{"id":351699,"date":"2020-06-20T15:29:37","date_gmt":"2020-06-20T13:29:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=351699"},"modified":"2020-06-20T15:32:08","modified_gmt":"2020-06-20T13:32:08","slug":"amd-vs-intel-in-2020-cpu-pricing-comparison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/hardware\/351699-amd-vs-intel-in-2020-cpu-pricing-comparison.html","title":{"rendered":"AMD vs Intel in 2020 – CPU pricing comparison"},"content":{"rendered":"

Intel recently unveiled<\/strong><\/a> its 10th-generation Core S desktop processors – headlined by the Core i9-10900K – which it called the fastest gaming processor in the world.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, AMD’s Ryzen 3000 series has proved to be a major success for the manufacturer, with high core and thread counts across the range making for powerful multi-threaded performance.<\/p>\n

Intel is no longer as untouchable as in previous years, with AMD’s increase in hardware performance and aggressive pricing spurring its sales.<\/p>\n

A report by Mercury Research<\/strong><\/a> indicated it had grown its share of the desktop CPU market to 18% by, a notable increase of 5% year-over-year.<\/p>\n

This gain could have been more substantial had the company not encountered supply issues<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The increased competition is good news for customers, as aggressive price-setting becomes a major consideration for the manufacturers in getting a competitive edge.<\/p>\n

This is made evident by the fact that Intel was forced to cut the prices of several of its processors on various occasions in 2019 in order to remain competitive.<\/p>\n

With its Ryzen chips, AMD was able to achieve significant gains in performance over its previous products.<\/p>\n

This has improved with every new Ryzen generation, and it is now common for AMD’s chips to outperform their Intel rivals in terms of multi-core performance.<\/p>\n

Dishing out cores<\/h3>\n

One of the reasons Ryzen processors are remarkable is the sheer number of physical cores and threads they boast.<\/p>\n

While Intel’s top-of-the-line mainstream desktop Core i7 processors from 2017 had four cores and eight threads, AMD’s Ryzen 7 1800X boasted eight cores and sixteen threads.<\/p>\n

This trend continued with the 2nd-gen Ryzen 2700X against Intel’s top 8th-gen Core i7 processors.<\/p>\n

AMD then pushed even harder with its latest desktop processor range launched in July 2019. At the time, the top-end 3000 series CPU was the Ryzen 9 3900X.<\/p>\n

It came with 12 cores and 24 threads, 50% more than all of Intel’s 9th-gen Core i9 desktop processors.<\/p>\n

On the server processor front, things are also looking up for AMD.<\/p>\n

AMD’s current top-of-the-line Ryzen Threadripper 3990X processor boasts an incredible 64 cores and 128 threads, more than double that of Intel’s Xeon W-3175X.<\/p>\n

Comparing the processors<\/h3>\n

The Intel Core i9-10900K boasts an impressive 5.3GHz rated boost clock speed, which should translate into excellent gaming and overclocking performance.<\/p>\n

Although benchmarks<\/strong><\/a> have shown it is unable to match the Ryzen 9 3950X’s multi-core performance, it should be noted the i9-10900k comes at a price of $488, substantially less than the 3950X’s $749.<\/p>\n

In a value-for-money comparison, it would, therefore, be fairer to compare the 10900K with AMD’s Ryzen 9 3900X, which has a suggested retail price of $499.<\/p>\n

Using this price as the starting point, we’ve compared these two top processors, as well as a selection of AMD’s 3000 series and Intel’s 10th-gen mainstream desktop processors to see which manufacturer offers the best value-for-money CPUs.<\/p>\n

