With the cost of entry to upgrade to the cheapest Core i7 CPU and X58 motherboard running at more than US$500, demand will see difficulty in picking up until mainstream segment CPUs show up in the third quarter of 2009. DDR3 memory module pricing will also play a key role in boosting demand. But motherboard makers are still holding large P45 chipset inventories which will require 3-6 months to digest.
In the third quarter of 2009, Intel expects its 45nm quad-core Core i7 CPUs will only account for 2% in the company's total CPU shipments, while proportions for other CPUs are estimated at 45nm Core 2 Quad 16%, 45nm Core 2 Duo E8000 20%, 45nm Core 2 Duo E7000 18%, 45nm Pentium dual-core E5000 30%, 65nm Pentium dual-core E2000 5%, 65nm Celeron dual-core E1000 2%, 65nm Celeron 400 3%, 45nm Atom 200/300 series 4%, the sources revealed.