For years, Intel was always inferior to AMD. Intel was like the original processor brand name while AMD was considered the knock-off. Even when AMD’s speed matched Intel, consumers preferred the higher price tag of AMD. Hmmm, does this make sense? Or did solid advertising fool many custom PC build enthusiasts? I’ll try to peel the layers here to get to the bottom of this.
In short, AMD’s Ryzen processor series has made AMD competitive again. Its competitive advantage of having either more cores or threads and faster PCIe 4.0 connectivity at every price point has brought AMD back in the discussion as the best CPU out there. Let’s run through some of the characteristics of the CPU products to see who wins this battle.
Pricing
We’ll check out the cost between AMD Ryzen 9 and Intel Core i9. Pricing for the AMD is $435 – $799 while Intel is a little lower of a range, $459 – $505. The tide has turned with pricing because consumers are preferring AMD. I’ll be spotlighting why AMD is superior nowadays and why speed along doesn’t dictate performance.
Cooling
Intel actually bundles coolers to its CPU which is a nice add-on. However, it’s only included when the processor IS NOT overclocked. Odd, right. Not really, Intel pushes you to pay more for an overclocked CPU and then they’ll reward you with a cooler. Oh, that’s just grand. Instead, you can just pay on your own for a cooler or fan and also have a local custom build company (Us!) overclock it for you.
AMD has no qualms included coolers on all of its processors. There are also thermal improvements on the AMD chip, ensuring it doesn’t need as much cooling as Intel processors need.
Overclocking
Intel doesn’t play nicely with motherboards when you want to overclock it. This reminds me of Apple. Cross your fingers if you want to update your older iPhone 7 with the latest iOS. It works similarly here. If you want to overclock your CPU, basically give it a speed boost, the motherboard you bought to handle your processor is basically a large brick. Intel doesn’t allow overclocking with B or H-series boards. That upgrading your motherboard or processor in the future is typically not going to happen.
Compatibility
Most consumers who know how snotty Intel processors are prefer AMD for cross-compatibility. Intel is known as backwards-compatible and AMD is forwards-compatible. For instance, AMD is able to go with PCIe 4.0 connectivity while Intel is stuck on PCIe 3.0 that makes peripherals like external drives slowing down to half the speed.
Performance
You want to buy a video game for performance. How do AMD and Intel stack up? Frames per second goes to, yup, you guessed it, AMD. This is critical for gamers. Also, overall, AMD offers more cores and threads vs. Intel at the same speed thresholds advertised. When creating content and working with apps, it is pretty one-sided here. Keep in mind AMD is superior still with the same speed due to its built-in higher cores and threads.
Here’s an example below of AMD vs. Intel in regard to using Premiere Pro. We have a lot of designers who need to render their projects. This is a great way to see how the AMD’s CPUs are built to perform better:
Stability of drivers and software
I’ll give this one to CPU. CPU has been known to be more stable regarding installing chipset drivers and graphic drivers. You’ll be able to work with AMD and install software for it, but Intel makes it easier for custom newbie installers by going easily to their site and drivers download page.
Overall
It’s a no-brainer here. AMD has gone from cost-conscious to speed king in the CPU market. Now, Intel has reduced its pricing to stay relevant. It’s funny how the David and Goliath story plays out, eh? If you need help with your CPU install or have further questions, feel free to reach out to our custom PC build professionals.