New WoW Machine

[Quark]

I have a Mad Dog Predator Blastwave 5.1 sound card that came bundled with a speaker system I once bought.  Does anyone know anything (good or bad) about this card?

Never heard of it, at all. I know someone who's used Mad Dog controllers, though, and they're made pretty poorly.

So, is AMD a viable way to go?  I'm leaning toward it.

I've never regretted going AMD. It does have ways of saving money, and is often faster than the comparable Intel choice. The lower end Athlon64s should be great for running WoW.