http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Intel-Q6600-price-cut,5944.html"Intel reduced the tray price (PDF) of the Q6600 by 14% from $224 to $193, which makes the CPU Intel’s first quad-core processor to be priced at less than $200. The chip is priced against AMD’s Phenom 9650 (2.3 GHz, $195) and 9550 (2.2 GHz, $175). The current average retail price of the Q6600 is at $242, according to Pricegrabber.com.
The sharpest price cut can be seen for the 45 nm dual-core E8500 (3.16 GHz) processor, which was dropped by 31% to $183. While it remains the most expensive dual-core CPU in Intel’s desktop lineup, all Intel dual-core processor have fallen below the $200 mark, presumably to build up the defense against AMD triple-core assault. The 3.0 GHz E8400 CPU was reduced by 11% from $183 to $163 and is now priced on one level with five other 6000- and 8000-series Core 2 Duo processors ranging from 2.33 GHz to 2.83 GHz in clock speed.
In the entry-level segment, the E7200 model (2.53 GHz), is the first 45 nm dual-core CPU we can consider as a true entry-level chip. Intel dropped the price of this processor by 15% to $113 and now undercuts AMD’s cheapest triple-core processor - the Phenom X3 8450 (2.1 GHz) sells for a tray price of $125. AMD’s other triple core CPUs are priced at $145 (8650) and $175 (2.4 GHz) and can be considered direct competitors of the E8500 and E8400 processors."
