Yes, let's all spend 1.3 grand on a processor! \ AMD is coming out with tri and quad cores too. ... The Current processors of both AMD and Intel are much better at preventing the chip "burning up" than previous processors and however if the can on the heat sink fails an AMD is more likely to switch off, most likely due to them generally running at higher temperatures, however its unlikely that either will damage the processor or motherboard. The Intel core2quad Q6600 is only around $300/ÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâã150 As for the Phenom you linked to, it's very late to the market, at the moment it looks like they will only be a match for the current core2duo's in terms of overall performance and with Intel launching its "penryn" family soon after (45nm process compared to the phenoms 65nm) Intel will still hold a huge lead in terms of performance. The simple fact is that AMD has fallen badly behind and unlike the situation with Intel P4 and AMD athlons, AMD doesn't have the finances to recover quickly at all. If your looking to buy a new mid-high range computer currently you would have to be pretty crazy to buy an AMD, Intel has the advantage in terms of power consumption, performance and they are offer a far better overclocking potetial. Currently - Intel > AMD