This pricing makes no sense to me

[RAW-BERRY]

I've recently been looking at parts for a new PC I am building, and noticed something odd. I set my sights upon the AMD Phenom II x4 955 3.2GHz at ~$115.00. However, looking back at my previous build, I noticed that the weaker and older Intel core 2 duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz is priced significantly higher at ~$179.00.

Is there some factor that I'm overlooking? The AMD processor seems better in every way, yet is significantly cheaper. Surely the Intel logo branded on the box can't make that big of a difference?

 

[jaguarskx]

Generally when a product is no longer produced and supply is drying up, the price of the remaining stock goes up.

 

[christop]

True supply and demand plus the guys stuck with a stack of E8400s are trying to get the money back.

 

[Wisecracker]

As processors approach and/or go EOL, Intel seldom drops prices to clear the channel (except, maybe on lower-end stuff). Hence, e8400s at retail have only recently declined below $150, and the s775 *Qs* are still up there in price.

AMD, because of their market position (or, lack thereof) is continually moving that inventory out with lower and lower prices as new models come to market. This is a good thing for them, and a good thing for the consumer, as long as compatibility is maintained.

As an example, if you purchased a nice AM2+ motherboard 3-4 years ago, you have had access to nearly 150 processors over that time because of the DDR2/DDR3 capability of the memory controllers. You also have saved the cash associated with updating OEM operating systems when you change your motherboards (that is, if you play by the 'legal' rules)

AM3+ backward compatibility with AM3 if just further icing on the cake. It's really a shame that this run is coming to an end in the next few years.

Hopefully, AMD will find a similar 'sweet spot' with the Hudson chipsets as time marches on, and we transition from DDR3 to DDR4.

 

[Shpati]

Supply and demand, there are fewer people there who need the weaker CPU upgrade. But they have no choice if there motherboard cannot support it. They can keep their current weaker CPU or pay the extra dollars for a easy upgrade.

I was going to upgrade my Father's old Dell (from 2005) by adding new RAM (2GB G. Skill, DDR RAM). But we said forget it, as it would of cost 60+ American dollars. However, I just recently upgraded my laptop's memory from 4GB to 8 GB (and about 300 MHz faster and it is DDR3) and it cost me about 71 dollars. That is not that big of a difference considering how much better my laptop RAM is. These are NewEgg prices.

It sucks, but that is how it is.

 

[Ubrales]

Product pricing is a marketing function, and is not directly co-related to product quality or performance.

Sometimes, a manufacturer will price an older product higher just to draw (happy) customers to their newer products. All based on the overall marketing strategy for the entire product line or family.