Awesome processor

Author's Rating:

Pros: Fast, built for future apps as well as today's

Cons: High cost (over $200 plus motherboard will cost more)

The Bottom Line: 
I recommend this processor for all computer enthusiasts. While it is expensive I find it worth the money. I only wouldn't recommend it for someone on a tight budget.

Author's Review
I purchased my Amd 64 cpu at newegg about 5 months ago. No problems so far. It hasn't been very long but at least it seems to indicate it is reliable.
The AMD 64 truly is an awesome processor. First off, it is capable of running 64 bit applications. Already Unreal Tournament 2004 is 64 bit linux compatible. Also many new games will come out with it, A 64 bit optimised Farcry version is scheduled to be released shortly. with the ability to handle twice the bits, and therefore bigger data types in one clock cycle. There is no doubt that more and more applications will be optimised for 64 bit processors, making the AMD 64 cpu the best choice to buy.
The best thing about the processor is its ability to run in both 32 and 64 bit. It may seem like a waste to buy a 64 bit cpu and run in 32 bit, however, even in 32 bit this processor runs faster than 32 bit processors. I can run the farcry demo smoothly with a 64 mb Geforce 4 when running it on my AMD 64. Simply put, this is the best CPU to get. It has more power for today's applications, as well as compatibility for tomorrow's 64 bit applications. There are the more expensive AMD 64 FX series, but the improvement is minimal and the price difference significant.
The retail box is the way to go, buying OEM saves you only a few bucks, yet with retail box you get a fan that you know is made for your processor, which will save you money over buying OEM and purchasing a seperate cpu fan. Also with retail you get all documentation and a nice AMD 64 sticker so you can display what you have in your computer box. One more added bonus, you can get a free copy of FarCry with this cpu if you buy certain motherboard models with its purchase.
Someone wrote to me wanting to know the temp/performance of this processor. I have no benchmarking software, so I can't give definate figures for the CPU, however I can give the temperature. I leave my CPU on constantly, have it at room temperature, and it runs at 45C. It's in a raidmax case (check my review) with the case fans that came with the box, hope this helps.