Alienware, Dell and lesser-known maker Velocity Micro are among the first to begin taking orders on dual-core desktops. Their machines are based on Intel's Pentium Processor Extreme Edition 840 processor, the first dual-core PC processor to hit the market. The chip contains twin 3.2GHz processor cores; its companion Intel 955X Express chipset fosters faster memory and other improvements.

The desktops, which start at about $2,300 to $3,000, are aimed at home multimedia and gaming enthusiasts who want the latest technology, as well as professionals in areas such as video editing. The chips represent Intel's latest thinking on advancing PC processors. Instead of driving rapid increases in speed, the chipmaker is now focusing on adding performance by stuffing additional processor cores into each of its chips, as well as building in new features such as virtualization, which helps carve a PC into different partitions to simultaneously tackle different jobs.

For now, dual-core chips will sit at the top of the PC pyramid, where hot-rod desktops, which cost thousands of dollars, are used for gaming, multimedia or professional applications. The dual-core machines represent a rather large jump over the sub-$1,000 desktops most consumers purchase. However, less expensive desktops will be fitted with dual-core chips over time.