dead box

[Scott Howell]

Folks,

Well it would seem that either my Athlon cpu or MSI board has punched
out. WHat I thought was an overheating issue seems to have progressed
into much uglier problems. I'll not bore you all with the details, but
the board gets power, but there is a chip near the power connector that
gets so damned hot it actually cna burn a finger. I can't recall this
chip getting so warm, but then that isn't saying much I can't recall if
it got that hot before. Yes stuff can get mighty hot on a board.
Ok here is the quesiton. I will have to likely replace the cpu or board
or perhaps both. Assuming the worst and I know some really hate and love
Intel and AMD, but for the money what would you suggest.
I know this will really open the door to debate and yes I can read lots
of reviews and such, but I'll ask in any case.
If I wanted to go with an intel processor, what would be the best board
for the money and if AMD the same question.
For the money and performance would an Intel be any better than an AMD?
I think the AMD chips are quite good myself, but the other question is
would it other than warranty reasons be better to go with retail box or
OEM.
Also is the retail cpus come with good heatsink/fans? Cooling is a
really big topic for me and I take a lot of time and effort to keep
things cooled well. I know these things need a lot of cooling as speed
increases and this has always been a concern for me. I do have the power
supply to handle either configuration.
Any thoughts appreciated.

Scott