This is the simple question that I asked two of my editors (and myself).

Darren Polkowski

"Core 2 Duo will unlock the system side of many video games that are performance hindered by current CPUs. This will put the onice back on the graphics cards and I should see better frame rates in the games I play. The ability to get a processor that is as fast as the FX-62 for $300 is exciting, as I can get better performance at a savings of $700. If I was looking to upgrade my platform, now is the time."
Darren does most of the graphics reviews at Tom's Hardware and is an avid enthusiast.

Humphrey Cheung

"I currently have an Athlon 64 3000+ with 2 gigs of RAM and I was already thinking about upgrading this computer by getting a better CPU. But I eventually would hit the wall on processor speed, so it makes sense for me to buy a new motherboard, some memory and a Core 2 Duo, any model. I also do a lot of video editing, so, in my case even the slowest Core 2 Duo is infinitely better than my old, single core AMD, which my dual core notebook proves impressively. But I'm gonna still keep that box as a file server. You don't need much power for that."
Humphrey spends most of his time writing news stories for TG Daily or editing video for various TG Publishing websites.

Patrick Schmid

"If I were to buy or upgrade right away I would probably go for Core 2. But I would not change my existing setup just because there is a new king on the hill. I'm rather conservative when it comes to tech spendings and flushing money down the toilet. I will consider an upgrade when I run into bottlenecks - not any minute earlier. The good old Athlon 64 X2 3800+ will still serve me well for the upcoming months, and I don't see the necessity for changing perfectly working systems; not even if I could suddenly get a Core 2 Quadro at ridiculous prices. Maybe this would be different if I had more time to play."
I'm the one who manages editorial for Tom's, working with our growing US team as well as with our fellows in Germany.