AMD’s CPU fight with Intel is getting spicy again, but the latest numbers are not a clean victory lap.
According to new Mercury Research data reported via HotHardware, AMD now controls 38.1% of total x86 CPU market revenue, up from 35.4% in the previous quarter. That is a serious chunk of the market, especially when you remember how long Intel has dominated the PC processor space.
But here’s the twist: while AMD is growing overall, it actually lost ground in desktop CPUs.
Servers are doing the heavy lifting
AMD’s strongest performance is coming from the server side, where its EPYC chips continue to make serious business sense. Mercury’s latest figures put AMD at 46.2% of server CPU revenue and 33.2% of server unit sales.
That gap tells you something important: AMD is earning more money per server chip on average compared with Intel. In other words, this is not just AMD selling more budget parts. It is winning high-value server deals too.
Those server numbers are also up by roughly 3-4% from the previous quarter, which is a big deal for cloud, enterprise, and data centre customers.
For SEA readers, this matters more than it might look at first glance. A lot of the gaming, streaming, ecommerce, AI, and cloud services we use every day run on data centres. If AMD keeps gaining in servers, it could influence infrastructure costs and performance for companies operating in Malaysia and the wider region.
Laptops are also moving AMD’s way
AMD also improved in laptops. Mercury’s data shows AMD at 28.9% of laptop CPU revenue and 28.3% of unit sales. Last quarter, it was at 24.9% revenue and 26% unit share.
That tracks with what Malaysian buyers have probably noticed already: Ryzen laptops are everywhere now, from thin productivity machines to gaming laptops on Shopee, Lazada, and local retailers.
Intel still has a massive laptop catalogue, with a huge spread of SKUs across every price tier. But AMD’s mobile chips have become a lot more competitive, especially for students, creators, and gamers who want decent battery life without giving up too much performance.
Desktop is the weird one
The only weak spot in the report is desktop CPUs. AMD’s latest desktop share is listed at 37.6% of revenue and 33.2% of unit sales. That is down from the previous quarter’s 42.5% revenue and 36.4% unit share, which were record highs for AMD.
So yes, AMD is still strong on desktop, but it has cooled off a bit.
For PC builders in Malaysia, that does not suddenly mean Ryzen is bad. Far from it. AMD has been extremely competitive for years, especially with its gaming-focused X3D chips. But market share is not decided purely by who has the best benchmark chart.
Intel still has deep relationships with OEMs, prebuilt PC makers, system integrators, and corporate buyers. That inertia matters. A lot.
Intel is still the giant
Even with AMD gaining revenue share, Intel remains the bigger player by volume. The report says Intel still holds around 70% of total CPU unit sales in the overall CPU market.
That is the part that should make PC nerds pause. AMD has had excellent CPUs across multiple segments for years, and in some areas arguably better products than Intel. Yet Intel still outsells it by more than two-to-one.
The reason is not just performance. Supply, manufacturing capacity, long-term contracts, OEM deals, and enterprise buying habits all play a role. AMD relies heavily on TSMC for manufacturing, so it cannot simply decide to flood the market overnight. Intel also has to plan capacity far ahead, even with its own fabs.
Basically, even if AMD dropped the perfect CPU tomorrow, the market would not instantly flip.
What this means for Malaysian PC buyers
For gamers and PC builders here, the practical takeaway is simple: the CPU war is still healthy. AMD is pushing hard in servers and laptops, Intel is still massive, and desktop competition remains alive even if AMD dipped this quarter.
That is good for us. More competition means better chips, better laptop options, and hopefully better pricing once local retailers adjust.
If you are building a gaming PC, do not panic-buy based on market share. Look at actual Malaysian pricing, motherboard cost, upgrade path, thermals, and what games you play. Market numbers are interesting, but your FPS per ringgit still matters most, bro.
Source: PC Gamer