Dual Core Done Right : AMD’s Athlon64 X2 Processors
 

If you couldn’t tell by the last twelve pages of analysis and benchmarks, we really like the Athlon64 X2. The Athlon64 X2 is indeed, as the title implies, dual-core processing implemented correctly. The X2 gives significantly better performance compared to its single core brethren, gives excellent performance with single-threaded applications, all while consuming roughly as much power / creating as much heat as a single core Athlon64. After seeing the Athlon64 X2’s in action, the inadequacies of Intel’s Pentium-D and Pentium Extreme Edition are much more visible.



The cooler features two curved copper heatpipes which work in conjunction with rows of aluminum thin fins to dissipate heat. The cooler's slim 80mm cooling fan is surprisingly quiet by default, and did a great job at keeping our chip cool without resorting to excessive fan noise.

http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_cont...d=a64x2&page=1