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The Verdict 
Oyoyoy why does AMD want this processor to be returned? I worship it, it's so fast with everything. I mean, even working on the Windows desktop when you click something you'll hear a little resistance from the HD shouting hold up hold up, I can't go any faster man! You click and it's there. That simply goes for anything. Encoding MP3 music, playing games, multimedia playback, MS Office, there is not one thing even remotely bad regarding this CPU except one thing and yes of course that has to be the price, which currently is 1000 US Dollars / 900 Euros.
Don't you wish this was an affordable processor for the mainstream? I mean this is the CPU you want in your gaming rig, yet only 1 or 2 percent among us can actually afford it. Ah well, that's the high-end game I'm afraid. So be it...
The Athlon 64 FX-57 is a monster, a beast, it's impressive and a top-notch high-end processor. For the tweakers among you, hey the multiplier is unlocked. Lower it and start playing with the FSB for some fun although I'm not the one that would heavily overclock a thousand dollar costing CPU though.
I think it is still amazing to see what AMD performance can offer with a processor at 2800 MHz while it's performing at the level of a 4000 MHz clocked Pentium 4.
So for the hardcore gamer, I really do recommend the Athlon 64 4000+ (review here), yes performance is lower but you'll definitely get more bang for your bucks. Also do not forget about the new X2 processors. AMD never submitted one to us for testing but fact is, dual-core is the future and right now half the price of this FX-57. Dual-Core CPU's run a lower core frequency though and with that in mind gaming performance will be a tad worse, until AMD closes the gap between them, single-core solutions like these will be faster in games. On the other side, Athlon 64 X2 will be much faster at Multi-Threading.
So for those that have a fat wallet, buy me one will you? This is top of the crop as I must say that this is one of the most wicked chips out there for gaming. Yep daddy want some sugar for his new PC...and it's this processor.
AMD Athlon 64 FX-57 Processor 2.8GHz, 1MB, 2000MHz FSB, Socket 939 - SKU: ADAFX57BNBOX
Price Range: $1,011.00 - $1,289.30
