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Retails are pricey because people will pay that much. Supply and demand. For some reason, people are willing to spend a lot more on a retail than OEM. To each his own :)
Supply and demand - that's pretty much it. Well, maybe the whim of the retailer too, but they wouldn't price them so high if they weren't selling... and I don't think they'd be selling unless supply <<<< demand.
I think that's why the pre-order is only $5. That way, nobody is getting billed right away, and it should alleviate the insantiy from the Core 2 Duos. I think this is a win-win, as nobody is having a grand tied up indefinitely, and people can still get in line without signing away their lives.
I think they do come with them, but they are in a separate box. I bought some of the 667 Mhz stuff a while back, and that's how mine came. I was told that they weren't preinstalled because most people don't want them.
If you aren't overclocking, just use the stock heatsink/fan that comes with it. Assuming, of course, you're buying a retail chip.
For no overclocking, there's no reason to spend more money on an aftermarket cooling solution.
Last I heard, I think mwave is shipping some 28's, as is BLT. I know tankguys is shipping 26's, and you can always check ebay for listings of course. With most retail stores it's a crap shoot though, unless you buy from the few that post steppings/weeks.
I'd hate to be in his shoes. He was just trying to help. He wasn't forcing anyone to do anything. He wasn't cancelling orders, or refusing to ship at the low price. In fact, he's still shipping a bunch at the low price this week. All he was trying to do is offer a way for people to speed up...
Wow, lots of strange people here. They didn't force anyone to pay more, and they never promised a ship date in the beginning. They are waiving the cancellation fee, and giving everyone multiple options on how to procede. They are clearly explaining the situation, and doing the best they can...