Dual processor systems are perfect for the stuff that we do, rendering. I also read an article on Tom's Hardware guide that stated that there is no need to buy the latest dual 1.6 Ghz system from AMD unless you are doing 3d CGI and rendering. In certain situations, a 2+ Ghz Pentium will outperform such a system. Generally though, the next batch of processors from both AMD and INTEL (2.0 -3.0 Ghz) will be PLEEENTY fast, even for rendering, especially when using 2-3 Ghz of PC 2400/2700 DDR memory. I to want to upgrade my system, but I want to wait until AMD comes out with MP chips faster than 1.9 Ghz and maybe with faster memory speeds. It is a well known fact that many professional graphics studios run dual processors in their render farms. The 3d CGI community is one of the largest customers in the dual processor consumer market. As for the Athlon overheating, there are two possible solutions: 1) Software monitoring/BIOS or 2) Next Gen Athlon.Some motherboards makers supply software with their products that will monitor the temperature of the system, including the CPU within windows. This is in addition to support for monitoring in the BIOS. They may also include options in the BIOS or the S/W that will shutdown the system or send alarms if the CPU gets to hot. Also, the next Gen Athlon is possibly going to do what Intel does now in their CPUs... .Painter