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News > Technology
Intel releases Pentium 4
April 23, 2001: 10:26 a.m. ET

Debut of fastest microprocessor could spark price war with rivals
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Intel Corp., the world's largest chipmaker, introduced its much-awaited Pentium 4 processor Monday, at 1.7 GHz the company's highest-performance microprocessor for desktops, in a move that could ignite a price war with its competitors.

Intel (INTC: down $1.58 to $30.85, Research, Estimates) said the Pentium 4 is available immediately for $325 in 1,000 unit quantities, and the company expects computer makers worldwide to launch systems based on the new microprocessor.

The New York Times reported Monday that the company plans to use the Pentium 4 to leverage its market share and cut into the bottom line of its chief rival, Advanced Micro Devices.

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Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD: down $1.80 to $27.20, Research, Estimates) hold a virtual duopoly in the desktop PC microprocessor market, but both companies have said they want to avoid a price war.

graphicBeginning next week, Intel plans to discount the 1.5 GHz version, which it introduced in November, from $637 to $256, the paper said.

"The Pentium 4 processor is destined to become the center of the digital world,' said Louis Burns, vice president and general manager of Intel's Desktop Platforms Group. "Whether encoding video and MP3 files, doing financial analysis, or experiencing the latest Internet technologies – the Pentium 4 processor is designed to meet the needs of all users."

Intel said the new Pentium 4 is the company's first completely new desktop processor design since 1995, when it launched the Pentium Pro processor. graphic





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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.