I've gradually upgraded my PC as I've pushed my system with video editing. I regularly edit several large sections of HD video at once and need a CPU to be able handle that.

Ideally, I should be using an even more powerful processor, but I'm on a budget and just cannot entertain buying something costing £200-£300 or more such as an Intel i7 CPU.

This is a good compromise. It quad core offer the power I need and it handles pretty much whatever I throw at it without too much trouble. With the right cooling, I've read that you can also overclock this CPU to increase the performance significantly, but I'm happy with it running at 'stock' speed with the supplied heatsink and fan.

Because it's a processor ideal for multi-tasking, you can run several programs at once and it performs well. Obviously it depends on your RAM and the type of programs you are running as to the performance. Running a video editing package and expecting the internet and office software to run at full speed is pushing expectations a little, but it definitely far better than the Intel Core 2 CPU I had before.

Overall, a strong choice for those wanting some flexibility and power but can't afford the high end Intel CPU.

I certainly don't feel the CPU is the weak link in the system anymore, which was the case before.