're still virtually impossible to find as individual CPUs. The price drops on Thunderbirds and Athlons are also slowing down, but there are still lots of exciting buys.

Although NVIDIA acquired 3dfx recently, we do not see a major change in prices for either brand's cards. ATI, however, is another story and, as you will see, there are some great buys out there on the Radeon series.



Intel CPUs

AnandTech Weekly CPU Prices - Intel
CPU Price Change Vendor Shipping Promotion
Pentium 4 - 1.5GHz (400)
$849
$10
$0
OEM
Pentium 4 - 1.4GHz (400)
$593
$166
$20
OEM
Pentium III - 1.0GHz (133)
$439
$20
$12
OEM
Pentium III - 933MHz (133)
$294
$26
$15
OEM
Pentium III - 866MHz (133)
$215
$6
$10
OEM
Pentium III - 850Mhz (100)
$211
$4
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 800MHz (133)
$178
$5
$10
OEM
Pentium III - 800Mhz (100)
$182
$5
$10
OEM
Pentium III - 750Mhz (100)
$165
$3
$10
OEM
Pentium III - 733MHz (133)
$162
$7
$10
OEM
Pentium III - 700Mhz (100)
$143
$3
$10
OEM
Pentium III - 667Mhz (133)
$130
$5
$10
OEM
Pentium III - 650Mhz (100)
$138
$0
$10
OEM
Pentium III - 600MHz (E-133)
$127
$1
$9
OEM
Pentium III - 600MHz (E-100)
$123
$3
$9
 
Pentium III - 550MHz (E-100)
$125
$5
$9
OEM
Pentium III - 500Mhz (E-100)
$120
$1
$10
OEM
Celeron 766 FC-PGA
$160
$9
$10
OEM
Celeron 733 FC-PGA
$114
$4
$9
OEM
Celeron 700 FC-PGA
$76
$12
$10
OEM
Celeron 667 FC-PGA
$79
$0
$11
OEM
Celeron 633 FC-PGA
$69
$8
$9
OEM
Celeron 600 FC-PGA
$64
$6
$10
OEM
Celeron 566 FC-PGA
$62
$5
$10
OEM
Celeron 533 FC-PGA
$66
$14
$9
OEM

For the first time since its release, the 1.4GHz Pentium 4 has begun to reach reasonable pricing. Although still expensive and almost impossible to find on the non-OEM market, the Pentium 4 is now a viable option for those looking for a cutting edge system without breaking the bank. The Pentium 4, however, is still not a practical solution for most users. People looking to buy a new Pentium 4 will still need to purchase a new motherboard, RDRAM, and a power supply for their systems which are all still pretty expensive. Intel has announced a 1.3GHz Pentium 4 to try to push prices down even further on Pentium 4 systems, but that CPU is currently not available in any form for the time being.

Although the 1.4GHz Pentium 4 has dropped in price, the Pentium III family remains virtually unchanged. Overall, the majority of Pentium III processors show a slight decrease in price with the largest drops coming at the top of the line 933MHz and 1.0GHz models.

With the year almost over, its obvious that many retailers want to clear out the old and make way for the new. All Celerons 633MHz and slower are now selling for under $70. These aren't the fastest processors out there, but those on a tight budget looking for a new computer will be more than satisfied. The higher end of the Celeron line remains overpriced. Note that for $2 more, a Pentium III 733MHz can be bought over the Celeron 766MHz. As we've seen time and time again, the Pentium III 733 would be considerably faster than a Celeron 766 in pretty much every conceivable situation.

Celerons with 100MHz FSB will finally start showing up early next month which could make the Celeron a viable option once again.

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 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
$274
$9
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 1.1GHz
$215
$10
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 1.0GHz
$172
$8
$11
 
