ok, since no one's in tech, i'll start w/a FS!

[Hacksaw]

I'd agree that the Back-UPS 650 adds some value to the offer, but it still doesn't appeal to me from a bang-for-the-buck standpoint. Spending $650 for an "old" system when much more powerful new models are at the same price point doesn't make much sense.

In any event, it would make an ideal computer for most people. What's funny... a friend of mine was buying a new machine about a year ago and he insisted on getting the best of everything. He spent about $3000 on a box that he only uses to play solataire and use AOL. What a waste.

As far as AMD goes... the processors are compatible in every sense of the word. No manufacturer is without blunders, but I think AMD has done better in that area than Intel. More-so than the processor though, the chipset, motherboard, memory, and *user* go a long way in making a system stable.

I use AMD systems at home and work under various operating systems and there's been no gliches at all (aside from the normal Windoze ones, which happen regardless of what you're running on).