Fighting is coming soon! Ryzen 2 vs Core 9th Who is the winner?

The "News Tea Fan" promoted by Xiao Bian in the morning has sparked a lot of discussion among small partners. The community is highly enthusiastic about the second-generation Ryzen processor. Xiao Bian took some time to think. Two weeks ago, Intel had just started leaking information about the 9th generation Core processors. It's clear that the processor battle between Intel and AMD has only just begun!

Technology isn't about strength or weakness — it's about the right choice

This year’s Ryzen launch finally brought AMD back to the same starting line. The new processor technology has proven that AMD now has the power to compete with Intel for years to come. And it's not just talk — Ryzen 2 is set to arrive in early 2018. Multi-core, multi-threading has become AMD’s secret weapon, combined with the highly efficient Zen (Zen+) architecture, which has won over users.

Meanwhile, better manufacturing processes give AMD more flexibility, so it's no surprise that Ryzen 2 will make a strong impression after nearly a year.

However, small partners shouldn’t overlook Intel’s technical capabilities. Upgrading core and thread counts isn’t a big challenge for Intel, and the company has plenty of technological reserves. The Core microarchitecture helped Intel dominate the market for the past decade, and there's no doubt about its success. In terms of process technology, Intel’s 14nm is still superior to others at 10nm. Intel remains confident, even though it calls it a “delay,” the 10nm process is already on the way.

Technically speaking, both Intel and AMD have made their share of mistakes. Intel had two major missteps: choosing Rambus memory and going with the NetBurst architecture, which was a fatal decision. On the AMD side, the initial release of the Bulldozer architecture didn’t perform well, and it wasn’t until this year that the company started to see real progress. Fusion technology, introduced when AMD acquired ATI, was a bold move, but various factors have prevented it from being fully realized yet.

It's safe to say that these technical missteps gave the other side valuable time to catch up. The good news is that this time, both companies are on relatively equal footing, and 2018 is shaping up to be an exciting year for both Intel and AMD.

Market size is hard to break through

In 2017, AMD’s Ryzen caught Intel off guard. The 8th generation Core seemed more like a market move than a true next-gen product. Both companies will focus on cores and threads in 2018. Despite AMD’s rapid progress, Intel still holds a strong advantage in the overall PC market. AMD’s 31% CPU market share in July this year is impressive, but Intel’s long-standing relationships with manufacturers and better integration strategies still give it a significant edge. Catching up will take time.

AMD struggles to find an advantage in the notebook market

Xiao Bian separated the notebook market because Intel’s dominance there is almost absolute. AMD is smart — instead of targeting the high-end, it focused on the most important segment: 15W mobile designs. By launching Ryzen APU in mobile devices, AMD showed better power efficiency and integrated design, giving it a solid foothold. However, in Xiao Bian’s view, breaking into the notebook market and capturing even 20% of the share will be very difficult. Intel’s control over this sector is too strong.

Money talks — and so does collaboration

After all this, do you think AMD and Intel are truly rivals? Unfortunately, not long ago, we saw news that many might still remember: Intel and AMD collaborating on CPU + GPU products, “Intel Plus AMD Equals?” This NUC gives the answer. Business is business, and users just want better products. Demand drives the market, and planning a product that meets user needs is key. AMD’s graphics core plus Intel’s processor could bring new developments in thin and light, mini-products, offering more choices. You know, AMD has benefited from custom solutions in the past few years, such as in PS4 and Xbox One X. Intel has also developed fusion designs (EMIB) to integrate different chips in one product. Why not sell GPUs and CPUs together?

In short, the overall sluggishness of the PC market isn’t directly tied to demand. Mobile phones have replaced many tasks once done on computers. If the trend continues, the decline of PCs seems inevitable. But this year, AMD and Intel have brought the PC back into the spotlight. 2018 is sure to be more exciting, with the "Core 9 vs Ryzen 2" showdown — Xiao Bian can't wait!