The old Cyrix was the one with the problems. That case has led to lots of other rumours and doubts about any non Intel processor, which Intel have exploited to the maximum. If you think Intel can't make mistakes or bad processors, you have some disappointment ahead. alexadh, I know for a fact that 3D Studio Max runs OK on an AMD Athlon. If Discreet say that their program is made to run on Intel processors, that merely points to a lack of wider development and support on their part. With them, it's 'Wintel' or you're on your own. Max users are going to be pretty annoyed with the Pentium4 (which is a poor processor), and may put pressure on the company to develop for the better, faster and soon to be multi-processor AMD chips. More importantly to this thread, Poser works fine on an Athlon T'bird. The PIII is good chip too. Just don't waste money on a P4.