Sources at Taiwanese motherboard makers told DigiTimes that demand for Intel's new Core i7 processors isn't expected to pick up until the third quarter in 2009, due to the impact of the dropping global economy. Intel expects sales of 45nm quad-core Core i7 processors will only account for 2 percent of its total CPU shipments in Q3 2009.

The 45nm Pentium Dual Core E5000 series is expected to be the most popular family, with shipments accounting for 30 percent of the company's total CPU shipments in Q3 2009.

With the cost of entry to upgrade to the cheapest Core i7 CPU and X58 motherboard running at more than US$500, demand will see difficulty in picking up until mainstream segment CPUs show up in the third quarter of 2009. DDR3 memory module pricing will also play a key role in boosting demand. But motherboard makers are still holding large P45 chipset inventories which will require 3-6 months to digest.

In the third quarter of 2009, Intel expects its 45nm quad-core Core i7 CPUs will only account for 2% in the company's total CPU shipments, while proportions for other CPUs are estimated at 45nm Core 2 Quad 16%, 45nm Core 2 Duo E8000 20%, 45nm Core 2 Duo E7000 18%, 45nm Pentium dual-core E5000 30%, 65nm Pentium dual-core E2000 5%, 65nm Celeron dual-core E1000 2%, 65nm Celeron 400 3%, 45nm Atom 200/300 series 4%, the sources revealed.