What is AMD CPU? Advantages and disadvantages of AMD CPU

AMD has been an underdog in the semiconductor industry for years. Starting out as a chipmaker licensed to giants like Intel, it wasn't a big name in the space for a while. The company eventually started designing its own chips, but its first big breakthrough came when it introduced the first 64-bit desktop chip in 2003, beating Intel to market.

AMD is currently the second largest supplier in the market and Intel's most formidable rival in the x86 microprocessor market. AMD's products include microprocessors, motherboard chipsets, embedded processors, and graphics processors for servers, workstations, and personal computers, etc. AMD processors have their own advantages and disadvantages, which are different from Intel's.

What is AMD CPU?

An AMD CPU is a computer processor designed or manufactured by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), an American semiconductor equipment and technology company. AMD primarily produces central processing units (CPUs) to compete with products from rival Intel. AMD processors can be used with the same software as Intel processors, but do not use the same motherboards. AMD's new generation of processors also aims to combine the CPU and graphics processor into a single chip.

The Intel 8086 was a CPU used in the original IBM PC. The set of instructions that software programs passed to the 8086 CPU became a standard for the PC industry and is supported by virtually all computer operating systems and CPUs found in PCs. This means that an AMD processor can be used with the same software as an Intel processor, as both are designed to be compatible with the x86 instruction set.

While all x86 CPUs must support the same basic instruction set, the physical design of the processor and the layout of its millions of transistors, known as the microarchitecture, can vary. AMD processors were once simply copies of Intel's microarchitecture, but since 1996 the company has been using its own designs. With these new designs, new physical sockets are used to transfer data between the computer's motherboard and the CPU. The socket on the motherboard must match the socket on the CPU, so one company's processor cannot be used as a substitute for another company's CPU.

The competition between AMD and Intel is fierce, and each has its own dedicated fan base. In late 1999, the AMD Athlon processor hit the market, and to the surprise of many, it outperformed all of Intel's products at a lower price. Since then, the two companies have been locked in a battle for market share, lawsuits, and constant advertising of their highest-performance chips, but in general, AMD processors are often available at lower prices than comparable Intel chips.

In the mid-2000s, AMD made some major changes to its business model to stay competitive. The company cut back on all of its manufacturing operations, choosing instead to focus on chip design. In 2008, AMD purchased ATI, a company that specialized in making graphics processing units (GPUs) for gaming and 3D graphics. After the acquisition, AMD announced its intention to produce chips that combined the CPU and GPU into a single unit, which AMD called an Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) .

TipsMake.com has a detailed comparison of CPUs from these two brands. Interested readers can refer to: Which CPU brand should you choose: Intel or AMD? for more details.

Advantages of AMD CPUs

Cheaper

For users on a budget, AMD is a good CPU. It is quite cheap when compared to Intel. Therefore, it is one of the best choices for gamers. AMD can detect malware

AMD processors have a feature called Enhanced Virus Protection (EVP) that can detect viruses and malware. This feature checks for virus-containing content in running programs.

Can handle 64-bit applications properly

With the advancement of technology, application development is also taking place at a rapid pace, leading to the emergence of a lot of 64-bit based content. Therefore, AMD manufacturers make their processors more optimized to handle 64-bit based applications.

Disadvantages of AMD CPUs

Less popular than competitors

In terms of the number of users in the world, AMD is far behind Intel. The AMD brand is not very familiar to ordinary people. This is why AMD CPUs are often cheaper than Intel's, although the quality is not inferior.

Cooling fan noise

AMD processors tend to release heat, as they do not use a heatsink as their primary cooling component. AMD still uses fans for cooling, which makes unpleasant noise when in use.

Not suitable for handling multimedia content

Users who are frequently involved in the world of multimedia are not recommended to use AMD processors. Intel is much preferred in this regard as it is designed to handle multimedia related issues.

The Future of AMD Processors

AMD seems to be all set when it comes to its processor strategy. It has a more streamlined product line than Intel, as seen in this AMD CPU guide, and it's quickly becoming the preferred CPU brand for more and more people. The company doesn't plan on slowing down either. We'll likely see it move to smaller and smaller manufacturing processes in the coming years as Intel tries to catch up.

AMD also recently acquired Xilinx, a big name in the networking and FPGA business. That's a potential goldmine in terms of diversification. AMD has had a history of turnarounds, doing well for a few years and then falling off. However, AMD has never bounced back so well and if it continues to do what it has done in recent years, there's nothing stopping it from gaining valuable market share. For consumers, that can only be a good thing, as Intel is also more competitive than ever. More competition means better products and lower prices for everyone.

Micah Soto

Update 12 July 2025