Amd comparable to Intel?

[Dominique]

my past 2 computers, and any family computers have had an intel proccesor (dual core on my last, CORE i5 on my current) I always have bought laptops basing on specs but my 1 year old lenovo g570 ($500ish) had great specs but a huge design error (aka my screen is about to fall off because the hing broke and tore up the plastic under the laptop) anyway AMD seams generally cheaper but is it alot worse? Im not a computer snob, i use docs, email, netflix, facebook, etc. nothing fancy. But is there a noticeable change between them or does intel just have a better rep? any insight would be great! or computer suggestions (im in highschool and i am saving for a car so the less extravagant the better) are also appreciated