i think the big deal about the e4300 is that it's *supposed* to be significantly cheaper than the e6300, and since it can reach the same overclocking results with a motherboard and ram that doesn't have to be pushed as high due to its higher multiplier, you can get the same performance as a highly overclocked e6300 while saving a significant bit of $ on the processor, mobo, and ram...however since the processor is so expensive right now, it's really not that big of a deal, i mean you could still save $ on the mobo and ram but if you really want to save $ wait until the prices drop. the reason theyre so high is because they've been highly touted in most reviews as budget performance monsters, so the retailers expect a lot of people to pay a premium to get this processor early (i guess people who don't know that $170 is a bad price for it)...idk, just a thought.