Intel Q6600 Price?

[watercooled]

Just a quick question: Why are Q6600 prices so much higher than the were? Is it because they are being replaced by 45nm chips so there is limited stock, but still a high demand?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Here are some reasons:
1.)High demand means that companies can charge a higher premium for prices.
2.)A weaker pound means that it costs more to buy new stock. Even old stocks of the Q6600 would be more expensive as the newer processors such as the Q8200 would cost more anyway. Hence companies can raise the price of the Q6600 as it would be still cheaper than the newer replacements.
3.)The Q6600 is soon going to become EOL so prices will also start to rise if they are still popular and the numbers available to buy decline.

[Saracen]

Here are some reasons:
1.)High demand means that companies can charge a higher premium for prices
2.)A weaker pound means that it costs more to buy new stock. Even old stocks of the Q6600 would be more expensive as the newer processors such as the Q8200 would cost more anyway. Hence companies would raise the price of the Q6600 as it would be still cheaper than the newer replacements
3.)The Q6600 is soon going to become EOL so prices will also start to rise if they are still popular and the numbers available decline.

1) only holds true is supply is limited and/or the competition don't have them, though. If company A put up their prices, and company B don't, company A don't sell any. Chips are also close to a commodity item. Sellers find it hard to differentiate the product. They can't change the colour or add go-faster stripes, etc. So a large percentage of people will hunt around the usual; candidates looking for the best deal. If company A put up their prices, company B could well see a chance to gain market share at A's expense by keeping prices steady. Of course, putting up prices might give a temporary increase in profit, but being seen to be cashing in can be damaging to reputation, if consumers feel they're being exploited by shortages. On the other hand, if company B holds prices as much as it can, it banks not only the money from increased sales but also customer goodwill for being seen not be exploiting chances.

I leave it to the reader's imagination to work out who they feel A and B might be. I, of course, and talking purely theoretically.

I'd bet the main factor though, if not the only factor is 2) .... exchange rates. A few months ago, the pound was hovering around $2 = £1. It's not around the £$1.50 = £1. So anything you buy in dollars is going the be about 25% dearer now than it was a few months ago.

On that basis, if an item was £108 (plus VAT) a few months ago, it's going to be roughly £135 (plus VAT) now, even if dollar prices of the chip are identical.



As for 3), yup, could be .... if supply is diminishing and availability reducing. I don't know if it is or not. I do feel that the Q6600 is getting MUCH less heavily promoted though .... though Scan still run deals regularly.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

1) only holds true is supply is limited and/or the competition don't have them, though. If company A put up their prices, and company B don't, company A don't sell any. Chips are also close to a commodity item. Sellers find it hard to differentiate the product. They can't change the colour or add go-faster stripes, etc. So a large percentage of people will hunt around the usual; candidates looking for the best deal. If company A put up their prices, company B could well see a chance to gain market share at A's expense by keeping prices steady. Of course, putting up prices might give a temporary increase in profit, but being seen to be cashing in can be damaging to reputation, if consumers feel they're being exploited by shortages. On the other hand, if company B holds prices as much as it can, it banks not only the money from increased sales but also customer goodwill for being seen not be exploiting chances.

I leave it to the reader's imagination to work out who they feel A and B might be. I, of course, and talking purely theoretically.

I'd bet the main factor though, if not the only factor is 2) .... exchange rates. A few months ago, the pound was hovering around $2 = £1. It's not around the £$1.50 = £1. So anything you buy in dollars is going the be about 25% dearer now than it was a few months ago.

On that basis, if an item was £108 (plus VAT) a few months ago, it's going to be roughly £135 (plus VAT) now, even if dollar prices of the chip are identical.



As for 3), yup, could be .... if supply is diminishing and availability reducing. I don't know if it is or not. I do feel that the Q6600 is getting MUCH less heavily promoted though .... though Scan still run deals regularly.

According to one of the people at a certain well known computer parts retailer they regularly look at competitors prices and if they think their price is too low they increase it!! It was something to do with the fact that their suppliers will throw a hissy fit if one company was significantly undercutting the other on normal prices. Also if people want to pay the higher it is only fair they profit from it I suppose!!

[watercooled]

Thanks for replying. Those reasons seem perfectly plausible. Does anyone know if the Q6600 is still in production?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Intel is taking orders until May:

http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?op...1356&Itemid=35

[DratUK]

Currency exchange is the most likely reason. With the pound being very week now all imports are affected.
Plus all the above

[watercooled]

I hate the way the UK gets hit so badly by currency fluctuations. The US is OK because most of the mfrs are based there. I wonder when the pound is likely to gain value again? I say we should use the dollar - better for computer builders lol

[Saracen]

..... I wonder when the pound is likely to gain value again? ....

