That really depends on what you want to do with it, how much work you're willing to do, and how much you are willing to spend.
The AMDs are cheaper for the level of performance, but I don't know of too many PC makers using them at the moment, so you might have to hunt around or make your own.
The P4s are ubiquitous in most major-brand PCs, and have a very slight edge in a couple of multi-media applications.
If you are planning to build your own, I think I would go with the AMDs at the moment, especially if you get a dual-processor workstation-type motherboard. The money you save can go into higher-performance perepherals and components.
If buying a pre-made PC then I would be looking at all the other options first to get the best performance out of the deal, with the type of processor being a secondary concern, since the top-of-the-line chips from each are so close at the moment.
Hope this helps a little,
Edlib

Hi!

OK....my PC is on most of the day, it is like my wife or something it a hom entertainment system i play music, DVD, surf the net 24/7, develop programs, word process, games basically everything you would from the ages of 10 to 65

Hi,

I would go with Intel. Look below at my home built system. I am able to overclock this chip 50% with boxed heatsink and fan! Go with the market leader. I was almost going to build AMD but then a freind of mine who does IT support for a big financial corporation told me that the heat problems with AMD and the noise the fans to keep it cool are significant. Plus it is fairly easy to crack the core of an AMD since the heatsink and fan assembly has to put over 100lbs of force on it, ie there goes your warranty. Plus there are problems with the heatsink falling off the processor which results in meltdown of the chip in less than 3 seconds. Intel's processors just slow their speed if this happens.

The decision is of course yours. Just wanted to share what I have heard about the AMD's.

Good luck whatever you go for!



System 1: Home Built
MSI 645 DDR motherboard
Intel Pentium 4 1.6A Ghz @ 2.4 Ghz, 150Mhz FSB
1024MB Samsung DDR PC2700
40GB Maxtor HD
Lite-On DVD LTD-163
Lite-On CDRW 40x 12x 48x
Sony SDM-M51 TFT LCD
PNY GeForce TI4600 128MB DDR RAM
Turtle Beach Santa Cruz
SIIG USB 2.0/Firewire Combo PCI Card
Conexant V92 56K
3COM Etherlink 10/100
VEO PC Camera
HP Scanjet 4400C
HP T65 all-in-one printer
Cambridge Soundworks SUB/SAT speakers

System 2
Dell 4400
Pentium 4 @1.7 Ghz
30GB HD
512MB DDR RAM
Lite-On CD-Rom 48x
Lite-On CDRW 24x 10x 48x
Compaq FS740 Monitor
GEFORCE2 GTS 32 MB
Sound Blaster Live! Value
3COM Etherlink 10/100

Hi. I have pcs with both AMD and Intel. I am a huge AMD fan, but Pentium isn't too bad either. Let me put it this way- AMD is alot cheaper and the chips are actually faster than the Pentiums. This has been proven in benchmarks, tests, etc. For example, if you put an Athlon 1.9 against a Pentium4 2.2, the Athlon is actually just as fast if not faster. They also have the 3dnow technology built in, and Athlons are the best choice if you are serious into graphic as far as gaming, etc. Pentiums excel in internet and business apps, and AMD excels in gaming. Amds are also easier to overclock, but they do run hotter so you would need good cooling. You can get AMD's in just about any system except for Gateway, & Dell, maybe even HP. I think this is becuase companies know Pentium is alot more costly and if they don't give you the choice ofcourse you have to spend more money, which is good for them, not for you. I would personally choose AMD over Pentium anyday becuase you are getting a faster chip for a cheaper price, but if you are going with someone who doesn't offer AMD, I don't think you would be disappointed with the Pentium.

Intel's pricing structure has heavier volume discounts than AMD but much higher individual prices. Basically Intel doesn't want to sell to individuals. This means that AMD has the price edge for home-built systems, but the edge vanishes for the high volume customers, which is why you don't see AMD or few AMD chips from the large volume manufacturers.



Dimension 8200, 2.2GHz, 512MB, 80+60GB, Philips DVD+RW, 1702FP, SB Live! 1024, WinXP Pro (Home system)
Dimension 4300S, 1.6GHz, 384MB, 40GB, 16x10x40x CDRW, 1702FP, motherboard sound, WinXP Home. (Wife's system)
Inspiron 8200, 1.6GHz, 256MB, 30GB, WiFi, DVD, SXGA, WinXP Home. (portable)
Dimension 4100, 1GHz, 256MB, 40GB, 12x8x32x CDRW, motherboard sound, Win2K (Fathers system I maintain)
Homebrew, 1GHz, 512MB, 30GB, 12x8x32x CDRW, 14/32x CDROM, motherboard sound, Win2K.(Work system)
(other monitors 19-21" CRT, 100BaseT networking, mundane video cards
and speakers, Microsoft&Logitech wheel mice, Northgate Omnikey and
Dell keyboards)