One of the first dual-core AMD systems out of the gate, Cyberpower's Ultra Workstation 3000 is scary fast. But it's not for everyone.

Dual-core microprocessors are the flavor of the day, and AMD has hit the market running. Its new Athlon 64 X2 chip is targeted squarely at computer prosumers and power users (rather than gaming/entertainment fans). One of the first vendors out of the gate with an Athlon 64 X2 4200+ dual core processor system is Cyberpower, with its new Ultra Workstation 3000.

If you've been following the story, you've probably heard most pundits laud the fact that the Athlon 64 X2 uses existing 939-pin socket motherboards, so that those motherboards should be able to run the X2 with no more than a BIOS upgrade. You've probably also heard them note that the Athlon 64 X2 is an "elegant" design compared to Intel's dual-core setup.

Elegance, in this instance, means the Athlon 64 X2 has an integrated memory controller rather than one that's elsewhere on the motherboard. Shorter distances mean faster responses. Another feature that's attracted attention is AMD's processor crossbar -- an item that's been present on single-core Athlon 64s for a while now, and has which allowed AMD to simply add another core without the need to extensively rework the processor's external I/O architecture. Elegant, yes. But can you run a race in an evening gown?



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