Athlon Thunderbird 950MHz
$161
$2
$11
 
Athlon Thunderbird 900MHz
$140
$1
$9
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 850MHz
$117
$12
$6
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 800MHz
$107
$3
$11
Athlon Thunderbird 750MHz
$97
$0
$9
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 700MHz
$92
$6
$11
Athlon 1.0GHz
$287
$27
$11
OEM
Athlon 950MHz
$151
$28
$6
OEM
Athlon 900MHz
$131
$28
$9
OEM
Athlon 850MHz
$129
$5
$9
OEM
Athlon 800MHz
$119
$1
$7
OEM
Athlon 750MHz
$89
$4
$11
Athlon 700MHz
$81
$7
$9
OEM
Athlon 650MHz
$65
$6
$9
OEM
Athlon 600MHz
$69
$0
$11
OEM
Athlon 550MHz
$60
$0
$19
OEM
Athlon 500MHz
$57
$0
$12
OEM
Duron 800MHz
$73
$1
$11
OEM
Duron 750MHz
$65
$1
$11
OEM
Duron 700MHz
$54
$1
$11
OEM
Duron 650MHz
$45
$2
$9
OEM
Duron 600MHz
$49
$0
$11
OEM


Although the Thunderbird line of AMD processors remained relatively unchanged this week, they still are an excellent value compared to their Intel equivalents - especially the 1.0GHz part which is now selling for under $180. Those looking for the high-end 133MHz Thunderbird parts are out of luck again this week as they are still nowhere to be found outside of OEM systems.

Users looking to upgrade an older Slot-A based system can note that the higher speed "classic" Athlons have come down a bit in price. Most Slot-A motherboards can handle the high-end Athlons already or through a simple BIOS update. The 950MHz and 900MHz Athlons are an excellent choice for upgraders, as they have dropped a respectable $28, the largest drop in prices for AMD this week.

For budget minded consumers, AMD's Duron is still our preferred choice. Not only is the Duron cheaper clock-for-clock than a Celeron, but it also performs quite a bit better than its Intel counterpart. Those looking for a dirt-cheap processor and don't mind overclocking will definitely like the 650MHz part which sells for a mere $45.

However a low-cost processor does not always a mean low-cost system, especially in the Duron's case. 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.

Readers yearning for even faster Duron processors need not worry. AMD's Duron 850MHz part should be announced any day now as it is already appearing at some OEM resellers for $109.

Related Reviews

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

Athlon Reviews Publication Date
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 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
$170
$2
$6
 
3dfx Voodoo5 5500 PCI
$179
$3
$11
 
3dfx Voodoo4 4500 AGP
$109
$0
$6
 
3dfx Voodoo4 4500 PCI
$120
$11
$6
 
3dfx Voodoo3 3500TV AGP
$135
$1
?
 
ATI RADEON 64MB DDR
$228
$12
$12
 
ATI RADEON 32MB DDR
$135
$15
$0
Free Shipping
ATI RADEON 32MB SDR
$127
$4
$10
 
ATI RADEON ALL-IN-WONDER
$238
$4
$8
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 ULTRA 64MB
$399
$10
$8
NVIDIA GeForce2 PRO 64MB
$285
$0
$11
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 64MB
$255
$0
$12
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 32MB
$159
$0
$8
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 32MB VIVO (ASUS V7700 Deluxe)
$188
$45
$9
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 MX 32MB
$87
$4
$9
 
Matrox G450 32MB
$129
$8
$12
 
Matrox G400 32MB
$109
$1
?
 
Matrox G400 DualHead
$149
$0
$12
 

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 PCI and AGP versions of the Voodoo5 5500 continue to be similarly priced. The PCI version is an excellent buy for motherboards that do not have an AGP slot. The Voodoo4 4500 PCI is also a consideration for people looking to upgrade a low-end system with competent 3D acceleration.

The Radeon series from ATI saw a steady drop in price over the past two weeks. The Radeon 64MB DDR dropped $12 making it $27 cheaper than an 64MB NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS . The Radeon 32MB DDR dropped $15 putting it at a mere $8 premium over the SDR version. With the significant performance increase gained by using DDR memory, there is no reason one should take the Radeon 32MB SDR over the DDR at this point in time. Perhaps we'll see further price drops on the SDR model so that things make a bit more sense.

Surprisingly, the GeForce2 Ultra has increased in price since our last price guide despite falling 4ns memory prices. The prices of the GeForce2 GTS 32MB, 64MB and the Pro remain relatively unchanged. For a high-end card, the Pro remains a better value in the long run because of its faster memory. Fortunately, prices have dropped on VIVO and MX cards. GeForce2 GTS VIVO cards saw a hefty $45 drop. The MX remains an excellent value for someone who wants great 3D acceleration without spending a bundle.

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
Matrox Millennium G400 & G400MAX
May 20th, 1999
Matrox Millennium G450
September 5th, 2000

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