It's has been a long competition that took placed even until now.
I liked Intel because of it's quality assurance labs. Although because of that, Intel CPU's is charged premium, I didn't really mind too much because when I bought my PC, what I've really considered is its stability. Then, I've got a choice of either Athlon XP 1900+ or Pentium 4 1.8ghz. And, well, I bought the Pentium CPU. NOT to say that Athlon CPU's are less unstable, it's only my views.
I liked Athlon XP because it was cheap, and it could perform comparably with the Pentium 4 CPU. It's a fast processor that is worthy of my consideration when I want to buy a new computer system.
I do not like Intel because it did not continue supporting what it developed. Eg. 423-pins Socket CPU and Rambus. It is really a disappointment for me, because my motherboard has got both these components, and it's sad that I couldn't upgrade it too much. My only other option is a 2.0ghz CPU, which will not make much difference.
I do not like Athlon XP (Not say don't like, but somehow, slight dislike) because of little good motherboards and chipsets that was compatible with the Athlon XP. Of course I know KT266 and K7S5A are great, but other than these 2, there isn't really any great motherboard. Another thing about Athlon XP is it's high heat emiting. I'm someone who's very reckless, I didn't even know that once, my CPU fan is not working, and the tempature soars to 120 degress C. After several crashes, I opened my casing and THEN, i realise that my fan isn't spinning. Luckily, it wasn't an Athlon XP CPU, or my CPU is fried.
I ain't bias or anything while I'm writing this reply, and all I've written is only my views and may be incorrect! Actually I do not mind too much about performance because, as long as the game runs at a comfortable speed, it's enough for me, that's why to me, stabilty is more important. Though I had a Pentium CPU... I'll prefer Athlon XP because it's cheaper...