" otherwise are they just a different option to the athlon64 processors? "
Opterons are marketed for dual-CPU server use, just like the Xeon, and you
need a socket 940 motherboard for them. They mostly share the same
characteristics as the desktop Athlon64 range, but you can't fit a 940-pin
CPU into a 754 or 939-pin socket. Someone once said something about square
pegs and round holes, and it's quite fitting for this comparison.
However, after all that's been said my dream 'desktop' setup would be the
following:
2x AMD Opteron Model 250 2.4Ghz (skt940)
IWill DK8ES Nforce4 SLI
http://snipurl.com/acj9
Kingston HyperX KRX3200AK2/2G (2.5-3-3-7-1)
2x PCI-Express GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB
Yep, IWill are producing PCI-E SLI skt940 boards, presumably with the CAD
market in mind. It will be interesting to see how it performs in gaming
benchmarks.
