Ok!!!!!!!!
My man has come through for me! So here you go Richard, from one Englishman to another....
.....Kelly
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OK here goes...
From a performance perspective, there's little difference between Intel Pentium and AMD. Generally, the Intel range are a little quieter to operate (operating temperature is slightly lower and so there's not quite so much airflow required from cooling fans) and as such have historically been the processor of choice for notebooks, which, by their design, are restricted in this respect. I'm sure technology has moved on since then, but to what extent I wouldn't like to guess.
Comparing the processor speeds, AMD cite the theoretical speeds that their processors can achieve as opposed to their specific clock speeds. So you'll sometimes see things like: "AMD Athlon 2000+ (1.67) GHz", which should mean it's roughly equivalent to a 1.67GHz Pentium, although their own benchmark tests have proved it capable of similar performance to a 2GHz model. AMD design their processors for speed of processing, which makes them particularly popular with gamers. Intel's tend to be more a balance of efficiency and speed, which would explain why their operating temperatures are slightly lower. For things like Internet surfing, email, and general office applications, I'd probably go with Intel, though as Richard has observed, you get more for your money with AMD.
Another point worth making is that the two makes have different chipsets. Broadly, this means that a motherboard will generally be compatible with one or the other, but not both. If you're buying a notebook as a unit then I guess this won't be of relevance, but if you're putting it together yourself then it's something to watch out for. Intel are also in bed with Microsoft, so their processors are slightly better performers with MS products (I have an AMD Athlon processor and, although I have now got a stable system, I did have a few issues in the early days which appeared to be conflicts between the AMD technology and the operating system).
And finally... games. For occasional gaming, the laptop may well suffice, but it will be outperformed easily by a desktop. Processors made for notebook PCs are not quite up to the speeds of those available for desktops, nor are the graphical capabilities of a laptop so far advanced. Furthermore, they're harder to upgrade. Of course, you have the advantages of portability and style, but it's worth bearing in mind what the primary use for the machine would be. Judging from Richard's own words, it appears that games isn't his top priority so this may not be an issue for him.
Hope that's helped. Right, back to the Superbowl... Go Patriots!!!
Neil