Which is more popular on the desktop? It seems for x86 machines FreeBSD is best choice. NetBSD ideal for an obscure platform like PS2 (which netbsd actually supports).

i have actually already read that.

oh, i see. FreeBSD is much more popular i believe. what do you want to do with BSD?

Run desktop/server system for personal use of learning and work on Intel and AMD chips.

Like it was already said, it really depends on what you need the BSD machine to do for you. Most people prefer FreeBSD on the desktop because it tends to be the most desktop friendly version. Take that with a grain of salt -- like everything regarding the BSDs there is a lot of overlap.

I actually run a mixed network of both these operating systems. Even though my machines are strictly i386, I find that NetBSD has much to offer on this platform.

Why not try each of them out and decide which one meets your needs. Experimentation may answer your question a lot better than us telling you.