ATI or Radeon, AMD or Intel?

The quality of any particular well-known manufacturer's hardware doesn't vary enough to affect game performance. If your main co-processor array is not up to the task, it won't matter if it's AMD or Intel--you need not simply to meet the minimum operating standards for the game, but to significantly exceed minimum standards. Same thing goes for your video card--if you have sufficient onboard memory and to spare, then it won't matter whose card you're using.

I gotta agree w/Setanta - when it comes to the major name-brand offerings, they're about as different as Coke & Pepsi, Chevy & Ford, Winston & Marlboro - folks are gonna favor whichever one comes in the package they find most appealing. I personally have several 'puters, differing in processor, motherboard and chipset, equipped with a variety of video solutions, running several different operating systems, and I work on all sortsa machines for lotsa other folks; IMO and experience, faster processor, more and faster memory, latest version of operating system, and beefier video card, regardless of combination, equates to higher performance.

But...
That is not my question. I know that those manufacturers are nearly identical in performance, but it is human nature to have preferences. So which do you prefer?

Well, "PREFER"? Actually, I don't really have a preference along those lines - if a tool adequately does the job I want done, its good enough for me, and the tools you've listed all pretty much get the same jobs done the same way. If I were to choose one over another, my criteria most likely would be availability and price point - grab whichever was priced most attractively on the shelf in front of me.

I 'spose you wanted to say ATI or Nvidia... in which case I tend to favor AMD and Nvidia, mostly because of price.

OK, i got ya . . .

I prefer Intel and ATI, 'cause they come in cooler lookin' boxes . . .


(Insert rolly-eyed emoticon here)

No, it is not correct to automatically assume that everyone has preferences which extend to brand identification--price and availability always trump other considerations when the products are equivalent.

I gotta say I appreciate Intel's packaging ... easy to open, not a lot of filler, nifty fonts, nice graphics, rich blue overall color scheme, dignified, almost understated brand-image presentation. ATI and nVidia packaging, though, both strike me as a bit overly busy and a tad garish. My personal preference leaning more toward the cooler end of the color spectrum, I suppose nVidia's boxes offer me more eye appeal than do ATI's. Still, all else being equal, and assuming motherboard/chipset properties aren't a deciding factor, I'll go for whichever is handiest to grab at a price I'm willing to pay.

Yah,
Pantalones, I meant Nvidia or ATI. NVIDIA or ATI.