Intel Unveils Core 2 Duo Desktop CPUs

The long wait is finally over. Intel has taken the wraps off its new line of desktop Core 2 Duo CPUs, effectively retiring the Pentium line as their flagship processors (with good reason; the P4 marked one of the largest mistakes in the company's history). As for the new Core 2 Duos, Intel is releasing 5 new processors today, ranging from the low-end Core 2 Duo E6300 @ 1.86 GHz (with 2 MB of L2 cache) to the expensive Core 2 Extreme X6800 running @ 2.93 GHz (with 4 MB L2 cache).

All the new Core 2 Duo processors come with a 1066 Mhz front-side bus and utilize Intel's new LGA775 socket. They'll finally become available for general consumption on July 24th, assuming there are no delays; today's release only concerns OEMs. So, if you're in the market for a new computer, you might want to wait until late July-early August when the first of the Core 2 Duo desktops hits the market, or until later in August when the Merom-based Core 2 laptops become available. Time for me to start saving...again.

[via Bit-Tech.net]