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A new Pentium 4 processor running at 2.4 GHz, as yet unannounced by maker Intel, is already being sold in the component shops of Tokyo's Akihabara district and is set for an official launch next week.

Sato Musen began selling the chips last weekend and had already sold out of its initial supply by Tuesday, a salesman at the shop said. The shop received a single tray of the chips from an undisclosed source and does not know when further chips will be available, the salesman said.

An Intel spokesperson in the U.S. said Thursday the chip will be launched officially next week, priced in the neighborhood of $560 each in 1,000-unit quantities. She declined to say when 2.4-GHz PCs will go on sale, but typically, at least a handful of major system makers offer systems based on a new chip right away.

Technologically Advanced

Intel last introduced new chips in the Pentium 4 line on January 7 this year when it announced the 2.2-GHz version of the chip. That announcement signaled a move to more advanced 0.13-micron architecture for the product line, something which enabled Intel to double the amount of onboard cache memory to 512KB. At the same time, a 0.13-micron version of the existing 2-GHz Pentium 4 was also introduced.

According to the company's most current price list, the 2.2-GHz chip is priced at $562 in quantities of 1,000, which is a standard measurement for processor prices. The 2-GHz version that was introduced in January costs $364. Both prices have remained unchanged since the chips were introduced although are likely to be reduced when the 2.4-GHz is introduced.

In Akihabara, the 2.4-GHz chips were selling for around $579.

An Intel Japan spokesperson earlier this week declined to offer any details of the new chip.

"When Intel announces the products officially, many PC makers also announce their PCs at the same time so we actually start shipping to the industry well in advance," he said. "So sometimes we see some products get to the market before the launch date."

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