Dothan so expensive!

[slee210]

Hey guys, I have an Dell I8600 @1.7 banias, I probably wont buy another computer for a while so I was just lookin around to see maybe if i could upgrade to a 2.0 or 2.1 ghz dothan and saw that prices were ridiculous, almost enough for a whole new computer. Is there a reason these are so expensive? Do you guys think an upgrade will help much with my setup?

Dell I8600 @1.7 ghz
1.25 gb ram
80gb 7200rpm
128mb Radeon 9600pro

 

[Furen]

Because Intel can charge so much cash and still get away with it. Kind of like how X2s were 300+ before they got any competition. I doubt you'll get much of a benefit upgrading your computer. Going Yonah or Core 2 would help but you need a whole new system for that.

 

[o1die]

I wouldn't upgrade. Sell your dell and start over if you're unhappy with it. Upgrading to an expensive cpu is never a good idea, unless you've already sold the old one. Dell systems are nortoriously difficult to upgrade. It might not even work.

 

[Zap]

I agree with o1die in saying that it may not work, depending on chipset and revision. Most of the systems shipped with Banias chips used boards that were not compatible with Dothan. I used to have a Dell Latitude D800 that had a Banias in it and it was not upgradable to Dothan.

As for price, BITD Dell received some sweet CPU pricing from Intel, and when you buy from a vendor you get full retail pricing. Only way to get one for cheaper is through eBay.