Question : Problem: Your Opinion Please re: Athlon XP versus Pentium 4

Thank you very much for the time and trouble of your assistance :))

I'm about to upgrade. I'm going to get either an Athlon XP 1700 or a Pentium 4 1.5    

Would you kindly give me your opinion of these chips. The systems I am thinking of purchasing are about the same price (actually, the Pentium 4 1.5 is about $50 more).

Also...I'll be purchasing this system from a custom-design desktop shop, so I can choose the motherboard. Would you be good enough to suggest some of the things I should be looking for directly on the board (i.e., sound versus no sound, video versus no video, AGP or no, how many slots, how many bays, etc.)?

Thank you very much :))

Marylyn

Answer : Problem: Your Opinion Please re: Athlon XP versus Pentium 4

Main thing is to go with a known reliable manufacturer. The Intel board I listed in my last post is my favorite for a P-III system. If you decide to go with a P-IV, read the reviews at the Tom's Hardware site I posted earlier.

For specific recommendations from a larger number of Experts, you may want to post a question in the Hardware Topic area. I'm sure it will raise quite a number of responses.