But I know times have changed and there's no way I can expect a system
to
last that long, at least not if I want to stay current with software.

The machine that I just replaced at home was a P3/650, which was 5+
years old. The only reason I replaced it was to play games - all other
software I use was still perfectly fine on it. And I expect the upgraded
system to last even longer - systems have a LOT more spare CPU cycles
today than they did 6 years ago.

I love dual CPU systems, I just don't know if I can keep justifying the
extra cost, when I can get a single CPU system that's faster for games
at
h alf the price.

My home system is an AthlonXP2500+, the machine I'm writing this on is a
2x AthlonMP 1800+. Like you say, for a single task, the 2500+ gets the
job done more quickly. However, when I need to run multiple apps at once,
the dually is far more responsive, letting *me* get more done. As an
example, I occasionally scan all of the office machines for viruses. A
single-CPU machine, even a fast one, is pretty unresponsive while I do it.
The dually, though, acts as if nothing were happening at all. The machine
doesn't necessarily do more, but it lets *me* do more.

At home? I tend not to do stuff like that. It's either email, a
terminal, or a game, so the 2500+ does the best job for me. So, decide
what apps you're going to use, and choose the best machine for that use.
It's not that tough. : )

steve