Depends on what a guy wants to do with it. Smart money is to have at least one of each.
And then wise up and get an M1A and FAL........
that's funny man because it was when I discovered the power of the FAL that I lost interest in AKs. I remember thinking "so this was NATOs answer to the AKM...damn!"
both are formidable weapons in the right hands but the OP talking about liking a cartridge with punch....7.62 nato is a different animal. unfortunately though its about 60% more expensive than x39 . And likewise it was after I owned a SCAR 17 that I lost interest in the FAL...lighter, more accurate, better ergos, etc... The ridiculous FAL prices these days also made it easy to get away from them. Century frankenFALs commanding $800+
People saying the AK wont hit anything past 150 yards I say x 1000. Try shooting a well built gun that you are familiar with and you can go well beyond that distance...the AR just makes it a lot easier (at least for me).
to the OP, something to consider is the AR market is in the dumps right now...$500-600 can get you a decent starter AR. AKs are still having a pretty strong market, and its tough to find a deal on one. My advice would be to buy the AR and save up while looking for a better deal on a MAK. I just sold a PREBAN norinco AK in decent condition for $850...and I'm not going to tell you what I got it for. The deals are out there my friend.