This left us with a total of five processors each from both companies, shown in the table below.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
CPU<\/th>\nCores\/Threads<\/th>\nBase\/Boost Clock<\/th>\nL 3Cache<\/th>\nTDP<\/th>\nPrice<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X<\/strong><\/td>\n12\/24<\/td>\n3.8GHz \/ 4.6GHz<\/td>\n64MB<\/td>\n105W<\/td>\n$499<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Intel Core i9-10900K<\/strong><\/td>\n10\/20<\/td>\n3.7GHz \/ 5.3GHz<\/td>\n20MB<\/td>\n125W<\/td>\n$488<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X<\/strong><\/td>\n8\/16<\/td>\n3.9GHZ \/ 4.5GHZ<\/td>\n32MB<\/td>\n105W<\/td>\n$399<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Intel Core i7-10700K<\/strong><\/td>\n8\/16<\/td>\n3.8GHz \/ 5.1GHz<\/td>\n16MB<\/td>\n125W<\/td>\n$374<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X<\/strong><\/td>\n6\/12<\/td>\n3.8GHz \/ 4.4GHz<\/td>\n32MB<\/td>\n\u00a095W<\/td>\n$249<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Intel Core i5-10600KF<\/strong><\/td>\n6\/12<\/td>\n3.1GHz \/ 4.5GHz<\/td>\n12MB<\/td>\n125W<\/td>\n$237<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AMD Ryzen 5 3600<\/strong><\/td>\n6\/12<\/td>\n3.6GHZ \/ 4.2GHz<\/td>\n32MB<\/td>\n65W<\/td>\n$199<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Intel Core i5-10500<\/strong><\/td>\n6\/12<\/td>\n4.1GHz \/ 4.8GHz<\/td>\n12MB<\/td>\n65W<\/td>\n$192<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X<\/strong><\/td>\n4\/8<\/td>\n3.8GHz \/ 4.3GHz<\/td>\n32MB<\/td>\n65W<\/td>\n$120<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Intel Core i3-10100<\/strong><\/td>\n4\/8<\/td>\n3.6GHz \/ 4.3GHz<\/td>\n12MB<\/td>\n65W<\/td>\n$122<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

Typical advantages<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

For applications that are only capable of using a single core, Intel’s processors generally perform better due to their higher clock speeds.\u00a0Due to their higher boost clock speeds, they also boast better overclocking capabilities.<\/p>\n

AMD’s higher core and thread count means it enjoys an advantage in multi-threaded applications like video editing and 3D design programs or multi-tasking.<\/p>\n

In general, these are the benefits of each manufacturer’s products:<\/p>\n

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
AMD<\/th>\nIntel<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Higher core and thread count<\/td>\nHigher clock speeds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7nm architecture<\/td>\nHigher single-threaded performance<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Larger cache<\/td>\nBetter overclocking support<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lower power consumption and cooler running temperature<\/td>\nGood memory support<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Included coolers<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

When comparing the processors based on similar prices, AMD’s big advantage – a higher core and thread count – becomes less relevant.<\/p>\n

Whereas the 9th-gen Intel processors typically sport fewer cores and threads than their similarly priced AMD rivals, most of the 10th-gen processors now feature the same number of cores and threads.<\/p>\n

The only exception is between the Ryzen 9 3900X and Core i9-10900K, where the former has two more cores and four more threads.<\/p>\n

When it comes to base clock speeds, four out of the five AMD processors boast the faster base clock speed.<\/p>\n

This is reversed when it comes to boost clock speeds, with Intel’s processors offering higher boost clock speeds for four of the five processors.<\/p>\n

At the higher-end, AMD enjoys an advantage in terms of lower thermal design power.<\/p>\n

For example, the Ryzen 9 3900X and Ryzen 9 3800X have TDPs of 105W, whereas the Core i9-10900K and Core i7-10700K are rated at 125W.<\/p>\n

Motherboard compatibility and coolers<\/h3>\n

There are several other factors which may influence the total cost of the processor, especially if you are working off a strict budget.<\/p>\n

AMD’s current processors are supported on AM4 sockets, which means motherboards capable of holding a Ryzen 1000 or 2000 series are still able to support a 3000-series processor.<\/p>\n

This means that an upgrade from one generation of a Ryzen CPU to the next would not require you to upgrade your motherboard.<\/p>\n

This is set to change for AMD’s upcoming Ryzen 4000 series, however.<\/p>\n

\n

Now read: AMD reveals Radeon Pro VII graphics card<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The fight in the consumer CPU market is heating up, which means desktop PC builders may find it more difficult to choose between an Intel or AMD processor in 2020.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":341042,"featured_media":289568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[577,64637,35,131,62450],"class_list":["post-351699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hardware","tag-amd","tag-amd-ryzen-3000","tag-headline","tag-intel","tag-intel-10th-gen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351699"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/341042"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=351699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351699\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/289568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=351699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=351699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}