I faced a tough decision when I built my first gaming PC in 1999. Intel’s processors were popular, but AMD’s recently introduced Athlon received rave reviews. I ultimately settled on AMD’s inexpensive yet powerful Athlon 500, though only after reading several magazine comparisons to Intel’s Celeron line-up.
Fast forward two decades, and the questions facing modern PC gamers are remarkably similar. AMD and Intel remain the only option for PC serious gaming, and choosing between them is as difficult as ever. However, one of these silicon giants has the edge with some of the best CPUs for gaming. If you're planning on building your own gaming PC in 2024, knowing the differences between CPUs can make all the difference.
Jump to:
- PC gaming performance
- Content creation and productivity performance
- Laptop gaming performance
- Platform and software features
- Integrated graphics performance
- Conclusion
PC Gaming Performance Comparison
Summarizing an entire processor brand’s PC game performance is difficult. AMD and Intel produce hundreds of processors across their entire portfolio. Still, some obvious trends stand out.
PC gamers looking to build or buy a high-end gaming PC should lean towards AMD and, in particular, AMD processors with 3D V-Cache (like the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Ryzen 9 7950X3D). AMD’s 3D V-Cache uses stacked cache to greatly increase the total L3 Cache available. This trait is especially useful for PC games, which skew towards a high volume of relatively less demanding instructions. The game performance of AMD’s high-end 3D V-Cache processors is unmatched.
Mid-range processors are a toss-up. AMD’s entry in this arena includes processors like the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and Ryzen 5 7600X, while Intel’s alternatives include the Intel Core i5-13600K and Core i5-13500. Performance can vary from game to game, with neither AMD or Intel showing a clear overall advantage—at least, not on the basis of PC game performance.
What about budget processors? AMD’s budget champions include the Ryzen 5 7500F and older models, like the Ryzen 7 5700X, while Intel brings the heat with the Intel Core i5-13400F and some older chips, like the Core i3-12100F. Neither takes an obvious win here, either. Pricing is a major factor in how each chip stacks up at a given moment, as a price cut of just $20 can sway your decision.
In summary, this is a win for AMD, though only because its high-end processors with 3D V-Cache deliver unmatched PC game performance. The competition at lower price points is heated with neither AMD or Intel taking an overall advantage.
Winner: AMD
Content Creation and Productivity Performance
AMD takes a win in game high-end PC game performance—but what about content creation and productivity?
Intel manages to flip the script in most content creation and productivity tasks. It all comes down to core counts. Intel has a new processor design strategy that pairs two types of cores: larger performance cores and smaller efficient cores. Because of this, Intel can squeeze more cores into its processors overall, which tends to give Intel an edge in content creation tasks.
The Intel Core i7-13700K, for example, delivers 16 cores and 24 threads for less than $400. The competitive AMD Ryzen 7700X has just 8 cores and 16 threads. The Intel Core i9-13900K also has an advantage, with 24 cores compared to the Ryzen 7 7950X’s 16 cores.
AMD used to have a solution to this problem: Threadripper. Unfortunately, Threadripper’s position in the market has changed since its introduction. The first generation of Threadripper processors were priced between $500 and $1,000, which placed them on even footing with Intel Core i9 hardware. Today, Threadrippers are priced in the thousands of dollars and insead compete with Intel Xeon processors.
That leaves Intel with a clear advantage in content creation. It’s not a blowout, and AMD may win in specific apps or at certain price points. A good discount can go a long way. Still, those who care about productivity performance should lean towards Intel.
Winner: Intel
Laptop Gaming Performance Comparison
The discussion so far has focused on desktop processors, which typically outperform mobile processors in PC gaming benchmarks. Gaming laptops are incredibly popular, however, so it’s worth asking: does the story change when shopping for a laptop?
AMD holds on to the performance crown. It recently introduced the AMD Ryzen 7945HX3D, a mobile processor with 3D V-Cache technology, and it’s a winner. Though currently available in just one laptop, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17, it'll likely arrive in more laptops through the holiday shopping season.
But the AMD Ryzen 7945HX3D’s limited availability underscores AMD’s big weakness: it’s hard to find gaming laptops with AMD hardware. AMD’s Ryzen 7845HX and AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX can deliver excellent results, but few laptops use them. That leaves Intel as the default option in most gaming laptops.
