Chips Ahoy! Alternative chip makers are sailing into the mainstream PC market -- bringing more choices for computer buyers.

See "Making Changes" for several computer modelsjumping on the alternative processor bandwagon.

Turn on your television, and you'll come across some ratherunlikely advertisements for computer technology. In one JamesBond-inspired commercial, for example, a bad guy plots to take overthe world--only to be foiled by a slow-moving computer chip. The adisn't for a movie. It's for the latest computer chipmanufactured by Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), a directcompetitor of Intel.

If you've seen this marketing campaign--or gone shopping forPCs lately--chances are alternative chips from makers like AMD andCyrix have entered your radar screen--or soon will. Off-brandcomputer chips are hitting the U.S. computer market with fullforce, having made considerable inroads with top-tier PCmanufacturers like Compaq and IBM. In fact, alternative chips aremaking appearances in some PC manufacturers' models in a bigway, particularly in lower-end consumer desktop models.