Pros: This unit is a beast and more than demolishes the tasks you throw in it's path. I've personally used and continue to use the product in the following ways: Graphic Design Audio Design / Production Video & Audio Encoding Gaming Development (MS Windows/Web/Xbox360) Virtualization (VMWare/VirtualPC) I purchased this CPU last year and paired it with a EVGA x58 760 motherboard. I have not been disappointed in any area of performance so far with the exception of some virtualization applications. This chip survived a bad power supply from the initial build, from which I was very surprised as well as elated.

Cons: The price of course, the original price point of $999.99 was/ is extremely high depending on your uses and level of entry. Even at a lowered price of around $800.00 this chip is still well above overkill for most users.

Overall Review: I wanted to wait at least a year prior to writing anything relating to this product to ensure I had spent some serious "real world" time with it and I must say I have yet to be disappointed. My last upgrade was in 2004 to an Intel P4 3.2GHz which I've used up until last year when I finally had to upgrade, it was beyond Scott Bakula jump forward, (a quantum leap). I'm certain that the i7-990x is also worth the money given certain circumstances.

Pros: The advertised specifications and quality build of the product made it advantages especially for a new SLI based system. A large amount of cabling and capacity options.

Cons: The price is a little bit more than I would expect given the actual build quality that I found after receiving and working with the unit.

Overall Review: This was purchased over a year ago when I built my new i7-980x machine and it caused some serious issues. To make a long story short the unit was defective and caused a problem with my newly purchased motherboard as well as memory. I may purchase a Corsair power supply of this again in the future but so far I'm not inclined to do so given my experience and the large number of alternatives on the market. I would recommend that this unit may be workable for some and that for some others still it may not. Essentially the mileage appears to vary.