AMD or Intel – which should YOU choose for your next computer?
I‘ve been building, benchmarking and enjoying PCs for over 20 years. I‘ve personally used processors from both companies for gaming, overclocking, and working.
So I‘m going to cut through the hype and give you the FACTS you need to pick YOUR perfect processor. I‘ll even reveal which brand I would choose paired with some personalized recommendations.
Trust me, after reading you are going to feel CONFIDENT picking between Intel and AMD for YOUR specific needs and budget. Let‘s dive in!
Battling Since the Days of Disco – A Brief History
Intel and AMD‘s rivalry traces back over 50 years to the very dawn of the microprocessor revolution…
It all began in 1968 when Intel was founded by Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore (of "Moore‘s Law" fame). The company made an auspicious debut just 3 years later with their first microprocessor – the 4-bit 4004.
Not to be outdone, AMD was rapidly incorporated in 1969 by W.J. Sanders III and seven of his fellow Fairchild Semiconductor colleagues. In the early days they focused on reverse-engineering Intel‘s chip designs to offer cost-reduced "clones".
Over the 1970s and 1980s, fierce competition between the two drove breakthrough performance improvements and mass adoption of x86 PCs. AMD steadily gained market share by undercutting Intel‘s pricing.
Here‘s a quick glimpse of the major battles since then:
1991 – AMD releases Am386, the first clone of Intel‘s 80386 chip, starting true x86 rivalry
1993 – Intel Pentium branded chips take lead from AMD
1996 – AMD releases record-breaking 5×86 processor running 133MHz
1999 – AMD Athlon K7 stuns with speed first to 1GHz clock
2003 – AMD Opteron launch paves the way for multicore CPUs
2006 – Intel Core 2 Duo retakes performance crown from AMD
In the 2000s AMD experienced some ups and downs including major budget cuts while Intel sold over a billion processors!
However, competition exploded again in 2017 with the release of AMD‘s ground-breaking Ryzen architecture and new high-core-count chips. More recently, both companies have battled supply constraints thanks to unprecedented demand.
Now in 2023, Intel and AMD vigorously race neck-to-neck to become YOUR next CPU!
AMD Strikes Back! Current CPU Marketshare
Right now in Q1 2023, Intel still maintains a majority 62% market share of x86 processors to AMD‘s 38% (via Mercury Research).
However, AMD is rapidly closing the gap having more than doubled units sold since the 2017 launch of Ryzen. Many analysts expect AMD to reach parity or possibly move ahead of Intel in the next several years.
Here‘s how desktop CPU share of sales has trended (notice the sharp uptick for AMD!)
[insert desktop CPU unit share graph from Mercury Research]Drilling down, AMD has already overtaken Intel with DIY enthusiasts and gamers building premium PCs:
[insert Mindfactory Germany Sales graph]Plus if you look strictly at desktop performance share, AMD is effectively tied with Intel having done a complete 180 since 2017:
[insert Passmark CPU performance share graph 2017 vs 2023]Meanwhile in mobile, Intel still commands over 80% unit share, but AMD Ryzen notebooks are making strong inroads there too.
In the data center, Intel stubbornly controls over 95% share as of Q3 2022. However AMD Epyc server CPUs are just starting to ramp up and already claim many performance benchmarks over Intel Xeon.
As you can see it‘s getting hot in here with competition pushing innovation on both sides! Now let‘s examine exactly how these modern processors stack up…
CPU Performance Showdown
When it comes to sheer CPU grunt, today‘s flagship AMD and Intel chips trade blows generation to generation.
I‘ll compare across a range of criteria from gaming fps, core counts, power efficiency and overclocking potential. Spoiler – different strengths emerge based on your exact workflow!
First let‘s compare the current top-end offerings:
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X vs Intel Core i9-13900K
I‘ll analyze both stock and overclocked performance paired with high-end DDR5 memory and motherboards.
Clock Speeds
The 13900K currently holds a 100-200 MHz advantage in maximum boost clock:
13900K = Up to 5.8 GHz
7950X = Up to 5.7 GHz
This gives Intel a slight edge in latency-sensitive workloads like gaming. However in all-core loads, both settle around 4.5 GHz sustained speeds.
Single vs Multi-Threaded Performance
Modern CPUs utilize a mix of fast (high GHz) Performance cores for latency-sensitive loads and slower Efficient cores for parallel work:
7950X = 16 Zen 4c cores (all fast)
13900K = 8 Golden Cove (fast) + 16 Gracemont (efficient)
This architecture gives Intel a 10-15% advantage in single or lightly-threaded tasks like gaming:
Cinebench 1T score:
13900K = ~850 pts
7950X = ~750 pts
However for heavily multi-threaded productivity apps, AMD‘s full-speed cores give it a 5-10% lead:
Cinebench nT score:
7950X = ~50,000 pts
13900K = ~46,000 pts
Overclocking Headroom
Both chips feature unlocked multipliers for overclocking. With adequate cooling potential gains are:
13900K = ~5 GHz P-cores, 4.3 GHz E-cores
7950X = ~5.5 GHz all-cores
So AMD tends to push higher in all-core OC thanks to the unified architecture. This also translates to bigger rendering, encoding and compilation speedups.
Gaming Frame Rates
Here‘s a look at average fps across a suite of games at 1080p with an RTX 4090:
[table of game fps scores from HardwareUnboxed and other sources]Intel wins but only by mid-single digit percentages. So both deliver extremely high fps. At higher resolutions the gap narrows even more.
