author: Ramzes
AMD or Intel – Tough Choice in 2020
In May this year, Intel introduced the 10th generation Comet Lake-S processors to compete with AMD Ryzen 3000 series, and today, we'll look at the consumer battle in mid-2020.
Table of Contents
- AMD or Intel – Tough Choice in 2020
- Intel better for gaming
- AMD better at apps
- What gaming processor to chose in 2020
What gaming processor to chose in 2020
And so, we come to a conclusion that shows us the extremes of the arguments presented in this text. It's our current needs that should determine the best possible choice of a given component, not the potential performance of the component (especially estimated in a few years). When you buy a processor, there's a many variables to consider. From performance in games on a given platform (if you're a gamer at all) to performance in professional applications (if you use them at all).
Most of us don't need the most powerful CPU either in games nor in multi-threaded applications. When choosing a processor, we should be guided by cost-effectiveness and performance in a application that fits our needs, taking into account only the most realistic scenarios. If you own an RTX 2060 then there's no point pairing it with Core i9 10900K, even if this CPU achieves awesome results in tandem with an overclocked RTX 2080 Ti – it's a simple waste of money. In this case, the GPU will will actually curb the CPU. The same, of course, is true for AMD Ryzen. If you know you're not going to use professional apps or stream gameplay to the web, there's absolutely no point looking at 12, let alone 16-core processors.
The most viable way is to chose good, mid-range processors costing between $300-400. The bottom line is that both Intel and AMD offer some excellent processors in all price ranges. If I was to judge, I'd say the Red camp currently has the edge, with the successful Ryzen 5 3600, even considering Intel's latest exploits in the 10th generation. The Ryzen 5 3600 is a versatile and virtually flawless processor. It provides very good single-thread performance in games as well as multi-thread performance in applications, requires little juice and is relatively inexpensive.
What could Intel do to better that? Well, there are a few avenues worth exploring. Firstly, it must allow memory overclocking and XMP profiles to be used in motherboards with H and B chipsets – without this, even considering that the Intel Core i5 10400F is similarly priced ($160), the new i5 is outclassed by AMD for the insufficient operating memory bandwidth (the only solution to bypass this is to buy a very expensive Z490-chipset motherboard, which wrecks the viability). If we pair the budget Core i5 10400F with fast enough memory, we get a processor that not only costs the same as Ryzen 5 3600, but also tramples on its heels for professional applications, as well as – most importantly for many buyers – offering higher performance in computer games. Dear Intel! Wake up! You've on the level in terms of price and configuration of cores – now it's time sort out the chipsets.