Intel Core i7 920

When Intel announced its awesome new Core i7 quad-core processor, we were sure it would be priced out of reach of mere mortals.

After all, in raw performance terms this CPU architecture has no equals. Surely Intel can name its price?

It came as a pleasant surprise when we discovered the 2.66GHz 920 model would retail at under £250. OK, that's a lot of cash, but given that this chip outperforms the £1,000 Core 2 Extreme QX9770 in most benchmarks and beats AMD's Phenom II hands down, you could almost call it a bargain.

The catch? You'll need a new mobo and probably some DDR3 memory costing a grand total of £400. An awesome performer and deeply desirable. Just don't be fooled by the superficially attractive price…