Intel has apparently started shipping Sandy Bridge based Celeron processors and the pricing seems rather affordable.

So far three models are listed, with an additional low voltage variant. The G540 is the flagship model, with two cores clocked at 2.5GHz. It has 2 x 256kB of L2 cache and 2MB of L3 cache, all in a 65W package. The price is €44.9.

The G530 is pretty much the same, but it's 100MHz slower and it costs €36. However, Intel is also selling the G530T, a 2GHz model with a 35W TDP. It will set you back about €40. Lastly, the G440 is a single core part, with a 1.6GHz clock. Its TDP stands at 35W and it costs just €32.

Intel is also flogging several new Pentiums based on the Sandy Bridge core. For €71 you can get a 3GHz Pentium G860, a 65W part with 3MB of L3 cache. The G630 comes in two flavors, either as 2.7GHz part priced at €65, or as a polar bear friendly version, dubbed G630T. It runs at 2.3GHz and has a TDP of just 35W. The price stands at €60.