Intel pushing steep discounts on CULV chips?
updated 10:05 am EDT, Wed March 25, 2009
Intel CULV Pricing Drops
Intel is determined enough to launch its CULV processors that the company is cutting prices by more than half to encourage PC vendors to buy it, notebook builders have reportedly said today. Pricing for a low-end version of the ultraportable chip is officially set at $152 in bulk but has been cut as low as $65 for companies with the very largest PC shipments, such as Acer, Dell and HP. Smaller firms such as ASUS and MSI are said getting prices as low as $70.
Why the prices are being dropped so severely for a relatively new platform aren't known, though the cost puts the chips at the same prices as mainstream Intel Atom processors and would encourage developers of larger ultraportables to consider CULV chips rather than use Atom chips, which limit performance options and the prices Intel can charge per chip.
CULV chips are now also expected to show on April 19th and should include high-end chips that cost between $315 and $342. The full range of processors hasn't been illustrated but will involve at least a 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo that consumes just 10W of power as well as Core 2 Solo and Celeron models.
It's not known which companies outside of Dell and HP have planned to introduce CULV notebooks, which should normally cost below $900 and have screens smaller than 13 inches.
