Hot Still? e7200 at Frys for $80

[scootermaster]

Here's the link

Does it make sense to wait for i7? Will these drop even more? I'm looking to build a hackintosh/htpc and this looks like the perfect quiet/cool chip for me.

 

[MBony]

Dang, just bought one brand new on FS/FT for $100, might have to put it up on ebay and pick this one up.

 

[scootermaster]

Originally posted by: MBony
Dang, just bought one brand new on FS/FT for $100, might have to put it up on ebay and pick this one up.

Yeah, I just looked today -- been waiting for this again. Stubbornly refused to get the e520 or whatever at NE for $89, which I guess was the next best deal. I was surprised no one had posted it.

 

[jiffer]

Originally posted by: scootermaster
Does it make sense to wait for i7? Will these drop even more? I'm looking to build a hackintosh/htpc and this looks like the perfect quiet/cool chip for me.

The lowest price for one of the new I7 processors being released this month is $284. (They're all quad core.) If you can't decide whether to buy an $80 dual core processor or a $284 quad core processor (along with a brand new, expensive motherboard), then I don't think technology is the issue.

But to answer your question about whether we can expect the price of an E7200 to drop even more, you can look at what has happened to other processors at their "end of life". Intel's list price for them remained the same after a certain point--frozen in time, as it were. In most cases, the old processors and the newer processors that replaced them have the same list price. After Intel stops manufacturing a particular processor, the price for it just depends on the stores and vendors who are clearing out their inventory. Fry's used to have insanely low prices on some of their clearance processors, but the people at the Fry's components desk are telling me that Fry's won't keep doing that because they can now send the processors back to THEIR vendor for credit instead of selling them at a huge loss. (Oh well, it was great while it lasted.)

So to answer your question, I don't think the E7200 will come down much further in price, at least not anytime soon. (Maybe a couple of years from now when it's obsolete.) I think you should ask, is the E7200 a good processor for you right now for $80? I think it's perfect for me at that price.

The other question is, when will the new i7 processors come down in price far enough to suit your budget? If you want one right now, you'll have to pay a premium for it. After a couple of price cuts from Intel next year (or during special sales from places like Fry's), you might decide it's the best bang for your buck and worth every penny. But I doubt you'll ever see a quad core i7 for $80.

 

[scootermaster]

Originally posted by: jiffer

Originally posted by: scootermaster
Does it make sense to wait for i7? Will these drop even more? I'm looking to build a hackintosh/htpc and this looks like the perfect quiet/cool chip for me.

The lowest price for one of the new I7 processors being released this month is $284. (They're all quad core.) If you can't decide whether to buy an $80 dual core processor or a $284 quad core processor (along with a brand new, expensive motherboard), then I don't think technology is the issue.

But to answer your question about whether we can expect the price of an E7200 to drop even more, you can look at what has happened to other processors at their "end of life". Intel's list price for them remained the same after a certain point--frozen in time, as it were. In most cases, the old processors and the newer processors that replaced them have the same list price. After Intel stops manufacturing a particular processor, the price for it just depends on the stores and vendors who are clearing out their inventory. Fry's used to have insanely low prices on some of their clearance processors, but the people at the Fry's components desk are telling me that Fry's won't keep doing that because they can now send the processors back to THEIR vendor for credit instead of selling them at a huge loss. (Oh well, it was great while it lasted.)

So to answer your question, I don't think the E7200 will come down much further in price, at least not anytime soon. (Maybe a couple of years from now when it's obsolete.) I think you should ask, is the E7200 a good processor for you right now for $80? I think it's perfect for me at that price.

The other question is, when will the new i7 processors come down in price far enough to suit your budget? If you want one right now, you'll have to pay a premium for it. After a couple of price cuts from Intel next year (or during special sales from places like Fry's), you might decide it's the best bang for your buck and worth every penny. But I doubt you'll ever see a quad core i7 for $80.

Great answer. Also, the mobos and memory needed will be considerably more expensive. I think this is the chip to get. I just wished I'd gotten it last time!

 

[edplayer]

Originally posted by: jiffer
But I doubt you'll ever see a quad core i7 for $80.

I do

It will probably take three or four years for it to happen though

 

[dorkbert]

I am still on 3 yr old Opteron 165, so everything out there is 'newer.' That said, since all I ever play is (gasp) Diablo 2, it's more than adequate... till Diablo 3 hit the street (probably) next year.

 

[hans007]

wow thats insanely hot.

the deals now have just been crazy.

if you think about it 500gb drive is like $50-60 on a deal, $20 for 4gb ram on a rebate, $130 4850 cards, $80 e7200s. and a cheap e7200 capable motherboard is $30-50 on ebay, $20 dvdrws at newegg...

you could build an entire "gaming" system for the price of an xbox 360 elite at msrp.

 

[Tempered81]

Great deal, OP. Still hot IMO. E7200 $79!

Hans, your computer:

E7200 Wolfdale @ 4000mhz
Abit IP35 E motherboard
4GB DDRII pc2-6400 2x2GB
HD 4850 512MB
500GB SATAII 7200 RPM
DVD-rw
etc
etc

< $399 if you buy smart

 

[hans007]

Originally posted by: jaredpace
Great deal, OP. Still hot IMO. E7200 $79!

