Intel's recent price cuts already provided AMD with plenty of cause for concern, and reports now suggest that Intel will launch a low-cost Core 2 Quad Q8000 series of processors to further pile the pressure on AMD's Phenom line-up.
The first budget part, a 2.33GHz quad-core Q8200 is said to launch in Q3, with a 1,333MHz FSB and 4MiB L2 cache. Pricing is believed to be around $203 in thousand-unit quantities, pitting it closely against AMD's X3 and X4 parts.
The 8000 series chips will be built on Intel's 45nm fab, and are believed to be a direct replacement for the current 65nm 6000 series. Reports suggest that Intel's new chips won't feature TXT (Trusted Execution Technology) and VT (Virtualisation Technology), in order to differentiate from its Q9000 parts.
On the dual-core front, Intel will launch its E2000 replacement, the E5000 series, beginning with a 2.5GHz part with an 800MHz FSB and a larger 2MiB L2 cache. Prices are expected to be around $84 in thousand-unit quantities.
If the reports are indeed accurate, Intel's entry-level chips look set to leave AMD's current Phenom range with very little room to manoeuvre.
