AMD Criticizes Intel’s Arrow Lake-S CPUs as “Horrible”, Attributes Surge in Ryzen X3D Demand to Slow Competition

AMD has recently reported a surge in demand for its CPUs, attributing this success largely to the underwhelming performance of Intel’s latest offerings. The company has explicitly stated that its Arrow Lake processors have not met expectations, with AMD’s Chief Architect of Gaming Solutions, Frank Azor, referring to them as “horrible.”

AMD’s Confidence Grows Amidst Intel’s Struggles

By targeting Intel directly, AMD is clearly confident in its market position. Frank Azor explained that the impressive performance of AMD’s Zen 5 X3D processors is primarily due to Intel’s disappointing launch of the Arrow Lake-S series. He remarked:

We knew we built a great part. We didn’t know the competitor [Intel] had built a horrible one. So the demand has been a little higher than we forecasted.

– AMD’s Frank Azor

Initial reviews of Intel’s Arrow Lake-S CPUs indicated that their performance failed to align with the claims made during marketing. Despite Intel’s efforts to address these issues through “Field Updates”and a specialized microcode (0x114), preliminary assessments suggest that these interventions might have exacerbated performance problems, jeopardizing the entire lineup’s viability.

AMD Officially Reveals Ryzen 7 9800X3D: 8 Cores/16 Threads, 104MB Cache; Set To Release On 7th November At $479

Anticipating Future Growth with Increased Manufacturing Capacity

AMD remains optimistic about its dominance in the CPU market. According to David McAfee, AMD’s Corporate VP and General Manager, the production of the highly sought-after X3D CPUs is being ramped up. He forecasts a significant improvement in supply by the first half of 2025, which aims to address current order backlogs. This heightened demand can be attributed to exceptional consumer interest aided by Intel’s recent performance missteps.

We have been ramping our manufacturing capacity, or the monthly, quarterly output of X3D parts, period, and that’s 7000 [series] as well as 9000X3D. It’s crazy how much we have increased over what we were planning. I would say the demand we’ve seen for the 9800X3D and the 7800X3D has been unprecedented. So the demand has been higher than ever.

– AMD’s David McAfee via Tom’s Hardware

Outlook: A Shifting Landscape in the CPU Market

At this juncture, AMD appears to be seizing control of a market that has traditionally been dominated by Intel, which is currently grappling with performance issues in its Arrow Lake-S series. If this trend continues unchecked, it is likely that AMD’s market share will expand further, leaving Intel to contend with the fallout of its latest generation of CPUs, reminiscent of the struggles faced during the “Raptor Lake Refresh”cycles.

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