Since the debut of the Ryzen series back in 2017, AMD has been steadily climbing the ranks in the processor world—and the latest numbers from CPU-Z suggest that trend is far from over. In the first months of 2025, AMD’s market share jumped by 16.6%, while Intel saw a 10% drop compared to the same time last year.
Despite Intel still holding the lead with 56.3% of systems validated through CPU-Z, AMD is closing in, now claiming 43.7% of the market. Meanwhile, over on Steam’s hardware survey, AMD shows a slightly smaller share at 37.6%, but that number continues to climb.
One of the key trends reflected in CPU-Z’s data is the rising popularity of 8-core CPUs, with usage increasing by 32.6%, making up nearly a quarter (24.7%) of all CPUs validated in the tool. This suggests that gamers and power users are gravitating toward the sweet spot of performance and value this core count offers.
As for specific models, AMD’s Ryzen 5000 series, based on the Vermeer architecture, remains widely used among those who validate their setups. However, the current standout is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D—a chip that’s gained a reputation as the go-to choice for gamers, earning the unofficial title of “King of Games.”
AMD Continues to Dominate in Popular Sockets and Chipsets, While Nvidia Holds GPU Crown
AMD’s presence in the PC hardware space remains strong, especially when it comes to CPUs. According to recent data from CPU-Z, AMD continues to lead in popular components like the AM4 socket and B650 chipset. Since Ryzen 5000 series CPUs are still widely used, it’s no surprise that DDR4 memory dominates the memory segment, with Kingston emerging as the most commonly used RAM brand among users.
However, when it comes to graphics cards, Nvidia still reigns supreme. The GeForce RTX 3060 holds the top spot as the most popular GPU—despite seeing a 22.7% decline in popularity over the past year.
Looking at the broader GPU market, CPU-Z data highlights a slow shift. Between 2021 and 2024, Nvidia’s share dipped by nearly 8%, allowing AMD’s Radeon line to gain some ground. By the end of last year, Nvidia still led the pack with 70.8%, while AMD climbed to 28.7%—a notable increase driven by consistent improvements in its graphics lineup.
These stats are based on system validations submitted by users worldwide. Notably, Brazil stands out as one of the top contributors, with over 10,000 validations recorded between January and April 2025 alone.
