I dont know why this war, but frankly speaking, i feel both are quite competitive. Only difference i see is back here at India, the support (after sales) is less for AMD than for Intel. Because of which even most of the private computer assembly guys are scared to offer AMD based processors.
i do not know much about amd but intel is noisy. it bothers me a lot especially when i am studying. so when i buy a new system i will try amd , have heard it is quiter and performanance is at the same level as intel.
I have used a amd based PC for 4 years and switch to a core 2 based laptop recently. Frankly speaking, amd's performance is not as better as amd prescribed in the model name such as xp 2200+, 2800+. Amd's cpu is suitable for game, while intel's is suitable for science, multimedia, and business. For a home pc, amd is prefered, but for a business one, intel is a better choice.