I'm also thinking about getting a Q9650 soon. They seem to be sold out everywhere. Seems to be a common trend with Intel CPUs, they start out with average overclockability, then they reach a "golden" period, then they start to decline like mad. Normally I'd take this to be a sign of increasing binning but since the Q9650 is pretty much right at the top, I wonder if they're starting to use cheaper materials for manufacturing?