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Intel on Monday rolled out three of the company's fastest Pentium 4 desktop processors to date.

Pentium 4 chips running at clock speeds of 2.53 GHz, 2.4 GHz, and 2.26 GHz were introduced, according to representatives for Intel, based in Santa Clara, California.

Designed to power high-end PCs and targeted at users who prefer to stay at the top of the PC performance curve, each new Pentium 4 chip is supported by a 533-MHz system bus.

Earlier Pentium 4 chips communicated to the rest of the PC via a 400-MHz system bus.

Added Performance

The faster 533-MHz bus will assist the increased clock speeds of the chips in delivering added performance to PC end-users, according to Intel.

All three new Pentium 4 chips are supported by the 850e chipset.

A Pentium 4 processor running at 3 GHz is expected to arrive by year's end, according to sources familiar with the company's plans.

Intel, the world's largest chip maker, competes primarily with Sunnyvale, California-based Advanced Micro Devices for market share in the PC and mobile processor space.

The 2.53-GHz, 2.4-GHz, and 2.26-GHz Pentium 4 processors start at $637, $562, and $423, respectively, in lots of 1000 units, according to Intel.