Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/725



Introduction

Welcome to the second 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 'net. 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 necessarily reflect the opinions of AnandTech.

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

This Week

This week we saw Intel's price cuts starting to settle in. The Pentium 4 is now more affordable than ever as are the higher end Pentium III's. The Celeron line of processors also saw some hefty price drops this week.

AMD gives us another Athlon-C (266MHz FSB) processor this week: the 1.13GHz Thunderbird. In addition, we saw a significant price drop on the 1.0GHz Athlon-C. We also saw a little action in the Thunderbird and Duron lines after weeks of no price fluctuations.

In the video card arena, we saw our first price drops with 3dfx cards since their demise. We also clarified a hot topic in the ATI Radeon category and NVIDIA gave us a taste of what's to come with the introduction of the GeForce3.



Intel CPUs

AnandTech Weekly CPU Prices - Intel
CPU Price Change Vendor Shipping Promotion
Pentium 4 - 1.5GHz (400)
$599
$20
NA
OEM
Pentium 4 - 1.4GHz (400)
$350
$70
$9
OEM
Pentium 4 - 1.3GHz (400)
$355
51
$10
OEM
Pentium III - 1.0GHz (133)
$256
$2
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 933MHz (133)
$220
$10
$15
OEM
Pentium III - 866MHz (133)
$181
$12
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 850Mhz (100)
$179
$0
$15
OEM
Pentium III - 800MHz (133)
$171
$4
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 800Mhz (100)
$183
$0
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 750Mhz (100)
$153
$5
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 733MHz (133)
$150
$4
$8
OEM
Pentium III - 700Mhz (100)
$136
$1
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 667Mhz (133)
$115
$4
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 650Mhz (100)
$114
$3
$10
OEM
Pentium III - 600MHz (E-133)
$105
$2
$4
OEM
Pentium III - 600MHz (E-100)
$110
$1
$4
OEM
Pentium III - 550MHz (E-100)
$145
$0
$9
OEM
Pentium III - 500Mhz (E-100)
$121
$0
$10
OEM
Celeron 800 FC-PGA
$138
$24
$5
 
Celeron 766 FC-PGA
$112
$2
$11
OEM
Celeron 733 FC-PGA
$83
$10
$11
OEM
Celeron 700 FC-PGA
$76
$4
$10
OEM
Celeron 667 FC-PGA
$69
$4
$10
OEM
Celeron 633 FC-PGA
$59
$1
$10
OEM
Celeron 600 FC-PGA
$61
$0
$10
OEM
Celeron 566 FC-PGA
$55
$2
$10
OEM
Celeron 533 FC-PGA
$61
$0
$10
OEM

Intel's Pentium 4 line of processors continue to drop steadily in price this week. The 1.5GHz part is just under the $600 mark, making it more affordable but still quite overpriced even for the high-end segment. The 1.4GHz part, which is now $350, is a much better deal for those yearning for a Pentium 4. Although prices for the Pentium 4 continue to drop, the reader should note that both Intel i850 motherboards and RDRAM RIMMs are still quite expensive. Also, the performance increase of the current P4's over the 1.0GHz Pentium III is marginal and does not justify purchasing a new system.

The prices of the Pentium III line of processors seemed to have stabilized this week after one month of dropping prices. The largest fluctuations occurred in the 933MHz and 866Mhz parts which saw $10 and $12 price drops, respectively. The rest of Pentium III line remained relatively quiet in terms of price this week.

The Celeron line of processors continues to drop this week. The 800MHz part showed a $24 drop in price putting it at $138, however this CPU is still overpriced compared to its Pentium III cousins. The 733Mhz part dropped $10 this week making it cheaper than ever.

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
$248
$17
$15
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 1.13GHz (266Mhz)
$265
NA
$13
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 1.1GHz
$200
$0
$10
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 1.0GHz (266MHz)
$205
74
$9
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 1.0GHz (200MHz)
$179
$4
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 950MHz
$149
$1
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 900MHz
$122
$1
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 850MHz
$102
$2
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 800MHz
$99
$1
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 750MHz
$72
$1
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 700MHz
$83
$0
NA
OEM
Athlon 1.0GHz
$309
$8
$11
OEM
Athlon 950MHz
$219
$9
$11
OEM
Athlon 900MHz
$129
$2
$11
OEM
Athlon 850MHz
$129
$18
$11
OEM
Athlon 800MHz
$109
$5
$11
OEM
Athlon 750MHz
$95
$5
$9
OEM
Athlon 700MHz
$99
$20
$11
OEM
Athlon 650MHz
$79
$9
$11
OEM
Athlon 600MHz
$75
$11
$9
OEM
Athlon 550MHz
$62
$3
$9
OEM
Duron 850MHz
$89
$9
$10
OEM
Duron 800MHz
$68
$5
$10
OEM
Duron 750MHz
$57
$4
$10
OEM
Duron 700MHz
$46
$4
$10
OEM
Duron 650MHz
$49
$2
$11
OEM
Duron 600MHz
$45
$5
$9
OEM


After over a month of stagnant prices, AMD CPUs have finally begun to show some price changes. In addition, the 1.13GHz Athlon-C (266MHz FSB) has been spotted on the OEM market and is competitively priced at $265. The 1.0GHz Athlon-C, introduced in the last price guide, has also dropped significantly in price, putting it $5 over the 1.1GHz 100MHz FSB Thunderbird. This price premium is well worth the increase in performance of the 266MHz FSB. It should be noted that a motherboard that supports the 266MHz (133MHz DDR) FSB is required to take advantage of Athlon-C processors.

