Anyone thinking of switching companies?

[Dravenspur]

I thought I’d take a quick poll along with my post. Is anyone thinking of switching companies with a new build this generation (AMD to Intel or Intel to AMD)?

I made a post on the AMD forum that I was looking to get the R7 7700x. However, after doing some more research on Intel’s new Raptor Lake CPUs, I’m reading and watching some good things about them. It looks like Intel might be making some good gains vs the 12th gen chips and AMD.

Since I need a third party cooler for both companies now (R7 7700x and the i7 13th gen K and KF) and I would need a new motherboard for either one (new chipset for AMD means a new board or a new board entirely for Intel since I’m running AMD), and with the prices of new AMD X series boards higher than I thought they would be, I will wait for the next couple of weeks for some reviews of the new Intel chips before making my decision.

I’d like to hear from others on what their decision might be. Anyone thinking of switching from one company to the other this gen? Your responses are appreciated.

 

[EarthDog]

I go where the performance goes.

 

[mackerel]

Systems I use are build with a purpose in mind. I've downsized a lot so it arguably becomes more important how I go forwards what I actually have. Right now I have 11700k and 7920X desktop systems. The first was built as "a great gaming platform for 2+ years" which was built early 2021, and there are certainly faster gaming CPUs now but not quite time to replace it yet. A secondary factor is I do like my AVX performance, which has historically been a major AMD weak point. That has gone into role reversal with Zen 4 as AMD now offer AVX-512 but Intel does not, at least, not in current desktop offerings. A hypothetical 7800X3D would be my ideal gaming and general purpose CPU and I'm willing to wait 6 months for it. Later than that, Meteor lake starts to get interesting and I can wait longer to see what happens. Intel 12th gen is generally solid but their loss of AVX-512 was a major negative. I don't see a change in 13th gen, unless rumours of a HEDT release come true sooner than later which would largely fix all my problems apart from cost. Negative to Zen 4 is their continuing CCD limitations, meaning I can't seriously consider any AMD CPU over 8 cores. Intel also has a minor negative of requiring Win11, but I've got it on one system to test and it isn't a total train wreck now.

tldr: Currently Intel. Zen 4 more interesting than 12/13th gen, but affordable Intel HEDT would trump Zen 4 big time.

 

[EarthDog]

but affordable Intel HEDT would trump Zen 4 big time.

Wouldn't affordable Zen4-based HEDT do the same?

Is HEDT still a thing, LOL. Intel has been asleep at the wheel on it (last HEDT gen was what, comet lake-based?). Where's Sapphire Lake? Is AMD going to come out with new Z4-based HEDT things soon?

 

[DaveB]

Very happy with Intel 12th gen, especially because I could keep using my DDR4 with little to no real-world performance penalty. That made it a real cheap upgrade, under $450 for my i7-12700F/Asus H610 combo. Intel 13th gen also allows DDR4, plus my Asus mobo is already updated for 13th gen CPUs so no mobo or memory required, just get a new CPU. While Zen4/AM5, on the other hand, requires CPU, Mobo and DDR5. Plus AMD always has the usual AGESA/BIOS update insanity for each new generation. I went through that for nearly 3 years with Zen, Zen+ and Zen2 but had enough and passed on Zen3. I'll stick with Intel through the 13th gen and then when DDR5 becomes mandatory evaluate whether to go back to AMD or stay with Intel.

 

[mackerel]

Wouldn't affordable Zen4-based HEDT do the same?

Is HEDT still a thing, LOL. Intel has been asleep at the wheel on it (last HEDT gen was what, comet lake-based?). Where's Sapphire Lake? Is AMD going to come out with new Z4-based HEDT things soon?

While AMD might not have explicitly said it, Threadripper is dead. I have no interest in Threadripper Pro. AMD's design choices are not the right balance for me. I don't need insane core counts. Give me full fat AVX-512 and as much memory bandwidth as you can from a monolithic core die, so no fragmented cache pains. X299 was decent in that area, and the last Intel HEDT was Cascade Lake.

There are some hints Intel have a "client" product that is not consumer tier. Best guess is a return to HEDT with a Sapphire Rapids derived product. I do not have high hopes it is a return to X299 like platform, but hope isn't dead. More likely it'll be a higher end workstation platform and priced out of my budget. I can't see it being cheaper than high end consumer tier, and already I'm looking at X/Z chipset boards and thinking I don't want to pay that much for one.

