Cynical? Never!

I don't think anyone can call themselves cynical when talking about Intel.

AMD Tells Story With Logic

AMD is addressing similar concerns about balanced platforms, just without the rant. Check out Pat Morehead's blog. He is their VP Marketing.

http://blogs.amd.com/patmoorhead/default.aspx

Would be...

"Chipzilla, helpfully illustrated by a big red cross. Upgrading your processor is 'Clearly the best improvement for your money', says Intel's slide deck."

It would be if they decided to keep a bloody chipset compatible with a range of chips over a longer period than a year. As it stands it's much better to buy the most expensive/reasonable performance CPU and mobo to go with it and wait a few years before upgrading both CPU and mobo.

So, it may, in theory, be cheaper to buy a CPU and get better performance but in reality upgrading an already decently mid-high CPU will not get you much of a performance bonus in the real world and could end up costing you double if you have to buy a new motherboard as well.