Most CPUs at microcenter are very good deals.
was merely pointing it out as an exceptional deal ever since MC has sort of started backing off on their CPU discounts with Sandy, for instance the 3770K is still $289.99 @ MC (only $40 less than newegg - which isn't much of a discount from what they used to offer, say with the Q6600/9550 or first gen i7s).
while the 3820 is $229 vs. $299, $70 less
granted, X79 motherboards are more expensive, and there aren't exactly any "cheap" X79 boards, so even with a motherboard deal if we compare say i7 3770K + P8Z77-V PRO = $449.98 vs. i7 3820 + P9X79 = $439.98, so only $10 cheaper if we go with comparable boards
but still, not bad for the basis of a new platform that should be ready for IvyBridge-E next year, and I think we'd see more enthusiasts choose that route if they had the option