I've never had an Athlon either Lisbeth. Some people swear by them.....others have problems. The place I buy from does not recommend them, because of problems they've had servicing them. On the other hand, there are a number of places in my area that sell them and won't recommend anything else! I think they are popular with people who like to "over clock" their computers to get better performance. I've heard they're faster than a PIV, but I think it's all relative to the benchmark tests you're using. I know they're cheaper.....but I doubt it has anything to do with quality and a lot more to do with the inflated "Intel" namebrand :) The price is a bit high for an Athlon.....more of a PIV price for that level of equipment. But prices do vary all over the world. I hope you like it and can upgrade that ram to 1G soon. You'll notice a big difference there! :)