Tom - thanks for the reply.

Overclocking to 4ghz is something this e6700 can do.

I don't think that it is worth it to spend $250 on a e8600 and NOT hit FIVE Ghz. (hell, there were some people two years ago here who hit 5Ghz with the x6800).

The only benefit besides SSE4 is the 6 MB cache compared to 4...

I will have some fun with the Ram, I got 4gb (2x2) of OCZ ReaperX ram a month ago, and they installed, but the timings SUCKED! Especially @ 940mhz... I was at 5-6-5 from 4-4-4... Wasn't happy. Now I get to try all over again with Crucial.