Conclusion
AMD has once again moved in the right direction with the release of AM2 with support for DDR2. While the performance gains are not as staggering as they were with the release of the Athlon, or the Athlon 64, they are still noticeable. Overall the conversion of the Athlon line to AM2 is a necessary step and brings with it additional benefits. The AM2 runs cooler and has built in support for Hardware Virtualization which could lead to the release of some exciting desktop software to take advantage of this feature.
With the release of socket AM2 and the 5000+ and FX-62 AMD has leveled the playing field by including support for DDR2. While the performance crown is still in AMD's possession the release of Conroe may change that. I wouldn’t count AMD out of the next round so easily though as I expect they still have a product left to release this year to counter with. If I were considering a purchase and comfortable with my current build I would wait a few months to see how the offerings from both sides pan out before buying. If, however, you are a consumer with a P4 or older Athlon setup then the AM2 is an ideal choice for an upgrade. In any case the release of AM2 will drop prices on current X2 processors which is always a good thing.
