Five years ago: 'Classic' P-133 is chip of choice

Although there remains a significant gap in price between the chip and slower speed Pentiums, buyers are flocking to it as the sweet spot part of the summer.

"The lowest speed we'll advertise this month is a 120MHz Pentium and the only reason we'll do that is because it won a magazine 'Editor's Choice'," said Andrzej Bania, marketing manager at London-based direct seller, Mesh Computers. "The 133 is entry-level. You're getting a faster board and it's worth the small extra expense over the 120 and 100. It's going to go down as one of the classic chips that stays around, like the 486DX2/66. People buying it won't feel stiffed the way they do with some chips with a shorter span."

Most PC vendors contacted by PCDN said the 133MHz and 166MHz Pentium are dominating sales, with the 150MHz being bypassed by the majority of users. "It's very much polarised," said Mesh's Bania.

An Intel spokesman said Intel's chip roadmap is going to plan. "It's great news for us," he said. "[Slower speeds] are still available but we wanted the 133 to be entry-level now."

He added that the 200MHz continues to sell faster than expected. "It's selling strong: you don't usually expect to sell that many until volumes appear and prices come down."