The phenom II 955 is really powerful. Do not let anyone tell you that it is a weak processor. There are many good processors out right now that is the simple truth of the matter. Intel has some very powerful processors and AMD does too. The 955 is not going to win any overclocking competitions and core for core it is true that he cannot be an upset Intel's I7 series. But really does it really matter at all? In my opinion it does not. As long as it does what it's supposed to do is fine. If you can start and operate your programs with reasonable amount of time and it is good enough for you. Too many people get caught up with charts and graphs and simulations without looking at and thinking about the real world conditions. In the real world conditions, the difference between an i7 and a 955 that is overclocked is merely a couple seconds in loading for a game if we are talking about a game. 955 is very powerful and is considered one of the most affordable 4 cores out there.

mikelore7

Monrovia, CA

*Pros:* Extremely fast stock speeds. Very easy to overclock, I have mine up at 3.8GHz currently on a corsair h50, idling around 40C, and load around 53C. Never can max out the load on it, not even while running 3DS Max 2011. *Cons:* The stock heatsink is quite possibly the worst heatsink I have ever used. (see final thoughts) *Final Thoughts:* I used the stock heatsink for quite a while, sometimes having to down clock the processor to keep it under 60C while playing starcraft 2. After getting mad at it I decided to get a corsair h50. I have removed heatsinks before, but this one was a pain... it took the processor out with it. Luckily it didn't damage any pins, came straight out after taking a razor blade to the processor and removing it from the heatsink. Do NOT use the stock heatsink, it is completely horrible! Arctic Silver paste is so much better, just do not use the stock heatsink or the stock thermal paste.

Gxray

Fresno, CA