Among the “computer people” of several generations, a debate has been going on for many years on the topic of which hardware should be chosen when buying a PC. In this article, we will try to answer one of the most important questions in this protracted discussion - which is better: Intel or AMD? To do this, let's conduct a small analysis of the market leaders in processors and motherboards, from which we will try to conclude which of these two companies is still worthy to own the palm today.
Since it will be practically impossible to determine the best processor of all time, let's look at the confrontation between the two giants of this industry by the example of the choice of components for a computer that is destined to last at least five years. At the same time, some of the not very important aspects will have to be ignored. But this will help to concentrate on the main question - which is better: Intel or AMD when choosing a computer that can please with its reliability and good performance is quite a long time by today's standards? Therefore, as the main criteria for choosing "iron", let's consider such parameters as reliability, the possibility of improvement and profitability.
After a little analysis of the motherboards on the market over the past few years, we can conclude that this part of approximately the same class from the manufacturers we are considering will cost almost the same. Therefore, let's try to determine the leader in our race, based on the analysis of the "heart" of any computer - its processor. In this case, let us assign the price / quality ratio as the main selection criterion. Having studied the history of the IT market over the past decades, we can say with confidence that no one has done any better processors than Intel or AMD during this time. Moreover, since the release of its first “stone” in 1996, AMD almost every year produced the best components taking into account the price / quality ratio, giving way to the top for only a couple of years - in 2007 and 2008, Intel Core processors became market leaders. Thus, it would be more economical to acquire an AMD processor, which will cost less, but at the same time will not be inferior in quality to its direct competitors from Intel.
In terms of reliability, it is difficult to single out one of the leaders of our confrontation. Equal in quality components will last quite a long time, regardless of which of the companies in question produced them. However, if you think about the fact that over time the user wants to upgrade his PC a little, it is more profitable to purchase hardware from AMD, since the platforms of this company are much easier and more profitable to upgrade. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Intel experts believe that it is more profitable to completely update the computer every three to four years (in essence, this means buying a new system unit) than changing components in an existing “system unit”.
Having studied several generations of processors, we can conclude that the average “life” of the processor socket in AMD products is more than three years, while the “Intel” processor sockets on average last no more than one and a half years. Therefore, when choosing components for a computer that is destined to last at least five years, the question of which is better - Intel or AMD, looking at such statistics, should not arise at all.
A completely different situation arises if, when choosing components, one does not aim at the PC for more than two years and does not limit the purchase budget. In this case, Intel can beat its competitor due to performance without regard to the cost and reliability of hardware. In other words, the best processor "for games" can have the Intel logo on its box, but only if you do not try to save money and do not hope that this computer will serve you faithfully in five to seven years.