I think that we've all been surprised (and a little bit amused) by the role reversal of AMD and Intel over the past couple of years. AMD for years couldn't outperform Intel's CPU's, so they played the "bargain basement" game. That is, they created an inferior good. The Athlon series of CPU's couldn't outperform their Intel counterparts, but they got the job done and were a much cheaper substitute for Intel CPU's. Now, both companies are producing normal goods. AMD has had the performance crown since the Athlon 64's came out. However, Intel's Core 2 Duo, shipping at half of the price of an Athlon 64 FX-62, will probably give AMD a run for their money. We'll see.