Strengths: Huge overclocking potention, Runs cool, Cheap, higher multiplier

Weaknesses: none so far

Summary: I bought this processor and I am very pleased with the price performance ratio. This processor runs at 800MHz bus with multiplier 9. So it can be overclocked significantly compared to other E6xxx series COre2Duo processors. I did a BSEL pad mode on this processor and motherboard thinks that the front side bus is 1066. So it automatically runs at 2.4GHz. Max temperature at this speed is 45C. You can overclock it to 3GHz without effort using proper cooling. Overall it is a great value for the price.

Strengths: 9x Mult for Overclocking, Runs Cool, Cheapest Core 2 Duo

Weaknesses: None that I can find

Summary: I was an Intel man then tried AMD and now Im back to Intel. I liked AMDs Dual Core chips but the new C2D are the best. I mainly use my computer for multimedia. I edit photos, listen to music and watch TV. This CPU handles everything I throw at it. I currently have this chip running at 1.98 GHz (220x9), I have heard of people getting much faster results but I have no need.

Strengths: Awesome overclocker, low cost

Weaknesses: None

Summary: Bought this CPU with a Tuniq tower cooler and was able to hit 3.4ghz when overclocked. Currently running at 3ghz with no extra voltage to the CPU and it's running great. Best investment ever for the price.

Strengths: Great Price, Performance, Temperature and Durability

Weaknesses: n/a

Summary: I read all the reviews for the e6xxx series and they got rave reviews, until this processor came out. It runs at 800mhz fsb which allows you to overclock it without taxing the motherboard. On top of that you can overclock the cpu at over 3ghz without using too much voltage. The temperature needs some cooling, but nothing crazy. Basically it cost me $150 to get the performance of the extreme series processors! This is a $700 savings for the same performance. Anandtech wrote a great article showing the overclocking possibilities. You can't go wrong!

Strengths: 9x multiplierOnly 65WCheap

Weaknesses: Slower bus speed than other in series (800 MHz)

Summary: great for overclocking, got with a Tuniq Tower 120 cooler it made totally stable at 3.0 GHz. Getting 3 GHz out of a 1.80 GHz processor for only $140 is a amazing deal.

Strengths: Low power consumption, High overclockability, Awesome performance

Weaknesses: Noisy stock heatsink/fan

Summary: As the youngest brother of the Core 2 Duo family, E4300 is the absoultely best choice you can make this day. Highly overclockable, low power consumption (About 40W even under maximum load -- equivalent to mainstream graphic card power consumption!), and superior performance. But you might also want to consider AMD's X2 for their low price. But if you consider the performance as a key feature, you should pick this up. There cannot be any substitution.

Strengths: Overclocks like crazy

Weaknesses: 2MB of cache

Summary: So far I've built 3 systems using this processor. All of them overclocked to 2.8-3.2 using stock heatsink/fan and average memory (but a good mobo). This chip, when overclocked, is good at both paralel processing (because of true dual core) and linear processing such as audio/video conversion (thanks to the sheer speed). Don't push it too hard, though: your system components will deteriorate because of high voltage even if the temps aren't very hot.

Strengths: Great performance! Overclocks very well.

Weaknesses: None

Summary: I was able to overclock my e4300 to 3.0 ghz without changing the voltage. Been stable with orthos for 1 day now. Used stock cooling with arctic silver 5. Temperatures are around 35 C idle and 51 C load. Great chip! Highly recommended.

Strengths: Very overclockable, beats the heck out of AMD cpus currently, especially when overclocked.

Weaknesses: Only 2mb cache, stock heatsink not spectacular, no virtualization technology

Summary: The e4300 is the cheapest core 2 duo available weighing in at 1.8GHz stock, and is going to be phased out of production by Intel next quarter. However, its got incredible overclocking capability. It runs at a stock 9x multiplier (rather high) so you can overclock with a smaller FSB, meaning you won't need super fast expensive RAM or motherboard. Most e4300s will run 2.8 GHz right out of the box, and you can get 3.0 GHz and higher very often with better cooling and a little luck. Mine is running at 3.15 GHz without a hiccup. One negative is that it only 2mb cache, as opposed to 4mb in the better intel CPUs. Most benchmarks show this really doesn't make a big difference, however I hear that the extra 2 mb helps with decoding HD DVD. Also, I believe it lacks virtualization technology that the more expensive intel CPUs use, but most people don't need that right now.And the stock cooler isn't great, but I'm just being picky now. Its actually one of the best stock retail coolers I have ever used, but there are definitely better ones out there aftermarket. Take a look at the tuniq tower, thermalright ultra-120 extreme, or the scythe infinity.

Strengths: Overclock capability

Weaknesses: none

Summary: with a gigabyte 965P-DS3 rev3.3 motherboard, it can reach 360FSB*9 without other changes. the stock fan is very quiet and is easy to install. overall i think it's the best performance /value core 2 duo family CPU so far.

Strengths: Significant performance over P4-3Ghz with very cool temp

Weaknesses: slightly pricy

Summary: I have done a number of really challenging performance tests to see for myself what kind of performance boost Core2Duo has in comparison to P4 technology. Core2Duo is a flat out winner by a big margin. CPU Usage is 20-30 less than Pe, CPU temp is 30C lower!Tested running 1920x108 HDvideo simultaneously running a complex Flash media with a lot of dithering.

Strengths: VERY overclockable

Weaknesses: No virtualization, even though I don't need it.

Summary: I was able to get a 80% overclock out of this processor, going from 1.8GHz to 3.23GHz using a Gigabyte DS3 rev 1.3. With a price point of ~$113, there's no better processor to buy. There is no virtualization technology, but very few people will ever need it.

Strengths: Cheap price, runs cool, overclocks well even with stock fan, excellent warranty, excellent for a cheap beginner computer, quiet fan

Weaknesses: 2MB cache , Quad is already here but still too expensive

Summary: I got this retail kit for $99 with a free ECS motherboard. It runs very quiet with the stock fan and overclocks easily. I will install tthe Arctic Cooler and hopefully could go to 3.4. Anyway, this CPU is best bang for the back right now among intel's chips. I will use this until the quad core's price goes down. Then I'll upgrade to the Q6600.

Strengths: Price, overclockable, 9x multiplier

Weaknesses: Only 2mb cache, needs aftermarket hsf

Summary: With a good aftermarket hsf this processor can easily be overclocked to 3.0 GHz. The earlier produce chips overclocked better but it is the luck of the draw. You can get high overclocks with DDR2-800 memory and P965 boards due to the multiplier and fsb speed. There are a lot of resources for overclocking this chip. Price has now gone down to point that it can be fun to play around with.

Strengths: Easy to overclock, even for novices. Potential performance of chips that cost twice as much. Stock heatsink isn't bad.

Weaknesses: If you're not going to overclock, there are better values to be had.

Summary: Grab a cheap motherboard and see what you can do with the best overclocking chip in years. Also consider the E4400, which has a higher multiplier which may give higher speeds on non-enthusiast motherboards.