Intel's next Core 2 Extreme gaming processor, the QX9770 - reviewed here - won't debut until late February/early March and not this month after all, it has been claimed.

The new schedule is attested by Taiwanese motherboard-maker moles cited by DigiTimes.

We can't say we're entirely surprised. In December 2007, it was claimed that Intel's next-gen gaming chipset, the X48, had been put back from January to February/March, the better to allow motherboard makers rid themselves of their stocks of X38-based boards.

Since the QX9770 is so well positioned as the ideal X48 processor, it makes sense that Intel would want to hold back the CPU too. Doubly so, perhaps, given AMD's admission that its top two Phenom processors will now appear in Q2 rather than the current one, as originally planned.

The QX9770 is clocked at 3.2GHz and is expected to be priced at $1399 in batches of 1000 CPUs.

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