AMD, an acronym for Advanced Micro Devices, is a multinational corporation founded in California in 1969.
Known for the production of semiconductors, motherboard chipsets, and graphics cards, it is together with Intel one of the largest manufacturers of computer CPUs.
Over the years, AMD has gone from a budget alternative to a market giant in the processor industry, largely thanks to:
- to Ryzen model
s; - to Radeon GPUs ;
- to the partnership with Sony and Microsoft for the next generation consoles.
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| Things you need to know before purchasing AMD or Advanced Micro Devices |
As I mentioned in the introduction, AMD is now an established reality in various IT sectors.
Wanting to leave out its past history, since 2017 it has introduced the new series of computer CPUs.
Far from being a mere update, the Ryzen was a change of pace and at the same time a marked improvement on the previous series.
Compared to budget APUs and disappointing AMD FX, with Ryzen CPUs it was possible to undermine Intel's position in the consumer and server sector.
To do this, AMD has focused on:
- a new architecture with production processes that, in the latest versions, reach 7 nm;
- a greater number of cores and threads so as to improve performance even in multitasking;
- a very high quality/price ratio, unmatched by rivals.
Take for example AMD Ryzen 5 3600, the symbol of this rebirth. It is an extremely powerful CPU and suitable for all uses of a mid-range PC: navigation, streaming, gaming, productivity, and editing.
In addition to this, the other fundamental sector is that of graphics cards, where the Radeon RX series is perhaps not at the level of Nvidia but represents an excellent alternative in terms of cost and performance.
In fact, since 2006, when it bought ATI Radeon, AMD has also entered the world of GPUs with a path that recalls that of its processors.
From the medium solutions of the past, it has come to the new dedicated RXs and Radeon Vega used on laptops and gaming consoles.
A remarkable evolution.
AMD vs Intel
One of the defining aspects of AMD is the rivalry with Intel, especially when it comes to computer processors.
In considering the impact of the Ryzen, it is often forgotten that the US company has not always been behind its rival.
For example, in 2005 AMD introduced the Athlon 64 X2, the first widely used dual-core processor in the consumer market.
To date, some models have come to have 10/12 cores, with 20/24 threads, in order to make the execution of many operations at the same time more fluid.
Although Intel remains unattainable - for how long? - in single-core performance and gaming, AMD has caught up and the Ryzen is practically the best alternative available today to Intel Core.
To know the differences between the two types of CPU, you can take a look at the article I dedicated to the topic!
Conclusions
AMD has made many strides, both in the CPU and GPU sectors.
For this reason, it has become one of the go-to subjects when it comes to x86 architecture microprocessors, and it's no wonder you can find Ryzen models pretty much everywhere.
