Quick Answer
In the AMD Ryzen vs Intel CPU debate, the AMD Ryzen is the better CPU for gaming when you are looking for a processor that delivers superior performance and greater multitasking abilities for a gamer. But then when it comes to games that single core performance is required, the Intel card is the better of the two.
The CPU is one of the most important components of a computer, whether it is a gaming computer or not as it is the brain of the computer, helping it to process whatever task you strap upon its shoulder.
AMD and Intel have remained the main CPU brands that have dominated the market for a very long time, and because of this, the debate between which of the two one should go for has remained very prominent most especially among gamers and those who work with programs that are extremely demanding.
While the debate sustains, it is important to point out that both of these CPUs are great and in fact, they have rather similar performances even though there are areas where either has an advantage or a couple over the other.
Is Intel or AMD Ryzen Better for Gaming?
When you flip the coin on the things that should make a good CPU for a gamer, whatever side the coin falls will reveal things like clock speed, compatibility, core count, overall performance, and other things like availability and price. These are the variables that I will look at to determine which of the two CPUs is better.
There was a time when the choice was quite easy for gamers since Intel was the one that had it all, emerging as the premium brand as well. Because of this, most of those that went for AMD went for affordability rather than supreme performance, even though this is not to suggest that there was a time when AMD processor was only good for the gutters. But then, they didn’t serve high-end users, and that left the market mostly to Intel even till the birth of FX series which did not change the rhetorics that much.
Then came the Ryzen 7 CPUs and the tables started turning. It kept turning with the release of Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 3. Then again came the Ryzen Threadripper and the story is now completely different. Let’s look at how Intel is able to hold its ground against the AMD Ryzen as gamers try to court either.
Clock speeds
One of the first things that a gamer has his eyes set on is the clock speed performance. In the practical world, both CPUs appear very close to each other in performance, rising over 3 GHz at their base (not on paper, of course). Intel CPUs have come a long way to be able to catch up with the AMD’s solid architecture.
AMD Ryzen Vs Intel’s Overclocking Abilities
This is where the more serious questions are being asked, and AMD processors have the better answers. They allow for overclocking across their models, although you may not get automatic overclocking on all the CPUs. The advantage that the automatic overclocking comes with is that you don’t need to do the tweaking.
With the Intel Core processors, the case is very different as you do not get to have overclocking capabilities except for processors that have the X or a K label.
Beyond just the overclocking features that both the AMD and Intel Core processors come with, the performance or potentials are different with each model that allows for overclocking. But again, AMD Ryzen is the one that holds the larger part of the stick.
Compatibility
Compatibility is also very important in the AMD Ryzen vs Intel debate because it remains useless if a CPU is good but it has a compatibility problem which is all about the motherboard socket and the chipset.
The little irony here is that you can decide to look at compatibility as regards moving forward which has to do with being compatible with recently developed motherboards or backward compatibility that supports older computers.
With AM4 sockets which are the latest sockets available, Ryzen is the one that takes the day when it comes to forward compatibility making them future proof, while Intel processors which come with the LGA1151 socket which has been around since 2015 are the ones with backward compatibility.
Core Count
As pointed out above, AMD Ryzen has greater multitasking abilities than the Intel CPU. The reason behind this is that the former has more core counts than the latter. With each core that a CPU offers, you get an additional single processing unit which makes it much easier for the computer to handle more tasks much faster and with fluidity.
See Also: What is The Optimal or Ideal CPU Temperature For Gaming?
At the topmost spot, Ryzen has 8 (16), 12 (24), and 16 (32) while Intel CPUs have 10 (20), 12 (24), 14 (28), 16 (32), and 18 (36) Core/thread count. What gives AMD the edge is that while Intel tops at 18 (36) running at 2.6 GHz, AMD’s 16 (32) runs at 3.4 GHz. With CPU/ thread counts that fall between 4/8 and 8/16 as against 4 (4) and 6 (12) that Intel mid to high range CPUs offer, AMD Ryzen clearly has it better.
However, the two are almost at a level when you go down to the CPU hierarchy to the 8th gen Core i3 as well as the Ryzen 3 CPUs. Here, they both have 4 Cores.
Value
Value is what everyone is looking for and it is not different with gamers. In that regards, AMD chipsets are the better in the AMD Ryzen vs Intel comparison because they squeeze a little superior performance.
From the low-end CPUs to the mid-range and even high-end ones, Intel processors have returned to be in the higher price range than AMD’s processors.
Conclusion
With the entire long story told, we can at least now settle that for now, it is AMD that leads the way in the AMD Ryzen vs Intel debate. Or at least for now since we are still expecting higher processors from Intel which may not only offer higher core counts but also general performance and good future proof.
But before that time comes, a gamer is not only better off with an AMD Ryzen because of the performance, but mostly because of the value you get with that. If you are all about the performance as a gamer, you can as well decide to settle for whichever of the two because the margin of difference between them is not too much to shake a gamer’s world.
