IF YOU'RE in the market for a new desktop PC, we suggest that you keep your wallet in your pocket for just a few weeks more. The reason? Intel has just released a new breed of superchip, christened Core 2 Duo, which leaves even the mightiest Pentium processors eating its digital dust.

And despite taking a razor to the wholesale price of the former king of the CPU jungle, the new Core 2 Duo line remains relatively closely priced to the Pentium series while blazing past it in every stopwatch test. So if you've got your eye on a new PC, cool your heels and keep saving.

By the middle of next month you'll be able to buy a Core 2 Duo machine for not much more than today's Pentium-based desktops. If money is really tight, you can shop around for a Pentium system for much less than today's asking price.