Price to Performance
Based on street prices in February 2023:
13900K = $660
7950X = $550
When you translate that into productivity performance-per-dollar AMD has a clear advantage thanks to excellent multi-core optimization:
[Cinebench nT scores per dollar calc]However Intel competes well on gaming fps-per-dollar still. Ultimately your specific applications determine the value metric.
Power Efficiency
Here‘s a look at total power consumption while gaming/streaming from Anandtech‘s testing:
13900K = ~340 Watts
7950X = ~260 Watts
So AMD is over 25% more efficient in this real-world usage! However, the 13900K bests the 7950X in some lighter threaded tasks.
Graphics Division Showdown
Discrete GPU performance has historically gone towards AMD graphics cards rather than Intel.
However Intel recently re-entered the market with Arc Alchemist desktop graphics cards aimed at the entry level 1080p segment. Let‘s see how things stack up!
| Intel Arc A750 | AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT |
| 1080p – Fastest = 100 fps | 1440p – Fastest = 160 fps |
| $289 MSRP | $399 MSRP |
So the A750 competes very well against AMD‘s mid-range RX 6650 XT from a pure price/performance standpoint. Both deliver playable frame rates.
However, AMD RDNA3 graphics cards offer far more performance reaching up to 4K 240 fps gaming! Plus they compete closely on pricing against equivalent Nvidia RTX models.
So if you‘re looking to game beyond 1080p or desire content creation capabilities, AMD Radeon still rules the roost. But Intel Arc can‘t be counted out as an affordable option.
Platform Costs and Upgrade Considerations
Beyond just the CPU comparison, "total cost of ownership" differs between AMD and Intel too. Let‘s break that down…
Motherboard Pricing
AMD X670E/X670 motherboards = ~$220-$700
Intel Z790 motherboards = ~$215-$1150
No huge differences here, although Intel does cater to more premium models. Many options across chipset features and connectivity regardless of brand.
I‘ll note AMD B650/B650E boards arriving soon will offer more budget options under $125. Great for mid-range Ryzen builds!
Memory Support
AMD Ryzen 7000 = DDR5 memory only
Intel 13th Gen = DDR4 or latest DDR5
With 12th Gen Alder Lake, Intel allowed either previous gen DDR4 or new DDR5 which was handy for upgraders.
But for those building new, cost of DDR5 has already dropped below DDR4 while delivering up to ~30% more gaming and application performance over equivalent kits!
Here‘s a look at current 2x16GB DDR5-6000 CL30 pricing:
Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB = ~$240
G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo = ~ $214
So not too expensive considering the performance upside vs DDR4. Just $100-$150 over equivalent DDR4-3600 kits.
Platform Longevity
AMD AM5 socket = Supported until ~2025
Intel 700-series = ?????
AMD has publically promised AM5 CPU compatibility through 2025. So dropping in a new Ryzen CPU 2-3 years later should be no problem!
Intel has shared no concrete details on next chipset compatibility. Although new architectures may still work, full functionality and PCIe lane counts can suffer. Generally expect a socket shift with each major new architecture.
This gives AM5 an upgrade advantage down the road. Especially since high-end Ryzen CPUs maintain excellent resale value years after launch!
Ideal Uses Cases
We‘ve covered a LOT of ground together! Let‘s summarize with personalized recommendations based on usage:
For High Refresh Rate Esports Gaming
Slight advantage to Intel 13th Gen for max fps. Pair with an Nvidia RTX 4090 or upcoming RTX 4070/4060 card. Enjoy those buttery 360hz animations in your favorite title!
For Productivity on a Budget
AMD Ryzen 5 7600/5600 provide far better multi-core speed per dollar. Great to pair with a mid-range GPU and B650 motherboard keeping overall system cost down.
For Audio/Video Production Workstations
I‘d go with a 16-core AMD Ryzen 9 7950X system with fast DDR5, PCIe 4.0 NVMe storage and maybe even the ZFX platform for absolutely max performance in Premiere Pro, Photoshop and other content creation tools. Take your business to the next level!
For Scientific Computing
Leverage AMD‘s core count advantage again but ensure your software is optimized for AVX512 utilized on Intel chips. For the ultimate choose AMD‘s upcoming 96-core Threadripper Pro platform!
For Gaming on 4K Ultra Settings
At higher resolutions the CPU matters less than the GPU! Focus budget here for an RTX 4090/4080 to enjoy maxed quality. Either brand CPU will pair excellently.
I‘m really only scratching the surface of combinations and optimizations you can assemble!
The Verdict – AMD vs Intel in 2023
We‘ve covered a ton of information together here! You‘re now equipped to pick YOUR right CPU backed by personal experience and facts.
To wrap things up, here‘s my frank take having used both extensively:
Intel 12th/13th Gen is an excellent choice if you:
- Play fast-paced Esports titles where every fps matters
- Need strong single-threaded application performance
- Upgrade frequently and sell back CPUs
AMD Ryzen 5000/7000 makes more sense if you:
- Run heavy multi-tasking and productivity programs
- Stream plus game simultaneously
- Plan to keep your platform long-term (>3 years)
There‘s no universally SUPERIOR option. Each have strengths and weaknesses. Doing your research to match capabilities with needs is the key!
I‘m excited to see how you put this info to work. Let me know if any other questions come up when picking components for YOUR new killer PC!
Jessica
PC Hardware Enthusiast
