Sure the performance of the chip is whipped by Intel's Core i7 940 and Core i7 965 Extreme Edition, but you'll have to spend an outrageous amount of money for the pleasure (500 and 800, respectively). As far as price-performance ratio, the Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition can't be beaten. And while the Phenom II X 945 (3.0GHz) is only =A320 or so cheaper than the Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition, I'd recommend paying that little bit more for the unlocked multiplier - unless the very idea of overclocking causes you to break out in a cold sweat! You shouldn't sweat it though - cranking up the clock speed on a processor is as simple as setting the multiplier and tweaking the voltage if needed: achieving 3.8GHz (nearly a 20% improvement) at stock voltage can be done in seconds without lifting a finger".