Sweet dude, I'm for the top (as I'm sure AT, Fred, and Penguin would be too). I'm lovin' the font and metalic vibe though to be brutally honest it looks a little bleak to me. Some metal blades might accent the piece perhaps, I overuse them a bit myself but you're plenty talented to get it to work. Either way it looks very nice and professional, compliments you avi perfectly.
less is more; so therefore I opt for the one you are using now. Sorry to spoil the party, but what was wrong with your old avatar? I thought it looked pretty kitsh :)
Okay here's a new one, decided to do spheres in the shape of an M.
Wind applied, then a slight motion blur, then that layer coloured a slight blue (more of a tint really)
Then I adjusted the M in the circle to fit in a little more, what do you think?