Intel's 550MHz PIII due in a week?

Intel's 550MHz Pentium III will debut for $744 on May 16, according to The Register.

The announcement is expected to herald major price cuts for other members of the PIII and PII families, the web site is reporting.

The 500MHz PIII will fall from $637 to $482, and the 450MHz Pentium III from $411 to $268.

The 350MHz Pentium II will drop to $163, while the 450MHz version will cost $268 and the 400MHz chip will be reduced to $193.

There will be no immediate changes in prices for Intel Celeron parts, given that the 466MHz Celeron is now the premier model and has some way to go before its price declines.

The full story appears at http://www.theregister.co.uk .