I would go with an AMD for several reasons:
1)Price vs. performance is the greatest in the industry. Even though some people say the new Intel 1.8ghz is faster than a 1.4 MP, look how much of a difference is between the 2 processors. When the new AMD processors come out, they will again overtake Intel for a cheaper price.
2)Overclockability. I don't know if you intend to overclock, but I've had much better luck overclocking AMD chips as opposed to Intels.
3)Socket consistancy. I don't know how big of a deal this is, but the socket that AMD uses is not going anywhere for a while, so your upgrade options are open. Meanwhile, Intel will be switching to Northwood in the near future, so you will not be able to upgrade unless you wait for the Northwood's to come out before purchasing, due to the change in sockets.
Also, don't forget that overall, a 1.4 ghz AMD processor is faster than a 1.7ghz Intel processor.
Hope this helps your decision-making.