We get it – times are tough, and no matter how tempting it might be jump into a Core i5 / i7 setup, for some, practicality dictates holding on to the current platform and squirreling away any extra funds for a rainy day. Or you can use part of it to invest in Intel’s upcoming dual-core E6600 processor and revel in the fact that you spent but a pittance for the fastest Pentium dual-core Wolfdale 45nm processor on the planet.
According to news and rumor site Fudzilla, Intel is still on track to release its 45nm E6600 on January 17, 2010, barely a month out of reach. And the best part? Barring any last minute curve balls from Intel, it should sit on retail shelves for a mere $84, which is what it costs today for an E6500. The E6500 is expected to drop down to $74.
That’s not a bad bang for your buck if you’re stuck using an LGA 775 platform. For not much more than a sit-down dinner and a movie for two, the E6600 brings to the table two processor cores clocked at 3.06GHz, the first wolfdale to breach the 3GHz mark, and push data through a 1066MHz frontside bus. It also boasts 2MB of L2 cache and a 65W TDP.
Image Credit: Intel
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