As for the rest of the Thunderbird line of processors, prices have shown a slight downward trend. The 1.0GHz Thunderbird is still an excellent deal at just under $180. The 850MHz part is also a good deal for those looking to build a cost-effective, midrange performance system.

The "classic" Slot-A Athlons continue to increase in price and are becoming difficult to find. The 900MHz Athlon is the best buy in this category as it is still relatively cheap and offers excellent performance. Those looking to upgrade their Slot-A systems may want to buy one of these processors soon as prices will continue to rise as the quantity falls.

AMD's low-cost Duron line of CPUs have shown some decent price reductions this week. The newly announced 850MHz part is now $89, however the 800MHz is a much better deal running for only $68. Those interested in overclocking should look to the Duron 700MHz, which is now only $46.

If you are looking for a truly cheap Duron system you may have to wait some time as there are currently no low-cost motherboards for these processors. Expect motherboards based on the SiS 730S and KM133 chipsets to be the best solution for cost-effective systems as they include integrated video and sound which can greatly reduce the cost of systems.

Related Reviews

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

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
$126
$13
$6
 
3dfx Voodoo5 5500 PCI
$145
$78
$10
 
3dfx Voodoo4 4500 AGP
$102
$17
$6
 
3dfx Voodoo4 4500 PCI
$115
$0
$6
 
3dfx Voodoo3 3500TV AGP
$100
$0
6
 
ATI RADEON 64MB DDR
$179
$1
$12
 
ATI RADEON 32MB DDR (Retail)
$147
NA
NA
ATI RADEON 32MB DDR LE (OEM)
$82
NA
NA
ATI RADEON 32MB SDR
$85
$3
$12
 
ATI RADEON ALL-IN-WONDER
$223
$12
$12
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 ULTRA 64MB
$355
$24
$11
NVIDIA GeForce2 PRO 64MB
$274
$4
$10
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 64MB
$248
$11
$12
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 32MB
$156
$5
$10
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 32MB VIVO (ASUS V7700 Deluxe)
$207
$8
$10
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 MX 32MB
$81
$3
$11
 
PowerVR KYRO 64MB
$105
$0
$10
 
Matrox G450 32MB
$123
$0
$12
 
Matrox G400 32MB
$109
$0
NA
 
Matrox G400 DualHead
$149
$0
$4
 

The reader should note that 3dfx's acquisition by NVIDIA will result in them not being able to provide support for their cards so purchase a Voodoo3/4/5 card at your own risk. The prices of the now defunct 3dfx line continue to drop this week. The most notable drop comes from the Voodoo5 5500 PCI: it is again within $20 of it's AGP counterpart. This card is an excellent buy for those looking to add decent 3D performance to a system that does not have an AGP slot. The Voodoo3 3500TV 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.

Prices for ATI's line of video cards has remained stable this week. We have made two new additions to the ATI section of our guide - the Radeon 32MB DDR Retail and the 32MB DDR LE (OEM). Several readers have complained that there are a few major differences in these cards which many online retailers fail to point out. The Radeon LE is actually a crippled version of the Retail card and does not feature ATI's Hyper-Z technology. It is important that readers understand this because Hyper-Z can have a significant effect on performance. The Radeon LE was originally meant to be an OEM product for some of the Asian markets. However the success of the product in those markets was overestimated and ATI was forced to bring the product to the North American market. The Radeon LE chips are generally composed of those chips that fail to work properly as fully functional Radeon solutions, meaning that they are often clocked at lower core frequencies and may not have fully functional HyperZ. Many readers have been reporting success with overclocking their Radeon LEs as well as by forcing HyperZ to be enabled on the boards however proceed with your own risk as there are no guarantees. For more information consult the AnandTech Forums.

As you have no doubt heard, NVIDIA has announced their GeForce 3 at the Macworld Expo in Japan yesterday. Although is was only announced for Apple computers, expect a PC announcement sometime next week. Upon the release of the GeForce3, you can expect the entire line of GeForce2 cards (including the Ultra) to fall in price. As for this week, prices have remained steady. The most notable price drop comes form the GTS 64MB which is now $248. Those looking for a low-end bargain should consider the GeForce2 MX. This card offers excellent 3D performance at a low price.

The PowerVR KYRO 64MB saw no change 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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