AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 6000+, 3.0 GHz (ADX6000CZBOX) Boxed Processor

The AMD 6000+ x2 processor is a powerhouse. Although slightly slower than Intel's core 2 equivalent, it has the most bang for your buck. This is a very fast and very efficient processor, although it uses roughly 125watts, it's not terribly power consuming (slightly higher than your average light bulb). Surprisingly the heat sink that is included is great. My processor stays at or below 80 degrees F, while still giving me the power that I need. I would recommend getting rid of the thermal pad that comes with the processor however, and using Arctic Silver 5 instead. When I switched to arctic silver the temp dropped 5-10 degrees F. I have not had any problems as of yet and have been using the processor for about 6 months now. it also has the ability to run a 64 bit operating system and programs, however when you run 64 bit software it tends to be a bit more buggy and incompatible, especially with Microsoft, so I would recommend sticking with the 32 bit system. The box that it comes with is very well secured and keeps the processor safe during shipping. One thing I was disappointed with was the included instruction manual on how to install it; it was very basic and left some blank spots that could confuse the average user, however most motherboard manuals take up where this manual leaves off. I purchased this item from www.newegg.com for approx. $159