Upgrade: Intel or AMD?
 

I've been a buyer only of AMD products since I've been into computers. I'm thinking about upgrading my system. Should I go with Intel or stick with AMD? If I go with intel, what would be a good motherboard to buy as I know nothing about Intel boards. If I go the AMD route again, what board(s) do you recommend? I'm currently considering getting a Chaintech 7NJS, but I don't know when its to be released. Also, what memory do you guys recommend, as I've always gone with generic and now I'm wanting to get some brand name stuff.

Don't upgrade. Wait until next spring and get either a Barton or a Hammer (if available). You'll thank yourself for waiting the extra four months. If you're on a strict budget, however, like $200 bucks, go with a 1600+ XP from Newegg and a MSI KT3 Ultra2 with some PC2700, and push the booger up to 166 FSB and enjoy your fast and cheap computer. That's what I'm going to be doing next month before they stop making the 1600+ chips. Those things clock like little mofos.

Normally, I would wait; however, I've been having stabillity problems with Windows XP (which is what I prefer to use because of it's increased speed in windows over 2000). I think my video card (gainward geforce 3) and motherboard (msi k7 master) are having some kind of driver incompatibility issues between the two, and its driving me nuts (I can't play any game based on the quake 3 engine). This is not an XP thing only, the same problem happened to me with w2k and I had to wait like 6 months until nvidia drivers miracuously started working (although at that time is was not only opengl problems, but direct 3d as well). Anyways, these issues are driving me nuts and I'm ready for a fresh motherboard.

Then go the cheap route for the incremental upgrade listed above, and save the bulk of the upgrade fundage for a hammer system next year. The other benefit of this is that you will have the base of a spare computer when you do your major upgrade in the spring. *ta-da*