We've never recommended Intel's Extreme Edition line of processors nor AMD's FX series, both supposedly marketed to gamers, but not purchased by any of our gaming readers.

Part I focused on what dual core can offer, but now it's time for a much more practical look. Now, for the first time, both AMD and Intel are ready to bring the type of robustness of multiprocessor platforms to the desktop with their dual core offerings. The mass market had a short affair with multiprocessing in the days of the ABIT BP6 and the Celeron 300A, but in the grand scheme of things, that was barely a blip on the radar. Even the cheapest 2P workstation motherboards were at least twice the price of a desktop motherboard, not to mention the cost of the CPUs. I've always appreciated the benefits of multiprocessor platforms, but recommending one for a desktop user has never been really feasible. A big part is that personally, I've been using multiprocessor systems in my main computer for years. I'll admit, dual core has me excited for many of the reasons outlined in Part I.

Sticky Previews 2.8 downloading