In recent weeks we have looked at dozens of AMD and Intel desktop CPUs to determine which offer the best price vs. performance ratio.
Quite clearly, in the $100 to $200 range, the Intel Core i5 750 emerged as the winner at the upper end of the spectrum. Those looking to spend a bit less, at around $150 the best two options currently available are the Phenom II X4 925 and the Core i3 540. However, as we tightened up our budget it was all AMD.
When looking at sub-$100 parts the result didn't come as much of a shock given our previous findings. For about $100, the Athlon II X4 630 and Phenom II X2 555 belong at the top of the food chain, delivering unrivaled performance in their class. The potential to unlock two additional cores on the latter was just the icing on the cake, giving us Phenom II X4 955 performance with the click of a button.
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