Intel vs. AMD: Which CPUs are better? (2024)

The ongoing rivalry between Intel and AMD has continued to make impressive inroads in the CPU industry and has resulted in the ultimate beneficiary being customers as is the case in most cases of competition.

It has also created some perceptions about both CPU competitors that tend to stick around much longer than the products that were responsible for them such as AMD's perceived thermal issues at the higher end and Intel CPUs, irrespective of their current crop of CPUs being superior for gaming in most scenarios.

Given the ever-evolving market for CPUs and constant upgrades, it is a challenge to broadly declare one particular semiconductor company as being the better one for a particular task especially since there are moving goalposts in play for performance, efficiency, and value for money.

What Are The Current CPUs Available On The Market?

Both Intel and AMD have a plethora of CPUs currently available in the market that cater to a multitude of consumer needs with a high clock and core-heavy top end when it comes to CPUs on offer.

AMD's Current CPU Offerings

AMD currently offers the Ryzen 7000 series to its consumers which works with the new AM5 socket as well as its more gaming-centric refresh of the same, the Ryzen 7000 X3D series of processors that consist of Ryzen 9 and Ryzen 7 processors. While there are rumors of a Ryzen 5-based X3D CPU incoming (Ryzen 5 7600X3D), this has not been substantiated by AMD in any meaningful way. If it does exist, it will only see the light of day when Intel starts pushing a price war at the mid-range gaming segment by offering better value in a segment where AMD's Ryzen 5 7600X is arguably in an excellent position currently.

AMD's Ryzen 5000 series processors are also readily available on the market with its 16-Core Ryzen 9 5950X CPU being the highest-end offering from Team Red in that segment and the gaming-focused, more recent Ryzen 7 5800X3D also is available as an alternative upgrade for users unwilling to pay for a new AM5 socket motherboard and DDR5 memory currently.

Intel's Current CPU Offerings

Intel currently offers a limited tranche of the 14th generation Intel CPU lineup with products covering 3 major price points with their KF alternatives offering a mild discount while taking the iGPU out of the equation. It however currently offers the full spectrum of its Intel Core processors based on the 13th generation Rocket Lake offerings starting from the Core i3 13100 all the way to the Core i9 13900K to consumers at different price points. The 13th generation and 14th generation are compatible with its own 700 series chipset-based motherboards as well as Intel's older 600 series (12th generation) motherboards with a BIOS upgrade in most cases.

Intel's 12th-generation CPUs are also available and work with both 12th and 13th-generation CPUs out of the box. They currently trade at deep discounts relative to their MSRPs and are often superseded by Intel's own 13th-generation and 14th-generation offerings. That being said, some of their higher-end models do make for appealing performance-centric choices versus their more expensive Raptor Lake-based counterparts.

Which CPUs to Choose For Performance: Intel Vs AMD

Picking the highest-end performance CPU from Intel is an easy enough task. Because of how performance scales as you move towards the top end of Intel's CPU offerings, the Intel Core i9 14900K is the obvious performance choice and Intel's king of the hill thanks to its strong multithreaded and single-core performance relative to most of AMD's and Intel's other CPU choices. It also removed the Intel Core i9 13900K and 13900KS from the equation by offering a higher-clocked chip with the same core configuration to enthusiasts and gamers alike.

Intel Core i9 14900K 24-Core, 32-Thread CPU

Intel's Fastest Gaming And Productivity CPU

6GHz 24-Core, 32-Thread Raptor Lake Refresh

$579 $625 Save $46

The Intel Core i9 14900K 24-Core, 32-Thread CPU is Intel's highest-end 14th generation CPU and offers the highest boost clocks for a consumer-grade CPU from Intel to date, clocking in at an impressive 6 GHz natively.

It succeeds the limited-release Intel Core 13900KS as the first mainstream 6 GHz CPU, even as it brings a large power draw and thermal requirement in tow to reach said clock speed.

