CPU Wars: AMD Black Ops or Intel Core?

The Phenom II X6 1100T 'Black Edition' has all the right specs (3.3GHz, 3MB dedicated L2 cache, 6MB L3 cache and a 4000MHz HyperTransport bus) at the right price, but can it stand up to Intel in terms of pure performance? The unlocked Black Ops clock multiplier certainly helps if you fancy a bit of CPU overclocking, and the Turbo Core (think Intel Turbo Boost) ramps performance up a little more. However, until AMD come up with something to match the Hyper-Threading tech that Intel can offer which simulates 12-cores on a 6-core CPU, AMD is always going to struggle matching the best of Intel in the pure performance comparison stakes. The similarly six-cored Intel Core i7-980X is the current speed king, but at a cost of around three times that of the AMD. So if you want the best combination of power and value for money, the Phenom X6 1100T Black Edition is pretty hard to resist.