Hans, your computer:

E7200 Wolfdale @ 4000mhz
Abit IP35 E motherboard
4GB DDRII pc2-6400 2x2GB
HD 4850 512MB
500GB SATAII 7200 RPM
DVD-rw
etc
etc

< $399 if you buy smart

yeah pretty easily $399.

I suppose I wouldnt buy an abit, but you could easily buy a p43 or g43 board for like $60 and get say an antec case on a deal (i thinkt here is ansk4480 deal right now with psu).

Pretty ridiculous honestly how much you can get for $400. get a TN 24" panel for $260-270 on a deal and you are set.

 

[brencat]

So it's only for select B&M Fry's, correct?

"The prices are valid Thursday, Nov 7, 2008 through Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008. Unless otherwise indicated, ads are for Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Houston (HOU), Los Angeles/Orange County (LA), San Jose (SJ), Phoenix, Renton, Chicago, and Austin areas."

 

[RallyMaster]

Now I regret buying my E7200 box so early. Oh well.

 

[Zap]

Wahhh, B&M only!

 

[Cabages]

So these are pretty easy to clock to 4ghz?

and an IP35 mobo is a good overclocker?

More and more I look at i7 the less I want it.

 

[edplayer]

Originally posted by: Cabages
So these are pretty easy to clock to 4ghz?

No

Looks like average overclocks are in the 3.6~3.9GHz range

That is with good cooling and over 1.3V

 

[scootermaster]

I got one from the MB frys. Came back out with the orange sticker of death (open box). I asked him to go back and get me one without the sticker, he comes back 10 seconds later -- it took him 20 seconds to come back, whereas it took him 4 minutes to find it the first time -- telling me they "all" had the sticker. In other words, he didn't even look.

 

[ibex333]

I'd say it's probably better to wait a while longer unless you are desperate and you absolutely have to have that hackintosh now... Since the LGA775 is officially starting to turn obsolete with the arrival of i7 CPUs, the core 2 duos should start falling in price... Off course I'm not saying it will happen fast, but it will happen, and I'm pretty sure we'll see some big price cuts within the next 6 months. Also, since the leading gap between intel and AMD is not growing with the arrival of these new CPUs, I'm sure AMD will try to at least narrow that gap with price cuts or new offerings. This will also bring the price down on older intel CPUs.

 

[edplayer]

Core 2 duos have been falling in price since the same year they came out. Yes, it will not happen fast. It will happen gradually just like Intel wants it. There won't be big price cuts in the next 6 months. Intel never has big price cuts. They EOL products.

They are starting to turn obsolete but it will take many years for it to actually be obsolete. The first athlons will still do everything most home users expect out of a pc and they are almost 10 years old.

 

[AkumaX]

Zap, you need one?

 

[jrichrds]

Originally posted by: scootermaster
I got one from the MB frys. Came back out with the orange sticker of death (open box). I asked him to go back and get me one without the sticker, he comes back 10 seconds later -- it took him 20 seconds to come back, whereas it took him 4 minutes to find it the first time -- telling me they "all" had the sticker. In other words, he didn't even look.

I've had experiences like that at Fry's.

The last time I was successful in getting them to give me a new one instead, it involved the cashier voiding the current quote (since S/N is tied to quote already), walking back to the components area & having them enter a new quote, and then coming back to the register to do the transaction. So it isn't always clear whether they're really out of new boxes or the cashier is just lazy.

Have you tested your open box CPU yet?

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: AkumaX
Zap, you need one?

[shifty eyes] Of COURSE I need one. [/shifty eyes]

Actually, I had bought an E5200 with the intention of BSEL modding it and playing around with overclocking on a cheap board, but a friend really needed it (his AM2 board died and I don't have any replacements, but he did have a spare LGA775 board). So, if I could have gotten the E7200 from frys.com for $80+ship, I would have.

 

[mikeg]

seems like prices have gone up a little in the last couple of weeks. I remember getting this CPU with a combo mobo for like 89 just 2 months ago. Also the quad core combos seem to have gone up like $50 the 9400 with mobo use to be 229-249 depending on what mobo just 6 weeks ago.
Mike

 

[skywhr]

i got an e8400 for $139 from fry's a while ago

wow i forgot how much i spent lol

sorry

 

[killster1]

Originally posted by: skywhr
i got an e8400 for $80 from fry's a while ago

receipt screen shot?


wow ya i always wanted to get a e7200 but im always like.. well for 40$ more i can get..... so ive gotten e8500's q6600's and q9450's instead but im still tempted..

 

[jrichrds]

Originally posted by: mikeg
seems like prices have gone up a little in the last couple of weeks. I remember getting this CPU with a combo mobo for like 89 just 2 months ago. Also the quad core combos seem to have gone up like $50 the 9400 with mobo use to be 229-249 depending on what mobo just 6 weeks ago.
Mike

The lowest I've seen the E7200 combo at Fry's for is $99. It started at $129, dropped to $109, and then $99. But once Fry's introduced the E5200 in a combo for $99, they cranked up the price on the E7200 combo. They have had a couple E7300 combos here and there, but they're using OEM CPUs for those. And at stock voltage with the GF7050VT-M board, I got worse OC performance out of those than the E7200.

Anyways, the deals at Fry's in the past month or two have been pretty week, with some combos increasing in price. They must be saving it for the holiday shopping season.