Retailer Reports AMD Ryzen 3000 Zen 2 CPUs Continue To Dominate Intel In DIY Sales
For the second month in a row, sales of AMD's third-generation Ryzen processors are outpacing Intel's chips at one of the biggest computer hardware retailers in Germany. The freshly updated data bodes well for AMD's latest desktop CPUs, and if expanding the breakdown to include previous generation Zen processors, AMD holds a commanding lead over Intel at this particular retailer.
The reason this kind of data matters is because AMD has fought hard to regain relevance in the higher-end desktop space. Do-it-yourself (DIY) system builders now have a wider field of processors to choose from, as both AMD and Intel have viable options spanning budget builds all the way up to high-end desktop (HEDT) solutions.
So, how are things looking for AMD? Let's start with an overview of all CPUs sold over the past year (from July 2018 to August 2019)...
At Mindfactory.de, a retailer that says its notches 3.5 million visitors per month and ships 22,000 orders every week, 79 percent of processor sales over the past year have been AMD chips, and 22 percent have been Intel. Those figures add up to 101 percent, so obviously Mindfactory is rounding the numbers. Still, the general takeaway is that around 8 out of 10 processors sold are AMD chips.
Obviously we can't extrapolate the data from a single retailer in Germany and come to a global conclusion. However, it's notable that the split is so wide between AMD and Intel at Mindfactory, given the volume of processors it sells.
When zoning our focus to the month of August, we see AMD's Ryzen 3000 processors based on its Zen 2 architecture ("Matisse") leading the way. Over half of the AMD chips sold are third-generation Ryzen processors, and they account for 41 percent of all CPUs sold in August among both AMD and Intel.
Meanwhile, Coffee Lake Refresh represents Intel's best-selling CPUs—they accounted for 71 percent of all Intel chips sold in August, though just 15 percent overall when factoring in AMD's processor families.
Now here's where things get particularly interesting. In terms of the revenue split, AMD is way ahead of Intel for the second month in a row. Have a look...
If we go back a full year, Intel processors accounted for 56 percent of Mindfactory's CPU revenue, while AMD chips accounted for 44 percent. The revenue split would go on to favor AMD, though for the most part, it was pretty close, until July.
In July, AMD skyrocketed past Intel in revenue, with 75 percent of the CPU dollars spent at Mindfactory being on AMD CPUs. That dropped a bit in August, but AMD is still way out in front at 72 percent, versus Intel's 28 percent,
It's suggested that part of the reason for the small drop (from 75 percent to 72 percent) is due to the shortage of the Ryzen 9 3900X processor. That's currently AMD's most expensive 'mainstream' desktop processor in the Ryzen 3000 family, at least until the Ryzen 9 3950X arrives.
Unfortunately, vendors like Amazon and Newegg do not share this same kind of data, so we have to be careful not to read too much into all this. Nevertheless, it's at least interesting to see the numbers from a major PC hardware retailer. Hopefully this lights a fire under Intel's backside to spend less time bellyaching about benchmark selections, and more time getting newer and faster processors our the door, at competitive price points.
