AMD and Intel have been battling it out on the gaming CPU front since AMD released its Ryzen CPU line. Intel was the king at the time, with its best CPUs coming with 4 cores and that was seen as adequate for gaming. With AMD back with a line of powerful CPUs, the race for the best gaming CPU was back on. Both of these companies have amazing CPUs, but which one should you choose when upgrading your PC or laptop? We have created this comparison to help you choose between these two amazing companies, each with unique offerings and features.
Value
Gamers measure the value of a CPU as how much performance they can get out of their CPU compared to the price they paid for it. Since the advent of Ryzen, AMD has offered the best value, especially when you think about the Ryzen 3000 and 5000 series.
With increased competition, Intel has released some amazing CPUs and the latest 12th-gen Core i9-12900 KS is widely considered the best value because of how much performance it gives gamers for each dollar spent
There is a caveat though because AMD has already announced their Ryzen 7000 series CPUs which they say will perform 31% better than the best Intel CPUs, so we will have to wait for benchmarks to see if this new series will offer better value.
Clock Speeds
While it is not the only measure of a CPU’s power and performance, clock speeds can give us an indicator of how well a CPU will perform. AMD used to have faster clock speeds in their FX processors, then Intel overtook it for some time, and now they are both roughly equal.
The main differentiator now is how well these CPUs overclock. It is important to remember that overclocking is not always possible in a laptop, and this is why choosing one with a well-reviewed, performant gaming CPU is best. For this reason, try to shop for laptops with the latest gaming CPUs that are in your budget range.
Overclocking
With better cooling, thermal headroom, and CPUs created to be overclocked, gamers get more options on their PCs than they would get on a laptop. AMD says that all their Ryzen processors can be overclocked as long as you have enough cooling. They also have a very high overclocking potential as long as you know what you are doing.
Intel, on the other hand, limits the number and SKUs of CPUs that can be overclocked. The easiest way to tell is if the model number has a K at the end of their names. These CPUs are generally more expensive than other Intel CPUs that cannot be overclocked as well as AMD CPUs.
Price
AMD Ryzen has always been cheaper than comparable Intel CPUs. However, we can somewhat justify the higher price of Intel’s offerings due to the additional features their CPUs come with. For gamers looking to do no more than gaming and streaming, AMD remains the better option.
Conclusion
Both AMD and Intel have amazing CPU offerings, especially now that there is a lot of competition in the industry. If you are going for value, AMD will always be the better option. If you need raw performance, Intel would serve you better.