 

[Dravenspur]

Very happy with Intel 12th gen, especially because I could keep using my DDR4 with little to no real-world performance penalty. That made it a real cheap upgrade, under $450 for my i7-12700F/Asus H610 combo. Intel 13th gen also allows DDR4, plus my Asus mobo is already updated for 13th gen CPUs so no mobo or memory required, just get a new CPU. While Zen4/AM5, on the other hand, requires CPU, Mobo and DDR5. Plus AMD always has the usual AGESA/BIOS update insanity for each new generation. I went through that for nearly 3 years with Zen, Zen+ and Zen2 but had enough and passed on Zen3. I'll stick with Intel through the 13th gen and then when DDR5 becomes mandatory evaluate whether to go back to AMD or stay with Intel.

Yeah, I saw the video from Hardware Canucks that we wouldn’t need to get the newest boards that are coming out for 13th gen. We can use Z690 instead of Z790 as long as the manufacturer gave a BIOS update, I believe. That’s a plus.

 

[Automata]

I guess I fall under "waiting for reviews to decide". I'll use whoever has the better product or the best deal; I'm not a fanboy.

When I built my current system, I was going to go with Ryzen, but @EarthDog tempted me with an 18 core intel and board for an amazing price, which I couldn't pass up.

 

[ihrsetrdr]

Anyone thinking of switching companies?

Maybe next build, I started out as an AMD guy, but primarily been going with Intel.

 

[ssjwizard]

I use Intel, AMD, nVidia, and various other devices for whatever I need them for. I am a bit of an AMD fanboy on the CPU side, and their desktop platform I enjoy. However currently in the mobile space Intel CPUs tend to both be better performance/watt and availability. In the GPU space nVidia can basically just take my money. Now that being said I would happily buy a high end AMD based mobile workstation but I am also not going to go out of my way to find one.

 

[BugFreak]

I chose sticking with my current Intel. I'm too old and lazy to learn something new and had too many bad driver/software issues with AMD in the past.

 

[Nebulous]

I go where the performance goes.

I concur!

 

[EarthDog]

In short (to add to what I mentioned earlier), I think of switching companies all the time. I have no loyalty to a specific company. That concept, within this framework, is not something I get behind at all. Whatever the right part at the right price for my needs, gets MAI MONEH! Being loyal to one or the other can often be a disservice to yourself in the end.

 

[TerranBrackiatt]

oh gosh... i'm really disappointed with both CPU companies about HEDT. i've always preferred more PCIE lanes. always hated the general limit of 24 or lower lanes on consumer grade CPUs. i was really disappointed when Zen2 3950x was a consumer grade CPU rather than HEDT, like how the 2950x was HEDT with more PCIe lanes. i wanted the 88 lanes of PCIe controlled by the CPU. personal taste, won't get into it, won't debate it, won't explain it.

as to the main topic: most of my CPUs were AMD, but like the others, i won't put the brand name at the top of requirements. Gaming performance is higher, with CPU related performance a consideration for the random encoding. Also, a few of my main games benfit greatly from higher core / thread count, and i've found the higher core count lasts me longer before i break down and pull the trigger on new gear..

my CPU history inlcudes mainly AMD socket A single core, AMD socket 939 64bit single core, AMD phenom ii x4, intel i7 4930k (ivy bridge exteme hexcore, HEDT), AMD 5900x

i will freely admit that my purchase of the Phenom ii x4 , i was disappointed after seeing the sandy bridge reviews. i was also working so much overtime at the time that i just didn't care...hence the ivy bridge extreme next...

 

[ShrimpBrime]

Did AMD up till 2017. Went Intel 8700K and no reason to go back to AMD.

Since new cards are so costly, I'll be budget minded for the foreseeable future concerning processors.

AMD or Intel.... seems it hardly matters any more.

If I can't get a 1200$ video card, a 150$ cpu with my aging GTX 980 does fine. Since I don't really game, this matters none for me.

I'd like to say my 12400F is a very nice processor for the money though.

 

[heavy666]

I started on Intel and switched to AMD on K6-2, briefly used intel 2500k, and never switched back.

 

[Sologuy]

AM5 for me now - all rigs in the house soon to be converted with only a 3rd one to do now, after a stint with a Rocket Lake rig & before that it was AM4 with Zen+.
Comforting thought support for AM5 to 2026!

 

[T1Cybernetic]

I started on intel and switched to AMD.

AMD has always been my favourite I've had a couple of intel rigs setup over the years but I think I'm a little biased and just want AMD to win the CPU game every time

 

[freeagent]

I started with Intel, but have been back and forth maybe half a dozen times. I am not sure who I will go with next round..

 

[Woomack]

I always liked AMD more because of much better prices, but Intel-based products were always more reliable and had much better support. Until the second Ryzen generation, most manufacturers were ignoring AMD (worse product quality, fewer BIOS updates and some more). I'm not on any side, but depending on my needs I pick one or another. In the last years it's AMD for 24/7, gaming PC because of lower heat and cooling requirements and AMD+Intel rigs for tests. AMD still has a bit worse support and their prices are not better than Intel anymore.