PCHardCores: AMD Ryzen CPUs are selling better than ever, leaving Intel in the dust

Wednesday, 2 October 2019

AMD Ryzen CPUs are selling better than ever, leaving Intel in the dust

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AMD’s Ryzen processors, driven by 3rd Generation sales, are reaching new heights in terms of units shifted, grabbing an unprecedented market share according to one retailer, and leaving Intel struggling badly in comparison.

This is going by the latest statistics from German retailer Mindfactory (as provided on a monthly basis by Reddit user Ingebor), which show that AMD secured 81% of processor sales for September. Obviously that left Intel on 19%.

That’s an all-time high for Ryzen, and even better than Ryzen 3000’s launch month when AMD hit a 79% share (it came close to returning to those levels last month, in August, with a 78% result).

You might think 78%, 79%, 81% – it’s all much the same – and of course you’re not far wrong, but it’s still pretty telling that AMD’s share continues to creep up a few months after launch.

We’re well past the hype and early sales stage now, so could this be an indication that an even greater erosion of Intel’s market presence is underway, at least in terms of the desktop and enthusiast buyers that Mindfactory represents? Especially as AMD has new budget Ryzen 3000 processors which are reportedly about to be released…

Also, we’ve seen a few tentative signs that some of AMD’s supply issues may be easing, and at least some stock of the difficult-to-find Ryzen 9 3900X is now available – Mindfactory now has five units at the time of writing, for example.

And lastly, don’t forget, Black Friday is on the horizon, and that could mean even greater momentum for AMD sales for reasons we recently discussed…

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Of course, in the greater CPU market – which includes mobile chips for laptops, and also the army of business PCs out there – Intel still dominates. And we must be wary, as ever, of putting too much emphasis on the figures from a single retailer.

AMD’s top-selling chip remains the Ryzen 5 3600, which – for the first time – actually outsold Intel’s entire CPU range (it has come close before, but never actually quite overtaken the latter).

So, does Intel need to do something? Take serious action? You would think so, really, and the company will soon introduce the new flagship Core i9-9900KS with a much-touted 5GHz all-core Turbo, although it will be interesting to see how Intel balances a big push for performance with power requirements and heat management.

At any rate, this is the high-end of the market, and what Intel really needs to look at is the middle ground – so could we see price cuts incoming to stop the rot in terms of ceding turf to the likes of the Ryzen 5 3600?

Let’s keep our fingers crossed, because any move that makes for a more competitive CPU market is obviously a win for consumers.