Intel intends to introduce three lower-end processors for the lower segment of the market very soon which will be based on existing architectures. In the plan are the Celeron G470 chipset, Core i3-3245 and Core i3-3250, with the Celeron model based on the Sandy Bridge architecture, and the remaining two have Ivy Bridge processor design.

Intel has released less expensive Ivy Bridge processors while lowering the price on older Sandy Bridge CPU’s. When the first Ivy Bridge processors came out prices were in mid and high end segment. Now Intel has finally released their budget editions. These are represented by the Core i3 and Pentium CPUs based on the 22nm architecture. They will fill the gaps that currently exist in the low end market. The cheapest is the Pentium G2100T with an OEM price of just $75 (in 1,000 unit lots). It will run at 2.6GHz with only 35Watts of power consumption. The G2100T is followed by the G2120 model that offers two cores running at 3.1GHz and an OEM price of $75.

Intel is offering another upgrade plan for some of their Core i3 and Pentium G CPUs (the Core i3 2312 and 2102 and the Pentium G622). This is similar to an upgrade offer that was given last year for another group of CPUs. For a small fee (it was $50 last year) you can purchase a code that will unlock features in the CPU to increase performance. These features are reportedly able to bring an alleged 11-15% performance boost over the “locked” CPUs.

Of course the fact that Intel locked off those features to begin with have some a tad bit annoyed, but a quick look around finds that most of these are not retail CPUs but OEM ones. This means a quick and easy upgrade for just about any consumer. We do not have any information on how much this will cost, but it should not be more than $50-$60. Check out Intel’s site for more information.

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