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Dual core / Dual CPU
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Yes, they can, which means you can have an eight core Xeon or twelve core Opteron system, for example. Memory bandwidth can also be increased by using the memory channels available to each CPU (i.e. NUMA). Another advantage is the increase in maximum memory support. Most dual channel, single socket consumer boards support 16GB at most, whereas a dual channel, dual socket server boards support 32GB+
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There's the Intel Skulltrail platform from a couple of years ago, which was aimed at "enthusiasts". I suppose the main reason that multiple socket systems are not aimed at home use is the cost. Apart from the Skulltrail and the old AMD XPs that could run in MP mode without modification, most multiple processor systems are workstation/server grade. This means that they use expensive server processors (Xeon/Opteron etc), workstation/server boards with PCI-X slots, onboard SCSI/SAS and other enterprise related things, and typically have specific requirements for ECC/Registered/Fully Buffered RAM. They also typically lack things that consumers/enthusiasts expect, such as onboard sound, SLI/crossfire etc. The manufacturers know that the bulk of these components and systems will be sold to business users, and so they can keep their prices much higher than consumer level kit.
When you consider that most people buy from the perspective of what's "good enough" when it comes to computers, the popularity of cheaper, single socket systems becomes even more logical. I've been using SMP systems since my first dual Athlon MP system back in 2003, but for most people it wasn't until much more recently that they moved away from uniprocessor systems, simply because they were good enough.
In the old days, dual socket boards were the only way to get more than one core/processor. I remember reading about machine with two 1ghz Pentium IIIs and thinking it was awesome!
These days there's no need for them unless you want serious, serious hardware because dual and quad core CPUs are so common. But check this beast out....
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/motherboards/2010/01/27/evga-w555-dual-xeon-motherboard/1
These days there's no need for them unless you want serious, serious hardware because dual and quad core CPUs are so common. But check this beast out....
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/motherboards/2010/01/27/evga-w555-dual-xeon-motherboard/1
The current Mac Pros have a dual-cpu option too: http://www.apple.com/macpro/specs.html
They're workstations, like the Dell Precision and HP XW/Z ranges.