Brand

Intel

CPU Model

Core i9 14900K

CPU Socket

LGA 1700

Cores

24 (8P + 16E)

Threads

32

Architecture

Raptor Lake (Refresh)

Process

Intel 7 (10 nm)

Base Clock Speed

3.2 GHz

Boost Clock Speed

6 GHz

Cache

32MB L2 + 36MB L3 Cache

PCIe

PCI-E 4.0/5.0 supported

Graphics

Intel UHD Graphics 770

TDP

253 W

See at Amazon $579 at Newegg $579 at Best Buy

With as many as 32 threads handled by a 24-core behemoth, one could argue that size does indeed matter even for CPUs in terms of core count. The Intel 14900K does clock in an impressive Passmark score average of 61192 with the highest single-thread rating of 4777. This is higher than the 60009 multicore and 4679 single-core Passmark scores that the previous generation Intel Core i9 13900K offers currently.

Intel's top-end CPU does have its stipulations, however; It requires an enormous amount of power to sustain its performance for a CPU that often pushes past 5GHz on all cores when handling performance-heavy tasks. It means that you need to pair any 14900K-centric build to a suitable power supply for adequate power that can handle both the processor and any additional high-end PC hardware you put into the system such as an RTX 4090 GPU.

One must also account for adequate cooling as most CPU coolers are unable to handle the 13900K when running at full throttle, making a strong case for some of the more premium AIO liquid coolers to be paired with Intel's finest to ensure thermal throttling is not an ongoing concern.

Choosing an AMD CPU for performance is a much trickier affair than Intel's more straightforward choices. You see 3 major CPUs dominant in benchmarks: The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D for gaming, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X for productivity tasks, and the Ryzen 9 7900X3D as a very capable middle-of-the-road approach to a processor choice from AMD in 2023.

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

The Best AMD CPU For Gaming

Gaming Centric Performance Galore

$369 $450 Save $81

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is AMD's latest and greatest CPU when it comes to gaming. With an excellent and highly efficient gaming performance that tops the charts currently, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is here to stay and has a crown to claim thanks to its 3D V-Cache-enabled prowess when it comes to gaming on a PC.

The octa-core CPU currently happens to be the fastest in the business for gaming even as it leads efficiency charts at the top, making it a very sought-after gaming upgrade.

Brand

AMD

CPU Model

Ryzen 7 7800X3D

CPU Socket

AM5

Cores

8

Threads

16

PCIe 4.0 Support

Yes, Supports up to PCI-E 5.0

Architecture

Zen 4

Process

5nm

Base Clock Speed

4.2GHz

Boost Clock Speed

5.0GHz

Cache

8MB L2 + 96MB L3

TDP

120W

iGPU

Yes, Integrated Radeon 2 Core

$394 at Amazon $369 at Newegg $369 at Walmart

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is an excellent CPU that is geared particularly towards gamers as it leverages its larger L3 Cache to deliver excellent gaming performance even if it somewhat underperforms AMD's Ryzen 7 7700X in performance-centric benchmarks thanks to its limited boost clock potential.

It is one of the most efficient gaming CPUs on the market in terms of performance per watt while also commanding a significant lead in most gaming benchmarks which makes it an easy choice for most users looking for a gaming PC in 2023.

Note: The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D also has a limited-time running offer of a free copy of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora as part of an active AMD Rewards promotion at participating retailers including Newegg and Amazon.

See Also

What do you need for 4K PC gaming? - Coolblue

AMD Ryzen™ 9 7950X 16-Core, 32-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor

AMD's Best Productivity-Centric Processor

$599 $699 Save $100

The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is the flagship processor of AMD's Ryzen 7000 series. It can boost up to 5.7Ghz and delivers unheard-of efficiency while taking the multi-threading performance crown for a 16-core processor

Socket

AMD AM5

Brand

AMD

TDP

170W

Cores

16

Threads

32

iGPU

Yes, RDNA2

L3 Cache

64MB

Base Clock

4.5Ghz

Boost Clock

5.7Ghz

See at Amazon $599 at Newegg $600 at Best Buy

If games are not your primary concern and raw power centering around high single-core clocks and multicore or multithreaded performance is a key metric, AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X is an excellent CPU to pick up in 2023. With 16 cores handling 2 threads each for a grand total of 32 threads on the AM5-based processor, AMD's offering goes neck and neck in many multicore benchmarks with Intel's 14900K while consuming considerably less power than its competition.

