CPUs > Intel CPUs > 3 GHz and more > 100 GBP to 199 GBP

Advantages: Cheap, fast and cool
Disadvantages: it's not a quad core, £130 may be too much for some

It took a while for Intel to wake up and smell the prices of AMD shares recently (AMD being Intel's main competitor). After years of AMD taking bite after bite out of Intel's market share with innovative, efficient, fast and affordable processors, Intel finally did something about it and released the Core 2 processor. The dual and quad core CPU's completely blew AMD away and AMD still haven't caught up two years later. The Intel Core 2 E8400 is the ...
...advantage of quad cores and Intel has released it's next generation architecture called Nehalem, it's well worth saving your money - with the E8400 costing less than £130, it's value for money, especially if you're overclocking, is undeniable. Whether you're buying a new system with an E8400 in it or upgrading your existing system, the E8400 should be top of your list. ... Read review

Advantages: Fast, good overclocking potential; the best for games (and virtually all other applications)
Disadvantages: Runs fairly warm, but nothing terrible

As a gamer, I needed the best processor out there. Searching around, the only real debate in this price range was whether to go for the E6850, a dual core CPU, or the Q6600, a quad core at a lower clock. After looking at many different benchmarks and reviews, the answer was clear - the higher clocked part (the E6850) was a more power processor, giving better performance in games, and better performance in most ofther software applications as well. ...
...6 months ago when I bought this product; current applications do not need 4 cores to run quickly, especially games. If I was particularly interested in video editing, then I may have gone for a quad-core, but for my purposes it wasn't nescessary. Not only that, but I have used video editing software on this, and it will render incredibly quickly - I was blown away. So, the upshot is - what do you need to use your computer for? A few specialised ... Read review

Advantages: Blistering speeds
Disadvantages: Ideally needs Vista 64 bit but few software compatibility probems

Intel have really got it right with this CPU. It was easy to install and runs like a dream. To take real advantage of the power of this CPU it really needs the Vista 64bit version and there are few software compatibility problems now so it is worth taking the plunge. I've never seen software install so quickly on a PC as with this processor and running Windows updates, background tasks, processor hungry games etc. just doesn't have an impact on the ... Read review

Advantages: Price, performance
Disadvantages: Heat

A brilliant processor, can run the latest games with ease. Brilliant value too! I play the likes of crysis and cod4 seamlessly with this processor. There are a few things you must be careful of though, first of all this processor gives out a fair amount of heat! I dont feel that the supplied fan is good enough, but that could just be because of my cramped case. Secondly, the edges are sharp! I cut myself while installing it. Be careful! This is ...
...it didnt complain at all. Thats with an aftermarket cooler though. I upgraded from a single core and was surprised the massive difference it made. So, in conclusion, this is a very impressive cpu for an appealing price! Just look at the ciao price comparison and you will see it available for £75! a bargain. I bought mine at £100. I wish i had found ciao then! ... Read review

Advantages: great for office use. endures high temperatures. has average life of 5-10 years
Disadvantages: can not be used for gaming purpose. Windows Vista might not work

This is an absolute great processor for office use. It can bear very high temperatures, and with the right motherboard and bios it can be overclocked easily. Works great at Windows XP when using word, internet, reading your e-mail etc. (office use). When this processor is installed properly and doen't have to endure very high temperatures it will have probably a lifetime of 5-10 years (maybe even longer). I used it for about 7 years and never got ... Read review