Ultimately, the battle between AMD and Intel isn’t relevant to gaming laptops. They perform similarly and the differences that exist are often less important to your buying decision than a gaming laptop’s other qualities, like its cooling system, display and, of course, its GPU. See our guide to gaming laptops vs. PCs for more info here.
Winner: Tie
Platform and Software Features
Raw performance is an important part of any CPU buying decision, but there’s more to it than that. You’ll also want to consider the platform and software ecosystem you’re buying into. AMD and Intel processors use different processor sockets, are supported by different gaming motherboard chipsets, and provide different software.
AMD is amid a socket refresh from the outgoing AM4 socket to its successor, AM5. This switch provides several improvements including the leap to DD5 memory and support for PCIe 5.0 (in addition to earlier PCIe generations).
Intel currently uses Socket 1700. It provides support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, as well as support for PCIe 5.0 (in addition to earlier PCIe generations). However, it’s likely that Intel’s upcoming 14th-gen processors will switch to a new socket.
That gives AMD an edge. AMD plans to support AM5 through 2026, which offers the potential of upgrading the CPU in the future. If you build Intel, however, the motherboard will likely be a dead end, because Intel’s next generation of processors will (probably) use a different socket.
Software is less important but can still matter, especially if you want to overclock. AMD provides processor control through its Ryzen Master software, while Intel provides this functionality through Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU). I prefer Ryzen Master, but your thoughts may vary—and both are useful for overclocking (or undervolting) a compatible processor.
This is another tough fight, but AMD’s recent introduction of AM5 gives it the win. AMD proved its commitment to long processor socket lifecycles with AM4, which served AMD processors from 2016 through 2022. Intel, by contrast, tends to replace a socket every two generations. That gives AMD platforms a longer useful lifespan.
Winner: AMD
Integrated Graphics Performance
Most PC gamers will purchase a discrete graphics card, but there may be situations where integrated graphics performance is relevant. Many mini PCs and handheld PCs rely on integrated graphics, and these can prove a fine budget alternative to a full-sized desktop. Older games, like League of Legends and Counter-Strike, can run beautifully on integrated graphics.
Here, the fight is no contest: AMD demolishes Intel.
AMD relies on the same graphics cores found in its Radeon discrete video cards, with newer AMD processors receiving more recent variants (like RDNA 2 and RDNA 3). Intel, by contrast, relies on its aging Intel Iris Xe graphics, which have changed little over the past half-decade. The best AMD integrated graphics option, the Radeon RX 780M, is roughly twice as quick as Intel Iris Xe.
That said, there’s an important catch: not all AMD processors have the quickest version of AMD integrated graphics (the same is true of Intel, as well). Both companies reserve their best integrated graphics for mobile CPUs, while desktop CPUs usually make do with cut-down variants.
So, AMD takes the win—but pay close attention to what you’re getting. Gamers who plan to use integrated graphics should look for AMD’s Radeon RX 780M, which is the most performant version of AMD integrated graphics currently available.
Winner: AMD
Conclusion: AMD CPUs are Better for Gaming
AMD and Intel are closely matched but, ultimately, there’s a clear winner. AMD takes the crown for gaming performance.
Choosing an AMD processor will generally leave you with better game performance than Intel, especially at the high end, where AMD’s 3D V-Cache processors rule. Truthfully, the gap between AMD and Intel is often small enough that it’s difficult to notice—but AMD has the edge overall.
AMD’s lead is enhanced by the new AM5 socket, which provides desktop PC gamers a more future-proof alternative to Intel’s outgoing Socket 1700, which is likely to be replaced when Intel Core 14th-gen arrives. AMD also wins in integrated graphics performance, which is key in the Mini-PC and handheld PC arena.
That’s not to say an Intel processor is a bad decision. Intel’s aggressive core counts deliver great results in content creation and productivity. Laptop shoppers will also lean towards Intel, as Intel processors are far more widely available. Intel is a competitive pick in budget builds, too, where processors like the Core i5-12100F and Core i5-13100F do well.
Matthew S. Smith is a hardware and tech freelance writer with more than 15 years of industry experience.