Almost a year has passed since our first CPU value article. Since then, we've taken a look at the value propositions of current graphics processors, but we haven't taken another shot at CPUs--until today, that is. Fresh from our review of AMD's triple-core Phenom X3 processors, we've gathered all of our benchmark results and tossed current official pricing into the equation to see how much bang Intel's and AMD's latest processors deliver for your buck.

In this look at the CPU market, we explore how value scales across two, three, and four cores, whether bargain prices make AMD's Phenoms attractive from a value perspective, and how Intel's blazing-fast dual-core CPUs like the Core 2 Duo E8400 fit into the picture. Our results span 20 processors, 18 different benchmarks, and some custom tests that take power efficiency and more complete system pricing into account. Keep reading to see where the best values lie in the CPU market.