Which is better - AMD or Intel for gaming? Which processor to choose?

For games, it was very, very relevant. Now the situation has changed dramatically. If one of the manufacturers of processor solutions in the person of Intel has gone far ahead, then the second one, which is AMD, continues to stagnate. But still, there is still competition in the entry-level and mid-level CPU segments. Also, the situation may change dramatically in the first half of 2017, when AMD must finally present its updated microprocessor platform.

Current computer platforms

Before we figure out which is better - AMD or Intel for games, let's look at the list of current processor sockets from each of the manufacturers of this equipment. This list includes the following sockets:

FM2+- the most affordable solution for assembling a budget-level system unit.

AM3+- the most productive socket for installing the CPU, which was released a very, very long time ago, but is still the most productive AMD platform.

LGA1151- a very fresh socket, which was introduced in mid-2015 and will be relevant at least until mid-2017. The level of its performance allows you to assemble almost any computer system, including gaming ones.

LGA2011-v3- this combined socket allows you to assemble both ordinary PCs with maximum performance, and servers with different levels of performance.

People's socket from Intel

The question of which processor for games is best to choose, we will begin to consider from the advanced and main computing platform of Intel. Be that as it may, namely the LGA1151 is a unified socket that allows you to assemble office PCs, mid-range and higher-level system units, and even entry-level servers on such hardware are quite capable of creating. The entry-level chips in this case are the Pentium and Celeron. These semiconductor crystals are perfect for office computers, but they are not recommended for use as part of a gaming system for the reason that the most demanding toys require 4 cores, and they have only 2. Therefore, entry-level gaming machines can be assembled based on chips from the family i3. In this semiconductor crystal, as in the case of entry-level chips, there are 2 cores, but the HyperTrading technology implemented in them allows you to turn them into full-fledged 4-core processors at the software level. In turn, it is most expedient to assemble a mid-level system unit on an i5-class processor (in this case, there will be 4 program code execution units on a semiconductor chip), but for the premium class segment, an i7 CPU is intended. The latter, like the chips of the i3 family, support HyperTrading and can already process code in 8 threads with only 4 physical cores.

Intel offer for computer enthusiasts

The only market segment in which the question does not arise: “Which is better - AMD or Intel?” Is the niche of computer enthusiasts. There is no worthy answer from AMD to the eternal competitor represented by Intel in this niche. Perhaps the situation will change in early 2017, when an updated microprocessor architecture from AMD will be introduced, which is codenamed "Zen". Well, Intel, as noted earlier, offers computer enthusiasts processor solutions based on the LGA-2011v3 socket. This platform is combined: it allows you to create both high-performance system units (chips of the i7 series) and servers (the line of Xeon processor devices). In this case, the minimum in the CPU will be 4 cores, and the maximum - 10. There is also full support for NT technology, and the number of program threads is increased by 2 times. Another important feature of this platform is that its RAM controller can operate in 4-channel mode. All other processor sockets can only work in 2-channel.

Core AMD platform

AMD's entry-level processors are socket FM2+ solutions. These are hybrid chips, and their main advantage in comparison with other platforms is a productive integrated graphics subsystem. Theoretically, this approach allows you to save on the purchase of a discrete graphics accelerator. But you can't expect phenomenal performance from an integrated video card. At best, its capabilities will be enough for most not quite demanding games, and far from the maximum settings. Therefore, in this case, getting something more than an entry-level gaming system, alas, will not work. Within this platform, processors can contain as few as 4 computing units.

The most powerful AMD socket

This socket appeared even when there was a dilemma, it would be more correct to choose AMD or Intel for games. A lot of time has passed since then, and this platform is outdated. The speed level allows you to still build a mid-range PC. But such CPUs certainly cannot compete with the most productive Intel chips. Such semiconductor solutions support DDR3 RAM and are produced according to an outdated technological process - 32 nm (that is, their energy efficiency is far from the best).

