Browsing through online retailers for the latest prices on CPUs, we came across some good prices on the latest AMD and Intel offerings.
For example, a quick run over to PriceGrabber looking for Core i7 CPUs, lands us with some attractive figures. You can pick up a quad core Intel Core i7 920 for around $$279 but buying a quad core Core 2 Q9650 will set you back $324.99 at the same retailer. Likewise, you can also pick up an AMD Phenom II X4 940 quad core for less than $235.
At this point, if you're looking for parts for a brand new system, a Core i7 or Phenom II would be the way to go. There's no sense still picking up a quad-core Core 2 system when prices are the way they're going. If you're looking to build a budget system or one for HTPC duties, a Core 2 Duo would be a good bargain as well.
Prices above are what we found at the time of this article.
If you're building a high end gaming rig today, which would you vouch for? The latest Phenom II or the latest Core i7? Or skip a PC altogether and go for a console?