The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X also targets a higher temp to ensure it performs up to its peak potential, pushing to as much as 95 degrees Celsius, a temperature that the chipmaker says is perfectly safe to operate at for the Zen 4-based CPU. This means that AMD's CPUs directly benefit from better cooling even if they do generate less heat than their Intel equivalents. The Ryzen 9 7950X clocks an impressive score of 63615 on Passmark multicore but a somewhat lackluster single-core score of 4327 that sees Intel score a resounding win in terms of gaming potential thanks to its impressive single-core offerings.

Note: The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X also has a limited-time running offer of a free copy of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora as part of an active AMD Rewards promotion at participating retailers including Newegg and Amazon.

AMD Ryzen™ 9 7950X3D 16-Core, 32-Thread Desktop Processor

AMD's Best Creator-Centric CPU

An Excellent Balancing Act

$599 $700 Save $101

TheAMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 16-core, 32-thread desktop processor is AMD's answer to a resurgent Intel 13th generation processor lineup as it attempts to wrest back the gaming crown with the same technology that made the last generation 5800X3D such a powerful CPU.

With 128MB of L3 cache on offer, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D leverages its 3D V-Cache muscle in gaming as well as its powerful new Zen 4-based cores in productivity to make for a potent enthusiast-grade CPU in the offing.

Socket

AMD AM5

Brand

AMD

TDP

120W

Cores

16

Threads

32

iGPU

Yes, RDNA 2

L3 Cache

128MB

Base Clock

4.2GHz

Boost Clock

5.7GHz

$648 at Amazon $599 at Newegg $600 at Best Buy

Also in contention is AMD's more recent Ryzen 9 7950X3D, an excellent 16-core, 32-thread CPU that combines the core advantage of the 7950X with the X3D moniker's penchant for a larger L3 cache, offering excellent multicore performance that is just a shade below AMD's 7950X while offering vastly improved gaming performance thanks to the stacked 3D V-Cache on offer by the processor AMD states is for creators and enthusiasts.

While the 7950X3D is beaten in raw performance in most productivity tasks by the 7950X and in gaming by the octa-core 7800X3D, both of these are near misses for the top slot in various benchmarks. The 7950X3D is currently AMD's most premium consumer-grade CPU bar none for a very simple reason. It doesn't win outright in most benchmarks but does tend to come a very respectable or close 2nd in many of them, making it a viable all-rounder that is priced accordingly with a significant margin over the 7950X at most retailers currently.

Note: The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D also has a limited-time running offer of a free copy of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora as part of an active AMD Rewards promotion at participating retailers including Newegg and Amazon.

CPU Budget Restrictions & Value Considerations: Intel vs AMD

While both Intel and AMD's fastest CPUs trade blows in a price range of $500 to $600, we see much better value of late in the mid-range offerings of both Team Red and Team Blue. This has resulted in both AMD and Intel offering price cuts, game bundles, and cheaper chipsets in order to woo gamers and budget-conscious customers with increasingly potent CPUs on offer in tow.

• 

  AMD Ryzen 5 7600X

  $219 $300 Save $81

  Gamers interested in upgrading to a newer CPU from Team Red will find the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X to be of spectacular value thanks to its high single-core performance, efficient hexacore architecture, and compatibility with newer technology such as PCI-E 5.0 and DDR5 memory. It also abandons AMD's AM4 design, going for a pin-less processor offering by moving them to the motherboard instead.

  Brand

  AMD

  CPU Model

  Ryzen 5 7600X

  CPU Socket

  AMD AM5

  Cores

  6

  Threads

  12

  Base Clock Speed

  4.7 GHz

  Boost Clock Speed

  5.3 GHz

  Cache

  6MB L2 + 32MB L3 Cache

  TDP

  105W

  iGPU

  2-Core AMD Radeon Graphics

  See at Amazon $219 at Newegg

• 

  Core i5 13500

  $247 $260 Save $13

  The Intel Core i5-13500 Processor is a slight step up from the entry-level Core i5-13400 Processor and adds 4 more efficiency cores into the mix, enabling it to drive as many as 20 threads to its smaller siblings while boosting slightly higher at 4.8GHz versus 4.6Ghz.