Graphics subsystem

In the context of a gaming system, it is not enough to think about which is better - AMD or Intel for games. An important component of such a computer is a video card. As a rule, the number of FPS depends on its performance, and it also significantly increases the cost of the system unit. And if in the context of an entry-level gaming PC, you can refuse to buy discrete graphics at the expense of performance, then in the case of a gaming machine of the middle and especially premium segment, you certainly cannot do without such a computer accessory. At the moment, entry-level gaming systems are recommended to be equipped with AMD's RX460 accelerator with 4 GB of RAM for $140. If you want to save money, you can buy the same accelerator with 2 GB for $110. NVidia does not have a decent answer to this product in this niche. although it costs less (about $100), it also loses about 30% to the RX460. In turn, the GTX 950 already outperforms the AMD product by 10%, but costs about $ 200, and this is clearly an exorbitant cost for an entry-level PC. In the middle level, it is recommended to install the NVidia solution - GTX 1060 with 6 GB of RAM. Its performance level will be quite enough to reveal any processor solution in this niche. As an alternative from AMD, in this case, we can consider the RX 480 already with 8 GB of RAM, but their cost is slightly higher with a comparable level of performance. Premium PCs, on the other hand, must be equipped with the most powerful graphics adapter - the GTX 1080 - and 8 GB of memory. But only a dual-processor graphics accelerator can unlock the potential of the CPU for a computer enthusiast. For example, the Pro Duo of the Radeon line. Yes, it has only 8 GB of memory, but the presence of two semiconductor crystals at once allows it to solve any problems and show phenomenal performance in all cases.

The situation with the memory subsystem

A difficult situation with the RAM subsystem has currently developed in the segment of desktop computers. DDR3 modules are more affordable now, but their use as part of a gaming machine significantly reduces its performance. Therefore, it is recommended to buy such strips only in cases where there is no alternative. That is, in the case of using a PC based on an AMD CPU, this type of RAM will have to be used. But for Intel chips, it will be more correct to use DDR4, and thereby increase PC performance.

entry-level PC

It is in the segment of entry-level gaming PCs that it is most difficult to make a choice between Intel or AMD. What is better for games in this case is hard to say. On the one hand, there are affordable AMD CPUs with powerful integrated graphics. But at the same time, the performance of the processor part will suffer. On the other hand, you can buy an Intel product with a discrete graphics card, but you will have to overpay for it. Recommended configurations from both the first and the second manufacturer are shown in Table 1, which shows the configurations of the basic gaming systems.

Mid-Range Gaming Systems

A comparison of Intel and AMD in this part of the processor market indicates that the former has more powerful chips, while the latter has more affordable ones. Therefore, you will have to make a very difficult choice: either save money and buy a PC that will already work at the limit of its capabilities, or add a certain amount and take a system unit with a margin. Recommended mid-range gaming machine configurations are shown in Table 2.

Premium solutions

"What processor do I have?" This question is irrelevant for this part of the computer market. In this niche there are only solutions of only one manufacturer - Intel. These PCs are bought for a very long time and remain relevant for 3 to 5 years due to high performance.

Two possible configurations for premium gaming systems and for PC enthusiasts are shown in Table 3 below.

Prospects for the development of processor technology

At the beginning of 2017, the issue of choosing a CPU between AMD or Intel should become relevant again. At this time, as noted earlier, AMD will introduce socket AM4 and a new generation of CPUs. Preliminarily, the level of their performance is comparable to the performance of top-end Intel processors. Therefore, everything will then already rest on the price and personal preference.

If AMD offers an excellent product with a tempting price tag, then Intel will have to adequately respond and also reduce the cost of its chips. This will have to benefit the end buyer, who will be able to collect at a lower cost.

Results

Now let's sum up and decide which is better - AMD or Intel for games. Be that as it may, it is absolutely not correct to consider the possibility of buying based on an AMD chip on the eve of the announcement of a new platform from this manufacturer. Although these products have a very, very democratic cost, common sense suggests that it is better to wait for the first quarter of 2017 and only then select the configuration of a new PC for games.

Well, in the case of Intel, there are plenty to choose from. Its computing platforms are only at the equator of their life cycle and will be relevant for at least another 1.5-2 years. At the same time, they have an excellent performance margin, they will be able to solve any problems for a long time without any problems. The only drawback in this case is the higher cost of such products. But there is no getting away from this, a high-performance PC cannot be cheap.