Intel Core i7-2600K - Core i7 2nd Gen Sandy Bridge Quad-Core 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Intel HD Graphics 3000 Desktop Processor - BX80623I72600K

Pros: Unbelievable performance. Switched over from a 4 GHz Phenom II x6 and was just stunned by how much more performance this thing could deliver. Truly leaves AMD and any older Intel chips in the dust.

Overclocks to 5 GHz+ like a charm. Max stable clock I could get on air cooling (Noctua NH-D14) was 5.2 GHz. I run at 4.8 for 24/7.

Handles absolutely any general purpose computing task and any games perfectly

Cons: Absolutely none.

Overall Review: If you want to overclock, get this CPU right now. It's worth the price premium over the 2500k if you want that extra CPU muscle that HT provides, and the 3770k is not worth getting over this unless you don't really want to overclock.

I have this CPU powering 2x7970s on an ASRock z68 extreme7 gen3 motherboard with 8GB DDR3-1600 ram and a Corsair AX1200 PSU

Pros: Very fast CPU. *Some of the latest CPU instruction features like AES-NI, SSE4.2, AVX and VEX. (*but unfortunately without VT-d, TXT, SIPP and vPro, & remote kill that all the other non-k sandy bridge models have.)

Cons: Top performance relies on Turbo Boost, which is restricted to specific thermal and power limits. Review sites tested with heatpipe-tower-type Intel XTS100H heat sinks (similar/smaller than with i7-980X), not the crummy inch-tall circular one seen with prev. 1156's and now all 1155's, including this 2600k. So add a third party cpu cooler to your shopping list. Why do only the top models, 2500k/2600k, loose VT-d, TXT, SIPP and vPro support? VT-d is CPU based I/O virt. Together these provide enhanced system security. Requires a new chipset that is more expensive and offers less. Serious lack of I/O, PCI-e lanes. Without a third party PCI-e to PCI converter chip they couldn't even provide a 7 slot ATX mobo. Limits SATA 6G and USB3 max throughput. Why DDR3-1333 at v1.5 limits? Will performance memory die out? Only the K-series can overclock in any significant way, but Intel now has far more control of the very limited parameters and the extent to which they can be adjusted.

Overall Review: Argh, one big performance step forward and 2 messy gotcha steps backwards. We need chipset competition! Only when used with the H67 chipset and without using discrete graphics can you use the amazing video transcoding performance of "Quick Sync". The Z67 chipset and faster 2900k proc will be out in a month or so. Get an SSD or why bother moving the bottle neck over three inches. Not any better temp/power/perf than my Intel Core i5-680/H57 in _most_ apps/games.