Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/732



Introduction

Welcome to the first installment of the CPU and Video Card Price Guide for March 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 you have to do is figure out what product is right for you. As always we encourage the reader to investigate every retailer's reliability before ordering, but we have tried to eliminate typically problematic ones from our price guides.

If you encounter any problems with a vendor on our list, please email us, and we will investigate their removal from our list. 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 and/or sponsorship 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 are accurate.

This Week

This week we see more price drops in the Pentium 4 line and the mid-range Pentium III line of processors. We also saw some significant price drops in the higher clocked Celeron CPUs.

AMD gives us more of what we want: 1.2GHz Athlon-C processors and unannounced 1.3GHz CPUs. We also saw some hefty price drops in Athlon-C processors (133MHz DDR FSB) introduced in the last price guide. The rest of the Thunderbird and Duron line of processors saw minor fluctuations in price this week.

As for video cards, we see some hefty price drops from the now defunct 3dfx. We also add another new ATI Radeon card to the lineup and note the first pricedrop in Matrox cards in months.



Intel CPUs

AnandTech Weekly CPU Prices - Intel
CPU Price Change Vendor Shipping Promotion
Pentium 4 - 1.5GHz (400)
$577
$22
$20
OEM
Pentium 4 - 1.4GHz (400)
$350
$0
$9
OEM
Pentium 4 - 1.3GHz (400)
$335
20
$20
OEM
Pentium III - 1.0GHz (133)
$243
$13
$9
OEM
Pentium III - 933MHz (133)
$220
$0
$9
OEM
Pentium III - 866MHz (133)
$179
$2
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 850Mhz (100)
$182
$3
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 800MHz (133)
$164
$7
$9
OEM
Pentium III - 800Mhz (100)
$167
$16
$9
OEM
Pentium III - 750Mhz (100)
$134
$19
$9
OEM
Pentium III - 733MHz (133)
$134
$16
$9
OEM
Pentium III - 700Mhz (100)
$128
$8
$10
OEM
Pentium III - 667Mhz (133)
$113
$2
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 650Mhz (100)
$111
$3
$10
OEM
Pentium III - 600MHz (E-133)
$105
$0
$4
OEM
Pentium III - 600MHz (E-100)
$106
$4
$10
OEM
Pentium III - 550MHz (E-100)
$135
$10
$11
OEM
Pentium III - 500Mhz (E-100)
$121
$0
$10
OEM
Celeron 800 FC-PGA
$118
$20
$5
OEM
Celeron 766 FC-PGA
$107
$5
$5
OEM
Celeron 733 FC-PGA
$86
$3
$5
OEM
Celeron 700 FC-PGA
$74
$2
$10
OEM
Celeron 667 FC-PGA
$69
$0
$10
OEM
Celeron 633 FC-PGA
$59
$0
$10
OEM
Celeron 600 FC-PGA
$61
$0
$10
OEM
Celeron 566 FC-PGA
$55
$0
$10
OEM
Celeron 533 FC-PGA
$61
$0
$10
OEM

The Pentium 4 line of processors continue to drop in price again this week. The 1.5GHz part dropped another $22 this week putting it at $577. We can expect to see the price of this processor to continue to drop over the next few weeks, however it may be several months before we see widespread use of the Pentium 4. The 1.4GHz part saw no change in price this week, but if you are interested in buying a P4, this is the one to get. For more information on the Pentium 4, read our review of it here.

This week, we see some hefty price drops scattered throughout the Pentium III line. The 1.0GHz part continues to drop this week and can now be found for only $243. Other significant price drops came from the mid-range PIII parts. The 800MHz, 750MHz and 733Mhz processors saw $16, $19 and $16 price drops, respectively. The rest of the Pentium III line saw only small price fluctuations this week as they are either already phased out or on their way out.

Intel's newest Celeron, the 800MHz chip, saw a significant price drop of $20 this week putting it at $118. This Celeron has finally dropped to a price where it is a better value than it's Pentium III cousins. The rest of the Celeron line remained quiet this week showing very small price changes.

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 1.33GHz (266MHz)
$309
NA
$10
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 1.3GHz (200MHz)
$294
NA
$10
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 1.2GHz (200MHz)
$220
$20
$10
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 1.2GHz (266MHz)
$232
NA
$10
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 1.13GHz (266MHz)
$222
$43
$10
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 1.1GHz (200Mhz)
$197
$3
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 1.0GHz (266MHz)
$212
7
$10
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 1.0GHz (200MHz)
$168
$11
$9
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 950MHz
$148
$1
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 900MHz
$121
$1
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 850MHz
$105
$3
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 800MHz
$100
$1
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 750MHz
$76
$4
$11
OEM
Athlon Thunderbird 700MHz
$91
$8
$6
OEM
Athlon 1.0GHz
$305
$3
$9
OEM
Athlon 950MHz
$179
$40
$10
OEM
Athlon 900MHz
$130
$1
$10
OEM
Athlon 850MHz
$116
$13
$10
OEM
Athlon 800MHz
$109
$0
$11
OEM
Athlon 750MHz
$89
$6
$11
OEM
Athlon 700MHz
$85
$14
$11
OEM
Athlon 650MHz
$79
$0
$11
OEM
Duron 850MHz
$78
$11
$7
OEM
Duron 800MHz
$63
$5
$7
OEM
Duron 750MHz
$56
$1
$10
OEM
Duron 700MHz
$46
$0
$10
OEM
Duron 650MHz
$49
$0
$11
OEM
Duron 600MHz
$43
$2
$9
OEM


This week we see three new high-end processors from AMD. First we have the 1.3GHz Athlon and the 1.33GHz Athlon-C (133MHz DDR FSB). We expect AMD to officially announce these processors at the end of March. At that time the price of those chips should drop significantly.

