ExtremeTech takes a look at the CPU that's really the current sweet spot in terms of price/performance ratios: the Core 2 E6850. Clocking in at 3.0GHz, this sub-$300 CPU runs at a marginally higher clock speed than the original Core 2 Extreme X6800, but is priced nearly 75% lower. They compared the results against a Core 2 E6750 and AMD's fastest mainstream desktop CPU, the Athlon 64 X2 6000+. Here's an excerpt:

If you run a wide variety of processor-intensive applications, then the Core 2 E6850 is a real bargain. It consumes less power, is priced right, and burns through media transcoding and 3D rendering faster than other dual-core CPUs. When it comes to games, the Core 2 Duo E6850 is indeed a fast CPU, but it's only one component of a complex subsystem in which graphics hardware is equally important. Some games which are more CPU-dependent, such as simulators and newer real time strategy games, scale more gradually with CPU as you turn up the graphics features.

Still, the Core 2 Duo E6850 is a terrific all-around performer, especially when you factor in the sub-$300 price tag. The only potential monkey wrench in all this goodness is a little piece of silicon code-named Penryn. Intel's next generation, 45nm CPUs will be arriving on the scene in the next few months. But for the time being, the sweet spot in price performance looks to be the Core 2 Extreme E6850