Your dream system under $1000

[Xiahou]

The way I see it, if you want the best performance, go Intel- no question about it right now. However, if you're looking to buy a good, but not top of the line CPU, AMD can be attractive. For example, the E6600 performs pretty similarly to the FX/2 6000+ in many benchmarks while the AMD chip costs about $65 less. Overclocking will naturally add to the performance of a stock CPU, but whether or not that's enough to justify the additional cost is something for the buyer to decide.

Back when I built my current system last Spring, I went with AMD and took the cash that I saved there and put it into a better video card than I probably would have gotten otherwise. The CPU I got (4400+EE) was far from top of the line, but it was hugely better than what I currently have. I bought it with the understanding that I would buy a faster CPU once prices fall enough to make it a worthwhile upgrade. I knew going in that Intel was the performance leader, but I still feel I got very good value for the money I spent.