Next we have the 1.2GHz Athlon-C. Even though this part just started showing up on the OEM market, it is only $12 more than its 200MHz FSB brother. Until the 1.3GHz CPU's are officially announced, we recommend buying the 1.2GHz parts for high-end solutions as they are significantly cheaper. The 1.13GHz Athlon-C has also had a large drop in price this week. It can now be found for $222. It should be noted that a motherboard that supports the 266MHz (133MHz DDR) FSB is required to take advantage of Athlon-C processors.

The rest of the Thunderbird line of processors remained relatively stable this week. The 1.0GHz Thunderbird dropped $11 making it a steal at just under $170. The 850MHz part is also a good deal for those looking to build a cost-effective, midrange performance system.

AMD's "classic" Slot-A Athlons saw a slight downward trend in prices this week. The largest price drop came from the 900MHz chip which can be found for $179. The 900MHz part is still the best buy in this category as it is relatively cheap and offers excellent performance for the current Slot-A motherboard owner. Those looking to upgrade an older Athlon system need only upgrade their motherboard's BIOS is order to support these higher clocked Athlons.

The low-cost Duron line of processors showed some slight price drops this week as well The 850MHz chip can now be found for $78, however the 800MHz part is still a better deal for only $63. Those interested in overclocking should look to the Duron 700MHz, which is a steal at 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
$112
$14
$9
 
3dfx Voodoo5 5500 PCI
$135
$10
$9
 
3dfx Voodoo4 4500 AGP
$79
$23
$9
 
3dfx Voodoo4 4500 PCI
$99
$16
$6
 
3dfx Voodoo3 3500TV AGP
$65
$35
$6
 
ATI RADEON 64MB DDR
$176
$3
NA
 
ATI RADEON 32MB DDR (Retail)
$147
$0
NA
ATI RADEON 32MB DDR LE (OEM)
$81
$1
NA
ATI RADEON 32MB VE
$91
NA
$11
 
ATI RADEON 32MB SDR
$85
$3
$12
 
ATI RADEON ALL-IN-WONDER
$217
$6
$12
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 ULTRA 64MB
$339
$16
$11
NVIDIA GeForce2 PRO 64MB
$239
$35
NA
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 64MB
$240
$8
$12
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 32MB
$143
$13
$11
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 32MB VIVO (ASUS V7700 Deluxe)
$205
$2
$12
 
NVIDIA GeForce2 MX 32MB
$89
$8
$11
 
PowerVR KYRO 64MB
$105
$0
$10
 
Matrox G450 32MB (DualHead)
$102
$21
$12
 
Matrox G400 32MB
$109
$0
NA
 

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. This week we saw some significant price drops on all 3dfx cards. The Voodoo5 5500 PCI is an excellent value for those looking to add 3D acceleration to a motherboard without an AGP slot. The Voodoo3 3500 showed the most significant price drop this week and now sells for a mere $65. This is an excellent bargain for those looking to add TV in and out capability to their PC and are not necessarily concerned with the highest 3D performance.

We have added the Radeon 32MB VE card to our ATI lineup. This card adds dual display support to the standard Radeon 32MB SDR. We'd recommend this card over the standard Radeon SDR to non-gamers as it adds a useful feature for a $6 premium but it is considerably slower in 3D performance. The rest of the Radeon line of cards remained stable pricewise this week.

We should note that several readers have pointed out that there are a few major differences between the Radeon 32MB DDR (Retail) and the Radeon 32MB DDR LE (OEM) 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 units. 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.

Although the GeForce 3 has been announced for both the PC and Mac, we have still not seen it hit the OEM markets yet. We expect to see it hit the streets late this month or early next month. This week, the GeForce Ultra dropped a decent $16 in price putting it at $339. However, we do not recommend buying this card as the GeForce 3 will be released very soon which could drive prices even lower. The GeForce2 Pro saw a sharp drop in price this week. We expect the rest of the GeForce2 line of cards to drop in price once the GeForce3 hits the shelves. 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.

For the first time in months we see a tangible drop in a Matrox card. The G450 32MB DualHead dropped $21 putting it at $102. Those looking for excellent dual display capability may wish to purchase the Matrox card as it has proven itself well in this category. For more information check out our Dual Display Comparison.

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 VE 32MB
February 19 , 2001
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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