AMD Closing In on Intel as Steam Hardware Survey Shows Record CPU Usage

If you thought AMD was content with playing second fiddle to Intel, think again. The latest Steam Hardware Survey results have landed, and they’re all about shaking up the CPU landscape. According to the survey, AMD has achieved a historical high with a 40.39% share of Steam users, edging ever closer to overthrowing Intel’s 59.5% share in the realm of PC gaming.

Zooming In

Since the days when Intel seemed unattainable, AMD has slowly but surely been catching up. The survey reveals that AMD’s presence on Steam jumped by 0.74% compared to the previous month, while Intel took a small dip, dropping 0.75%. This ripple in CPU share is a testament to the changing tides within the gaming community.

AMD’s resurgence can largely be attributed to the success of its Ryzen processors, which debuted in 2017. Since these processors hit the market, AMD has been climbing the ranks, offering gamers a competitive alternative to Intel’s lineup. The momentum picked up in May 2021 when AMD surpassed a 30% market share, a big leap after having fallen below 10% just a few years earlier.

While Intel still leads in terms of overall share, the trend lines show a shifting dynamic. Particularly telling is that AMD chips are most favored in the 3.7GHz and above range, a preference for high-end CPU performance. Intel’s most popular category, on the other hand, languishes in the 2.3-2.69 GHz range. This suggests that gamers are favoring AMD’s more robust and performance-driven chips over Intel’s mid-range options.

On the Linux side, interestingly enough, Intel is witnessing gains, although it’s still trailing AMD overall. It’s a reminder that while AMD makes significant inroads on the Windows platform, Linux users still favor high-performance CPUs from both chipmakers, even though Linux’s Steam usage remains modest at just under 3%.

These results reflect a bigger narrative: AMD is no longer seen as just a budget-friendly alternative but as a strong competitor offering high performance at a compelling price point. Anyone betting on Intel’s perpetual dominance might want to reconsider. As AMD continues to innovate, all signs indicate that this CPU rivalry will only get more competitive.