For everyday web browsing, watching Netflix, and answering emails, Intel and AMD CPUs will give you excellent performance right out of the box. There are certain tasks, though, where one company’s options perform better than the others.
If you’re looking to work with your processor performing intensive multithreaded tasks like video editing or transcoding, or heavy multitasking activities with tens of browser tabs open, AMD is the best option. Intel is undercutting AMD with its high-end chips, but the performance gaps are larger than price.
If you’re working and playing on a desktop, or even just gaming, an AMD Ryzen 5000 CPU is still the best option. Everything from the 5600X to the ludicrously powerful 5950X offer the best gaming and productivity performance. Intel’s options are becoming more affordable to make them more competitive, which might make them worth it. But for raw power, AMD holds the lead.
If you’re buying a laptop, things are a little different. Intel’s Tiger Lake offers the best onboard graphics, and its Tiger Lake H CPUs are exceedingly capable. Ryzen 5000 chips with Zen 3 cores also are amazing, though, and very efficient.
Intel holds the mobile crown right now. Still, you’ll want to look at reviews of the overall machine rather than focusing just on the CPU performance to get a full picture of which laptop is best for you.
The good news is that there really isn’t a bad choice in a CPU market — AMD and Intel are both operating at full tilt, so the AMD vs. Intel comparison won’t stop anytime soon. Your best choice is to pick the processor that’s cheaper, available, and works with the components you already have.
