I have compiled a list of a few AMD processors for people on a budget, and a brief overview of each one. Why AMD, you ask? Well, American Micro Devices offers high quality processors for a lower price when compared with Intel. Benchmark tests have proven that Intel chips can out perform AMD chips, but there is a drawback. Intel processors cost much more than AMD, and the performance gains, when compared as price per unit, just don't add up to the exponential price gouging occurring at the high end of the Intel market.
1) AMD Phenom II X6
This series of processors are the most advanced desktop processors ever released by American Micro Devices. A main component of the VISION Black program, these chips are real powerhouses when it comes to crunching numbers. These six-core processors are equipped with TuboCore technology to enable them to meed the dynamic demands of advanced users. AMD64 and DirectConnect architecture, 45nm technology and HyperTransport 16GB/s make for a rather efficient stream of data flow to and from the cores.