As with any new processor architecture introduction, early adopters bear the brunt of the cost on these new chips. If you were to set up a high-end Core i7 system today (Core i7 965, X58 motherboard, 6 GB DDR3-1600 memory), you're looking at a price tag of around $1,500 - $2,000, without any graphics cards or storage or extras. However, it is possible to get similar performance levels of a top-of-the-line Core i7 system without paying nearly as much, and that's through the time-honored tradition of overclocking.

Intel planted a gift in the Core i7 launch in the form of the Core i7 920. This is Intel's entry level Core i7 processor which runs at a stock speed of 2.66 GHz, not too far off from the high-end Core i7 965 model which runs at 3.2 GHz. While the high-end Core i7 965 sells for over $1,000, the Core i7 920 sells for a respectable $300, considering the performance that this chip is capable of with a little elbow grease. In terms of their basic hardware, they are the same chip underneath, but they simply run at different frequencies. While overclocking the Core i7 is a bit different compared to previous generation Core 2 processors, most of the same principles apply to these new systems.

You can read the entire article at HotHardware.