Among PC builders, CPU sales have heavily favored AMD for some time now, especially thanks to the popularity of the company’s Ryzen X3D chips, which prominently feature on any list of the best CPUs for gaming. AMD has been gradually closing the gap to Intel, and when it comes to gaming, a good source of data is Steam’s monthly hardware & software survey. Intel still has the slight lead with 56.44% of the total market, but AMD has continuously made up ground this year.

We’ve also seen Linux becoming even more popular on Steam – the open-source operating system notably favors AMD hardware, though it’s worth mentioning that Windows machines still account for nearly 95% of all Steam users surveyed.

AMD vs Intel CPUs on Steam

Steam doesn’t publish statistics for the exact processors that its users have installed in their systems. However, we can see the number of cores. 6-core CPUs such as the Ryzen 5 9600X (and its predecessors) how long been the go-to for PC gamers working with a limited budget, especially since you usually want to spend a considerable amount of your budget on a great GPU.

We’re starting to see select modern games ask for more power from your CPU. One notable example is Borderlands 4, which recommends an 8-core chip in its minimum requirements. The game was met with a poor reception upon its launch on PC, especially thanks to back-and-forth conversations on social media with Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford, where he downplayed the performance issues.

It’s obvious that 6-core/12-thread CPUs aren’t going to become obsolete overnight, but there is a trend of gamers leaning more towards 8-core processors. This includes two of the most popular CPUs on the planet right now (based on recent sales), the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

High-end 16-core CPUs such as AMD’s current flagship, Ryzen 9 9950X and 9950X3D, have also been making some gains, though it’s clear that the 8-core Ryzen 7 picks are the more popular choice – they’re simply better value for gamers. For comparison, Intel’s recent flagship models all feature 24-core designs (from the current Core Ultra 9 285K back to the i9-13900K), and this spec is represented by 2.85% of Steam users.

Intel may not be favored in individual CPU sales as of late, but Team Blue’s processors remain prevalent in prebuilt PCs, so overall market share remains strong. With long-standing support for AMD’s AM4 and AM5 sockets, PC builders will feel more inclined to opt for Ryzen, as Intel’s latest LGA 1851 motherboards have seen lackluster sales.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.