I dont think cpu prices are high when you look at what youre getting out of them, like those chips guys posted above there under $100 and will handle any game just fine, my phenom II x2 555 BE cost me $145 with mobo combo deal and i have it overclocked to 4.4Ghz that will run any game for a while still, and if you pay lets say $250-$350 for latest and greatest then that will last you over 4yrs if pc is used for gaming or something even less demanding, like my i7 920 oc to 4.1Ghz will run games 2 yrs from now and its already almost 2 yrs old, so cpus are reasonably priced, but if you look at gpus its a different story in my opinion, if you buy the best its around $500-$700 and will last you a year to year and a half then youll need to adjust graphics from max to mid settings or payup again, and if you buy really good cards like gtx570 or 6970 there around $350 they already dont run some at 60flps on max settings (metro 2033 DA2), so i would say graphics cards are the ones that are overpriced, compared to gpus cpus are very affordable