Some progress/news:
AMD's Athlon MP 2100+ vs. Intel's Xeon 2.4GHz - Database Server Comparison
AMD Athlon MP 2200+ Server Roundup - September 2002
So... if Anandtech is running with dual AMDs, and AMDMB is doing the same... Why can't ProCooling do it too?
AMD's "Venus" SledgeHammer looms into view
AMD forecasts prices for Hammer (Opteron) servers
I hate to hear that my Barton won't be running at 3000+: I guess I'll have to give it a nudge in the right place

. On the plus side, now I can consider a couple of Bartons on a Tyan board