That dual-core processors will triumph is inevitable, an analyst at research firm Gartner said Wednesday, predicting that by 2007, most server and desktop CPUs will be dual designs.

Both Intel and AMD have made dual-core chip announcements this month, noted analyst Martin Reynolds in an online brief. And the shift will be significant.

"Dual-core processors will deliver the greatest advance in performance since the introduction of the 386," Reynolds said. "But developers and users must test and tune their software to receive the full benefit of this performance boost."

Reynolds recommended that enterprises get ready to test applications on dual-core systems, and replace or recode any that don't deliver performance gains, rather than upgrade them in the next cycle. He also urged companies to examine vendor licenses for how they now, or will, treat dual-core designs.

"Microsoft is generally liberal with dual-core licenses, while Oracle treats dual-core as two separate processors for licensing purposes. Other vendors will sit between these extremes," he said.