AMD vs. Intel CPUs: Which is the better buy in 2026?

You'll need to take your budget, workload and upgrade preferences into account to decide which is right for you.

By Ali Salman Zia Nov. 14, 2026 8:15 am EST Tester128/Shutterstock Add Engadget on Google: Google Discover

If you ask PC gamers which company makes better processors, most of them will point to AMD. Its X3D chips have become the default option for gaming rigs, but the shipment numbers make the story more complicated. 

According to Mercury Research, AMD's share of desktop CPU shipments reached 34.9 percent in the second quarter of 2026, which means Intel still accounted for roughly two out of every three desktop processors shipped during this duration. In the laptop race, the difference is even greater, with Intel shipping significantly more than AMD.