Intel launches cheap Celeron-like Pentium 4 516

Intel sneaked out a new cheap Pentium 4 516 with features that are closer to the Celeron D line than the Pentium 4 line.

The Pentium 4 516 lacks Hyper-Threading, but eWeek doesn't mention whether this chip also has less cache memory than the normal Pentium 4s.

This processor will be featured in some brand-name Desktop PCs this Fall and is apparently designed to help manufacturers market relatively inexpensive PCs with Pentium 4 processors inside them.

For example, one of Gateway's eMachines that will use the 516 processor will only cost $499. Some analysts believe this chip may aid Intel to compete against AMD's cheap processors.

"Intel offering unusual SKUs at the trailing edge of their product lines makes sense, as it lets them target specific customers' low-cost PC lines without endangering the price structure for mainstream Pentium 4 processors," Dean McCarron, principal analyst at Mercury Research Inc., said in an e-mail.