All of a sudden, Intel's lineup has become difficult to follow. You failed to mention the Core 2 Duo, the newest chip. Which CPU chip to buy?

Why not purchase a bag of potato chips?

At the very worst you can enjoy eating the chips.

OK, enough of that. AMD has been making Intel look bad for three years. Its 64-bit, dual core chips were more advanced than anything Intel had.

Meanwhile, Intel hit the wall trying to produce a 4 gigahertz chip. In October, 2004, Intel said it would stop emphasizing raw speed. That had been a winning strategy for many years. But AMD's chips ran at much slower speeds and used much less power.

With its Core chips, Intel has clearly broken with its speed-demon past. Furthermore, the Core 2 Duo is significantly more powerful than AMD's best.

The Core Solo and Core Duo were introduced in January. Both are used primarily in laptops. Apple also uses these chips in desktops. These are 32-bit chips. That's fine, because 99.9 percent of consumer software is 32-bit.

The words Solo and Duo refer to the number of cores on the chip. A core is basically a complete microprocessor. The Solo has one usable core, the Duo two. Assuming the software you are using can access two cores, two is better than one. For instance, you may be using Adobe Photoshop for your photo editing. Photoshop is advanced; it should take advantage of the two cores.

The Core Solo is a Core Duo chip with one core disabled. So it is likely to be less powerful. But both chips are exceptional.

The word "exceptional" does not do justice to the Core 2 Duo chip. (The number 2 connotes a new generation, according to Intel.) That processor not only has two cores; it also runs 64-bit programs. That isn't important today, but it will be eventually. It also runs at a higher speed than its Core cousins.

Tests online indicate this chip is about 20 percent more powerful than comparable AMD equipment. That is a stunning jump.

Expect AMD to produce muscular new chips. In fact, this competition will result in constant improvements. And it should hold down prices. Indeed on the July 21st weekend AMD announced major (in the of 50%) cuts to the higher end more expensive 64 bit chips. It sure is a great situation for consumers.

So, what should you buy?
The price reductions of the 64 bit AMD chips have been so great. As well the reduction on the older Sempron type CPU has been in the range of only 8 % that the older processors do not seem a good buy in any way.

However you will have to purchase a fancy jazzier 64 bit motherboard.

Perhaps your motherboard is a favorite and is very reliable.

Remember at this point your motherboard is getting older. Although it is often the case that if you get past the first month of use motherboards are reliable that electronic components such as capacitors age with time and become unreliable. Your motherboard is getting 'old in the tooth'

As well as it becomes general knowledge of the major price drops the resale value of your motherboard and CPU will drop like a stone. Perhaps it is time to unload it now before it is too late. Trade up.

Trade up to what and for what purpose? At this point, 64-bit capability is unimportant. So do not give that much weight. If you're using Photoshop or other advanced software, a Duo is worthwhile. If you must have speed, the Core 2 Duos will be shortly.

Personally, I'd probably go for a Core 2 Duo. It will be offered in several iterations, based on clock speed. I'd look for one in the middle of the range.

AMD chips are still plenty fast, too. Some laptops have AMD's Turion chip, which is good.

One other thing: It's easy to fall into the trap of waiting. That's because we know something hotter, cooler or faster is coming soon. Unfortunately, that's always the case.

Do your homework. Remember it is never wise to look back after making your decision.

Enjoy your new motherboard / CPU combination and as the famed New York Ranger right winger Max Labovitch ( number 79) said 'It is always easy to be a Monday morning quarterback.'.