Posted 10/09/08 at 11:47:56 AM by Paul Lilly

Power users have been chomping at the bit in anticipation of Intel's upcoming Core i7 platform, and some sites have already begun cashing in through pre-order sales. But as is often the case, being first means you'll likely pay the most.

Most of the pre-order parts are being found overseas, such as the MSI X58 Platinum motherbaord that was recently listed for over $300, or the MSI Eclipse spotted selling for as much as $413.

And it's not just MSI. As Fudzilla discovered, the Asus P6T Deluxe (the same board spotted with a warning label cautioning against running RAM voltage higher than 1.65V or risk damaging the CPU) was seen selling for $444. That's still cheaper than the Asus P6T Deluxe "OC Palm Edition," which at least one vendor had on pre-order for a staggering $492.

On the processor front, Canadian e-tailer PCVOnline is taking pre-orders on the Core i7 920 (2.66GHz), 940 (2.93GHz) and 965 Extreme Edition (3.2GHz) for $340, $650, and $1100 respectively. These aren't quite as overpriced as the above motherboards, as official bulk pricing is expected to set at $284, $562, and $999 respectively.

Anyone out there willing to pay pre-order pricing for day 1 bragging rights?

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intel, cpu, processor, motherboard, chipset, build a pc, preorder, platform, x58, core i7

Posted 07/14/08 at 02:15:39 PM by Paul Lilly

Back in April, Australian PC maker Pioneer Computers leaked details on the processors Intel will use in its Centrino 2 mobile platform, and now the Aussies are back at it again. This time, Pioneer Computers is taking preorders for laptops built using unreleased quad-core mobile processors from Intel, claiming the CPUs will be available within one to two weeks.

The upgrade doesn't come cheap, with Pioneer Computers charging $1,390USD to boost its DreamBook Style 9008 laptop from a Core 2 Duo P8400 to a Core 2 Extreme QX9300. The upgrade alone more than doubles the cost of the laptop in its default configuration - ouch!

Intel hasn't yet listed the QX9300 on its most recent price list, but the high end part will pack four cores clocked at 2.53GHz each, along with a beefy 12MB of on-chip cache, according to Pioneer.

Intel declined to comment, as it does with all "unannounced products," but that doesn't mean you can't. Would you be willing to double up the cost of your notebook for twice as many cores and more cache?

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intel, pc, mobile, laptop, hardware, quad-core, build a rig, preorder, noteboook