  Brand

  Intel

  CPU Model

  Core i5 13500

  CPU Socket

  LGA 1700

  Cores

  14

  Threads

  20

  Base Clock Speed

  2.5GHz

  Boost Clock Speed

  4.8Ghz

  Cache

  24MB

  TDP

  154W

  iGPU

  Yes, Intel UHD Graphics 770

  See at Amazon $247 at Newegg

Two of their more popular budget-centric CPUs are the AM5-based Ryzen 5 7600X and the LGA 1700-based Core i5 13500 which offer excellent value for money at price points that make them compelling upgrade considerations.

AMD's Ryzen 5 7600X is an unlocked hexacore CPU that offers 6 cores with 12 threads and superior single-core performance than Intel's locked 13500 CPU which concentrates on offering significantly better multicore performance instead.

It must be noted that the Ryzen 5 7600X does not come with a stock cooler, unlike Intel's offering which does make it a slightly more expensive proposition. That being said, socket AM4 coolers do work with AM5 motherboards with ease, making it relatively easy to find a cooler on a budget.

All in all, the CPU market is much more competitive now than it was a few years ago and both Intel and AMD offer excellent value at different price points. We do, however, find AMD's AM5 motherboard offerings are somewhat more expensive than Intel's base models even as the A620 series removes some of our concerns.

Efficiency & Power Consumption: Intel vs AMD

This is an interesting topic given that AMD was historically considered to 'run hotter' and by inference, consume more power than its Intel counterparts, pointing to lower efficiency. AMD's push for better efficiency thanks to a smaller manufacturing process and outsourcing its fabrication needs have resulted in it making smaller, more energy-efficient cores than the competition even as they compete in the same performance bracket.

Intel's 12th generation CPUs did run hot and the 13th generation ups the ante. This means they run considerably hotter and consume a lot more power to get to their ideal performance levels than the competition making them relatively inefficient when you consider power draw.

AMD has however upped the ante in terms of both power draw and heat generation with its higher-end Ryzen 7000 series chips aiming for an operating temperature of 95 degrees sustained for which the chip 'intelligently' determines its clock speeds when under load. This allows for higher performance than last-generation AMD CPUs with the IPC uplift of Zen 4 chips making them excellent contenders for most multitasking workloads.

AMD does enjoy even more efficiency specific to gaming when you throw in the newest X3D chips with the Ryzen 7 7800X3D pushing just 50W of power on most games while offering excellent performance to boot.

Picking The Right Processor: Intel Vs AMD

What used to be a clear-cut race in the past with one of the two chipmakers having a significant lead over the other in terms of performance or value for money is now a much more nuanced race with each side winning rounds in different categories.

Intel tends to be excellent at gaming across the board due to higher clock speeds and single-core performance while only AMD's X3D variants really take the crown from both its chips and Intel's in gaming for example.

Intel does step up heavily in the multicore performance offerings at both the mid-range and the high-end tier thanks to its big.LITTLE approach to CPUs since the 12th generation, packing in a mix of performance and efficiency cores versus AMD's one-size-fits-all approach to Zen 3 and 4 CPUs.

In terms of raw efficiency, AMD does currently have a significant edge over Intel's offerings because of their relatively higher power draw for similar performance in most comparable scenarios. Intel does however end up offering better value in the mid-range than AMD more often than not, making it a compelling upgrade case for most users, many of which are invested in its 12th-generation CPUs in some cases with both subsequent generations compatible with the same motherboards.

All in all, there is no clear-cut winner or loser when it comes to Intel and AMD processors. Both contenders have products that cover their target markets even if their approaches are a bit different relative to each other currently with both offering excellent performance, competitive pricing, and value for money even if AMD edges out Intel in all meaningful ways in terms of efficiency and cooling requirements, but does take a beating in productivity tests and single core counts due to Intel's ability to offer higher clocks on its 14th generation CPUs.

FAQ

Q: What is the fastest CPU for gaming in 2023?

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the fastest CPU for gaming in 2023. It combines the new Zen 4 cores with a large stacked 3D cache to deliver excellent, efficient performance that makes it one of the fastest CPUs out of the box for modern gaming needs.

Q: When Did Intel's 14th Generation CPUs Launch?

The 14th generation Core CPUs, also known as Raptor Lake Refresh launched on the 17th of October 2023 with 3 product classes (Intel Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9) on offer with 6 products in total. Intel is expected to slowly unveil both, its lower end 14th-gen CPUs as well as 14th gen laptop CPUs in the coming weeks.