The AMD Opteron X2 290 was a server/workstation processor with 2 cores, launched in January 2006. It is part of the Opteron X2 lineup, using the Italy architecture with Socket 940. To further increase overall system performance, up to two Opteron X2 290 CPUs can work together in a multi-processor (SMP) configuration. Opteron X2 290 has 1 MB of L2 cache per core and operates at 2.8 GHz. AMD is making the Opteron X2 290 on a 90 nm production node using 233 million transistors. The multiplier is locked on Opteron X2 290, which limits its overclocking potential.
With a TDP of 95 W, the Opteron X2 290 consumes a good deal of power, so decent cooling is needed. AMD's processor supports DDR1 memory with a dual-channel interface. The highest officially supported memory speed is 400 MT/s, but with overclocking (and the right memory modules) you can go even higher. ECC memory is supported, too, which is an important capability for mission-critical systems, to avoid data corruption. For communication with other components in the system, Opteron X2 290 uses a PCI-Express Gen 2 connection. This processor lacks integrated graphics, you might need a graphics card.
The SSE4 instruction set is not supported, which can cause problems with modern games, as they require that capability.