[TECnewhw] CPU upgrades - end of life announcement for computers bought in 2004

[Trevor Cordes]

As a courtesy to my loyal customers, I'd like to announce that CPU's
compatible with most motherboards (ie: computers) purchased in 2004 and
the first half of 2005 are nearing their end-of-life in terms of
availability through the normal channels as brand new product.

If you want to upgrade the CPU in your computer, the main reason being for 
more speed, in the next little while, then you probably want to act now.  
After the compatible CPU's disappear from the market, your only upgrade 
possibilities will require a brand new motherboard, CPU, RAM and possibly 
other components, as well as a Windows (and all other software) reinstall; 
quite an expensive proposition.  In contrast, upgrading the CPU now is a 
simple and easy procedure.

To tell if your computer is one of the ones I am talking about, you can 
look at your original invoice or right-click on My Computer and choose 
Properties.  You should see something that says "Celeron 2.4" (the number 
might be different).  If it does say "Celeron 2.4", 2.5, 2.6, 2.7 or 2.8 
then there is a very good chance your system qualifies.  If your invoice 
says "Prescott" on the line that says "MOTHERBOARD", then that also 
indicates your probably qualify.

What is available to upgrade to is either a Celeron 2.8/533/256 or a P4 
2.4/533/1024.  The Celeron is cheaper and has a faster clock speed, but 
has less cache.  The P4 is a slighter better choice for most people.  The 
old 2.4 Celeron, for comparison, has a 400 bus and 128 cache, therefore
the P4 is a much faster CPU, even though it has the same clock speed.

Depending on your existing setup and eligibility, the cost to upgrade is 
only around $85 for the Celeron 2.8 or $120 for the P4 2.4.  Add $5 
for while-u-wait installation if you bring the computer here.  Add $25 for 
on-site installation for most Winnipeg addresses.

If you might be interested in this offering, please email me for further 
details and a compatibility check.

Bulk discounts are available if you are upgrading 2 or more systems.

You will want to think about this upgrade if you have a system you want to
get a few more years life out of before having to do a major upgrade.  You
also want to consider this if your Windows system is complex or would be
a big pain to reinstall.

Upgrading a CPU takes only a few minutes and is a painless process.
Absolutely nothing has to be done or tweaked in Windows for the new CPU to
work.

If you are interested, send me an email soon as stock of these CPU's could
disappear literally over night without advance warning.

Note, I am just going by industry rumors and online tech/geek news.
There is a possibility the CPU's will be available for much longer.
However, in the past I have watched what Intel does and this feels like
the right time to email this announcement.