While building your PC, it is natural to wonder which graphics card will be compatible with your CPU choice.
Intel and AMD are two completely different brands and seemingly are rival brands in the microprocessor market. So, a question often arises: “Is AMD compatible with Intel?”
Yes, AMD graphics cards are compatible with Intel CPUs. There should be no issues running an AMD GPU on an Intel processor as long as the motherboard has a PCIe slot.
Let’s get to know the compatibility between AMD and Intel.
Is AMD Compatible With Intel?
AMD is an Advanced Micro Devices that has its Intel-compatible processors. AMD and Intel both have a five-year cross-license agreement. Since then, there have been no restrictions between AMD graphics cards and Intel CPUs.
CPU is the Central Processing Unit of the computer. It is the leading electrical component of the computer that carries out all the programs. On the other hand, the GPU is the computer’s Graphics Processing Unit. It converts and reconstructs the images to showcase them on the monitor.
AMD and Intel brands have interchangeable CPU and GPU available that are compatible with each other. You can use an AMD GPU without any issues, along with an Intel CPU. For instance, AMD Radeon graphics cards work the best with Intel Core i9 CPU.
What Matters While Installing a GPU?
To be honest, the brand of the CPU does not matter when you are about to install a Graphics card on your PC.
The most important thing to consider in this case would be whether or not you have the correct slots for the GPU installation. The right power cables also matter for installing a GPU.
1. A x16 PCIe Slot With 16 Lanes
A graphics card has A x16 connector. Therefore, it can only fit in an x16 slot in the motherboard. The x16 slot is the biggest slot in the motherboard. Usually, the first 16 slots on top of the motherboard are the PCIe slots, which feature full 16 lanes.
A slot with a higher number of PCIe lanes can carry more data. Moreover, a higher level of expansion card also needs a higher number of PCIe lanes. The graphics card has the highest expansion card on the motherboard. So, it requires all 16 lanes for the x16 slot.
There are also x16 slots in the motherboard, which do not feature the full 16 lanes. But you should avoid these while installing the GPU and insert the graphics card in the x16 slot with the full 16 lanes.
Some AMD works in x8 or x4 slots, but their efficiency is reduced.
2. Proper PCIe Power Cables
Another important thing to consider while installing a GPU is having sufficient power cables for it—the higher the quality of the graphics card, the more power cables it needs.
AMD Graphics cards might need 1×6 or 3×8 pin PCIe power cables for working. Different types of GPU will need different kinds of power cables as well.
Can You Use AMD GPU With Intel CPU?
As we can see from above, if you have the correct PCIe lanes and slots and the correct power cables, it doesn’t matter which graphics card you are using with your CPU.
With a PCIe x16 slot featuring 16 lanes, any graphics card can work on your Intel processor. Thus, the AMD GPU will work flawlessly with the Intel CPU.
When Will AMD and Intel Not Work?
AMD GPU is pretty much compatible with Intel CPU for almost all cases. The only time it might create an incompatibility issue is when there is a huge generation gap between the two of them.
For example, if you have an old Intel CPU version and try inserting the latest-generation AMD graphics card in it, it might not have the compatible components installed to make it work.
Another thing to remember is that you can not use an AMD processor on an Intel motherboard because of the different chipsets. Each of the brands has their own variety of chipsets that do not match.
Therefore, the brand incompatibility is between the motherboard and the CPU, not the GPU and the CPU.
Is AMD As Good As Intel
At this point, you might wonder if using an AMD GPU with AMD CPU is better than using AMD with Intel. It really doesn’t make a difference if your GPU is AMD or Intel
The same brand of CPU and GPU has only a small amount of advantage. It is negligible in most cases. It doesn’t work better than two different brands of CPU and GPU.
AMD claims that their same brand pairing can improve the performance by 15%. But it has yet to be proven. It can only give you some benefits in the gaming criteria. Otherwise, Intel is as good as AMD.
Final Words
We can clearly say to the answer of “Is AMD Compatible With Intel?” that yes, they are compatible. AMD would not build much of a business if they restrained their GPUs from working on Intel Core processors. Likewise, Intel would miss out on a quality GPU source without letting AMD run within it.
So, no need to worry when choosing an AMD graphics card for your Intel PC. They will work seamlessly together.