When our economy is seen as thriving, and an attractive investment environment, relative to other currencies. When international confidence grows in the UK, when we're seen as less risky, and when the banking system isn't in crisis, both public and personal debt levels aren't crippling and when growth and stability return, with falling unemployment. Or, of course, when we're seen as a relatively good risk, compared to others.

In other words, don't hold your breath.

[watercooled]

Hmm, economy is confusing!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

If you look on Ebay I have seen some new Q6600 processors going for £120 and under. If you shop around you can still get a good deal. I have also seen many Q8200 processors selling for around £100 too!!

[r_j_k_p]

If you look on Ebay I have seen some new Q6600 processors going for £120 and under. If you shop around you can still get a good deal. I have also seen many Q8200 processors selling for around £100 too!!

Do you know how well the q8200's clock to? as i think i could get a q6600 to 3.6ghz.

How far is can one normally get with the q8200?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

It seems that the Q6600 is more overclockable:

http://www.custompc.co.uk/reviews/23...uad-q8200.html

http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,6...nom_X4/?page=4

At stock speeds they seem to be quite similiar in speed.

[watercooled]

I think 65nm chips are more overclockable than the equivalent 45nm chips because you can use a higher vcore - 45nm chips are more sensitive to voltage.

[Saracen]

Hmm, economy is confusing!

It certainly is.

There are a complex set of factors that affect exchange rates. Some are more relevant than others, some are under our direct control, some are merely the result of economic activity. For example, among the major factors are Bank of England interest rates, Gross Domestic product (GDP) figures, the balance of trade and current account figures. But put them all together and you get a series of indicators of the relative health of the economy.

Take the first one, BofE interest rates (the base rate figures we keep seeing talked about on the news). In normal circumstances (which we don't have right now), there's a direct link between those somewhat notional BofE rates and the actual market rates paid.

Let me ask you a question. Suppose you have a £1000 to invest. Halifax offers you 10% and Abbey offers you 2%, with all other account terms identical. Where do you invest? Assuming you're not stupid, in the account that offers you the best return, yes?

Now consider you're an international investor with £100,000,000 in Saudi Riyals to invest. One major thing you'd look at is the rate of return (though other factors, like risk, would be part of it). Suppose you think you'll get 1.5% from investing in Sterling, and 5% from investing in the Brazilian reals. Which would you pick? Yes, quite so.

There's a LOT of factors that go into relative exchange rates, and it's a hugely interconnected market with relative values of all sorts of currencies having an impact. For example, the pound has fallen against the dollar and fallen against the Euro, but not entirely for the same reasons.

A general guide, though, is that the exchange rate is seen as a measure of international opinion on the strength, or otherwise, of a country's economy, and most importantly, of it's future expectation. Expectations of the UK economic are, internationally, pretty poor. This is for a variety of reasons, but not least, are the levels of debt we have (and the huge increases we're about to incur), and our over-dependence on consumer activity fuelled by the housing market which has and continues to fall.

Our current exchange rate, and it's fall, therefore, is a strong indication, as far as I'm concerned, that the international market considers Gordon Brown's oft-repeated pronouncements about how well placed we are to weather the worldwide slump as the total cobblers it is. And though the Euro zone certainly has it's problems, they're not perceived as being as bad as ours. The US, on the other hand, is arguably in a far worse mess than we are, so the pound ought to be strong against the dollar, and it probably would be were it not for the fact that the dollar is a special case. Why? Well largely because it's been a kind-of international replacement for the gold standard, a reference point, and because many countries (like China) have VAST dollar reserves. Despite the problems of the US economy, the dollar is still seen as a relatively good place to hide from troubles in other currencies. So a lot of money has fled some currencies (like the pound) and gone into the dollar. Supply and demand then dictate that the pound goes down relative to the dollar.

All this, complex though it might seem, is still a grossly superficial simplification. If it were easy, we'd be able to predict relative changes with some accuracy and if I could do that, I'd be a very wealthy bloke. Sadly, it isn't and I'm not.

[Pob255]

On a side note about supply and demand, it's not just direct selling, the q6600 is still quite heavly used by OEM companies as a low cost quad core so that also factors in.
Also the popularity of the cpu has an effect, esp a high turnover means price changes due to exchange rates changes effect them more quickly than ones with lower turnover.
If intel has been scaling down production of this cpu and OEM demand is still fairly high then we may get stock shortages, that and with less stock available to resellers prices get pushed up.

The economy is complex and confusing.