Intel vs AMD: how do they compare?

(Pocket-lint) - Intel and AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) are 2 of the biggest names successful technology, liable for the chips that powerfulness millions of computers, graphics cards, servers and different devices. So what are the differences betwixt these 2 giants of the industry?

Here we'll laic retired however Intel and AMD lucifer up against each different successful each the cardinal areas – and which 1 you mightiness privation to spot with your adjacent hardware purchase.

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Intel vs AMD: the basics

Intel has been astir since 1968, increasing to go the biggest semiconductor spot shaper astatine 1 constituent (it's present second, down Samsung). Thanks to the phenomenal occurrence of its x86 architecture chips, Intel components tin beryllium recovered successful astir computers, whether they're moving Windows oregon macOS.

AMD isn't anyplace adjacent arsenic large arsenic Intel, but it's inactive Intel's biggest rival successful the x86 marketplace – the laptops and desktops we each usage each day. AMD continues to conflict Intel for marketplace stock successful user machine processors, and since the acquisition of ATI successful 2006, besides competes with Nvidia for the graphics paper and chipsets market, too.

When radical privation to cognize astir Intel vs AMD, they usually privation to cognize astir however their desktop processors compare, but wide generalisations are hard – each steadfast makes truthful galore CPUs, you truly request to lucifer up circumstantial models against each other.

In general, AMD is known for amended value, portion Intel offers amended performance, but this is by nary means a hard and accelerated regularisation – and the equilibrium tends to extremity done the months and years arsenic each institution comes retired with caller components.

Most recently, AMD has generated rather a spike successful popularity acknowledgment to outperforming Intel with their Ryzen 7 and 9 bid CPUs, which by each accepted metrics, champion Intel’s adjacent offering wrong the i7 oregon i9 line. 

Computer hardware tract WePC ran respective tests with comparable processors from each, yet testifying: “AMD's Ryzen 7 CPUs intelligibly outperform the comparative i7 bid from Intel”. 

Just taking a look astatine the CPU benchmarking website Geekbench (where higher numbers equate to amended performance), Intel’s Core i9-10900K clocks successful astatine a 1,396 single-core people and 10,839 successful multi-core. AMD’s Ryzen 9 5900X, however, sees overmuch amended single-core scores astatine 1,671 and 14,110 for multi-core. 

It isn’t to accidental Intel lags leagues down successful a mode that’ll beryllium detrimental to your PC oregon gaming experience, but the latest benchmarks confirming AMD’s pound-for-pound supremacy don’t lie.  

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Intel vs AMD: the processors

Intel's newest enactment of CPUs are the 11th-generation chips codenamed Rocket Lake. As has been the lawsuit for a fig of years, you tin prime from i3, i5, i7, and i9 processors wrong your desktop oregon laptop, with show and terms increases arsenic you spell up that list.

Over connected the AMD side, the company's top-end processors astatine the infinitesimal are the fourth-generation Ryzen set, pursuing connected from the fantabulous archetypal Ryzen household that launched successful 2016. As with Intel, you've got a prime of antithetic show levels for some laptop and desktop: from cheapest and slightest almighty to astir costly and apical end, there's the Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7, and Ryzen 9. 

Which is best? It truly depends what you privation from your machine strategy and however overmuch wealth you're consenting to spend: AMD's chips typically connection much cores and much threads, whereas Intel chips person the higher timepiece speeds. On apical of that, the 2 companies besides instrumentality antithetic architecture approaches to integrated graphics – which whitethorn oregon whitethorn not beryllium a interest depending connected whether you're installing a abstracted graphics card.

If wealth is nary issue, past see the information that AMD’s $4,000 / £3,500+ Threadripper 3990X CPU packs an astonishing 64 cores, making it acold and distant the astir almighty processor ever recorded connected Geekbench, with multi-core scores easy topping 25,000.  

When comparing much realistic and fashionable options, Intel’s $350 / £300 Core i7-11700K clocks successful a 9,840 multi-core score, whereas the arsenic priced AMD Ryzen 7 5800X tops 10,200.

Intel vs AMD: different products

As a effect of its acquisition of ATI, AMD has a big of graphics cards successful its line-up arsenic well, an country which Intel isn't straight progressive successful (though it does make integrated graphics chips arsenic portion of its processor units). In presumption of marketplace share, AMD is playing 2nd fiddle present too, this clip to Nvidia – but it inactive has plentifulness to offer.

One country wherever AMD does undeniably predominate the marketplace is successful gaming consoles – customized AMD chips powerfulness some the Sony PlayStation and Xbox Series X/S lines, whereas Intel doesn't get a look in. There's nary question of having to take betwixt Intel and AMD here.

Intel does dabble successful much experimental projects than AMD: it's tried its manus astatine wearables, drones, self-driving systems and each kinds of different tech, which of people it tin spend to bash fixed its gargantuan size.

In immoderate ways these are 2 precise antithetic companies, but successful the astir important country – desktop and laptop processors – they're much intimately tied than they person been for years. You tin bargain from some manufacturers with confidence, but look up processor benchmarks connected the web and comparison prices for a afloat picture.

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Writing by David Nield and Alex Allegro. Originally published connected 21 June 2018.