AMD64 X2 and SMP kernel

Hi folks-- I'm thinking of building a dream machine based on an AMD64 X2 4800+. I looked around on the internet to confirm Linux compatibility and it seems that a lot of people have hit snags getting an SMP kernel onto one. I'm not sure if this is a chipset problem (nforce vs kt800) or something else. It's a good thing I looked before I leaped on this. Has anyone here had any good experiences with an X2 CPU? What motherboard? TIA... :)