Are chips a good upgrade?

[2001Firebird]

I just bought a 2001 firebird 3.8L and was wanting to add a few mods. I was going to but on flowmasters but i heard they sound bad on v6's unless they are modified with more compession power such as a chip. I looked into getting a Jet Black Chip but it suggested to only install on modified engines. It suggested a modified intake (I thought maybe a K&N but it doesnt look that good; It is the only one i can find for my engine), less restrictive exhaust (that would be the flowmasters), and a high temp thermostat (which i can not find any infomation on; i thought low temp was better). Are chips worth the money and what kind of horse power upgrade do they give you? Suggesting any other modifications would be helpful!

[Sticky]

HPTuners is much better thana chip. You can modify everything on your own, and don't have to send your PCM in everytime you want to edit something. http://www.hptuners.com/

[FormulaForce]

I agree. The programmers available, like those from Hypertech, offer you more flexibility than just a chip, but I don't know if anyone makes one for the v6 cars. I bought one for my LT-1, and you can program your cars computer with other stuff like different rear gear ratios, shift points, rev limits, etc. The bad part is you have to run premium gas only. I noticed extra power when the power programming was the only mod I had yet made, but now with all the other bolt-ons there doesn't seem to be any difference whether I use it or not. I have a flowmaster kit on my car and love it. You can also look for power pulley kits and cold-air intakes. Together, these things can add up to a lot of extra power.