There is no question that avionics systems like the Garmin GNS 530 have captured the fancy of many pilots. I have flown some of the other systems and found them quite capable, but the 530 is what resides in my avionics stack, so it is the most familiar. Other systems can be used in the same ways and for the same things as a 530-the difference is mainly in presentation and organization.
One of my first impressions when I started using the 530 was that it is almost the only piece of equipment in the avionics stack that I use on a regular basis. It handles all the communications and all the navigation, with my other two (three if you count handhelds and four if you count older navcom sets) navigators serving in a standby role or displaying information that I am not showing on the 530. The 530 is also a lot like a personal computer in that it will do many things in a lot of different ways and pilots will use it in different ways. Call it a personal navigator, plus, if you will.
