With the advent of core duos, some competitive but older processors are being offered in very low prices. These options are clearly for those who are in a shoestring budget, but just because the budget ain't that big doesn't necessarily mean that you will get something that is so low-end. Cheap doesn't mean low quality anymore nowadays.

According to Pricewatch - price providers on components from various resellers - a 200MHz Pentium MMX or a then $350 Pentium II will just cost you $5 now, and here's the best part - free shipping. The said Pentium processor, once a $609 part, was also present in a PC of the Future during the year 1998 that also sported another futuristic wonder at that time: a built-in DVD player - which today is a basic component.

If you think 1998 is too old for you, then maybe you should go for a more expensive 600Mhz Celeron chip for the whopping price of $8 - and again, free shipping. But if you are really on a tight purse, you can go for Pricewatch's the lowest price processor from Advanced Micro Devices - a 550MHz or 500MHz K7 from the first generation of Athlons, for $8 apiece.

The site also features a 700MHz Athlon for $18 or $20 in the quaintly archaic Slot A design. The chip, the first Athlon with an integrated secondary cache originally sold for $990 in June 2000.