AMD Central Processing Units (CPUs) are currently more popular than they've ever been in the past 17 years, according to the latest Steam Hardware Survey.

AMD Central Processing Units (CPUs) are currently more popular than they've ever been in the past 17 years, according to the latest Steam Hardware Survey.

In the world of PC gaming, Linux usage on Steam remains relatively low at just 2.89%, but it's on the rise. However, the real story lies in the shifting sands of the CPU market.

Over the past decade, AMD has been making a significant comeback in the Steam gaming market. After a humble start in 2008 with a 38% share, AMD's CPU adoption has steadily increased, reaching a historic high of about 40.39% in mid-2025. This resurgence has come at the expense of Intel, whose share has declined but still leads with around 59.5%.

The turning point for AMD came in 2017 with the release of its Ryzen architecture. Since then, AMD's share on Steam CPUs has been on a steady climb. By March 2018, AMD had surpassed the 10% mark among Steam users. The momentum picked up in May 2021, when AMD crossed the 30% threshold for the first time in over a decade.

The rise has been further accelerated by the popularity of AMD's 3D V-Cache Ryzen CPUs, such as the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, combined with competitive pricing. As of July/August 2025, AMD holds 40.39% of CPU share on Steam, nearing a historic peak and within striking distance of Intel's 59.5%.

This shift reflects a long-term recovery from a low point in the late 2010s for AMD, and it's a notable story in the PC gaming CPU market. Intel's dominance is not guaranteed, and AMD's attempts to offer a stronger price to performance ratio are clearly paying off. If AMD can keep up their current momentum, they might dethrone Intel in a few years' time.

It's important to note that Steam users represent a key demographic of PC gamers, making these figures a useful proxy for gaming CPU market trends. The most popular category for AMD chips on Steam is the 3.7GHz and above range, including high-end CPUs like those in the X3D series.

On the Linux side of Steam, Intel is gaining on AMD, but still has a long way to go to catch up to AMD's lead. The top category for both Intel and AMD CPUs on Linux is high-speed CPUs.

Stevie Bonifield, a freelance tech journalist specializing in mobile tech, gaming gear, and accessories, has been closely following this trend. "The shift towards AMD on Steam has been a trend for several years now," Bonifield said. "It's fascinating to see how AMD's innovations like Ryzen and 3D V-Cache have helped them close the gap with Intel."

Sources:

[1] Steam Hardware Survey

[2] Wccftech

[3] Techspot

[4] AnandTech

1. AMD's record-breaking growth in the Steam gaming CPU market has been fueled by their innovative gadgets, such as the Ryzen architecture and 3D V-Cache CPUs like the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which continue to outperform Intel in terms of price-to-performance ratio.
2. Data-and-cloud-computing trends and technological advancements have played a significant role in AMD's surge, with their CPUs dominating the most popular category on Steam, i.e., CPUs operating at 3.7GHz and above, including high-end CPUs like those in the X3D series.
3. Interestingly, in the Linux gaming segment of Steam, Intel has been attempting to narrow the gap with AMD, but still lags behind in the race.
4. Despite AMD's impressive gains, they are not yet the leaders in Linux usage on Steam, with Intel maintaining a larger share.
5. Freelance tech journalist Stevie Bonifield has been tracking this development closely, highlighting the impact of AMD's innovative technologies like Ryzen and 3D V-Cache on their growth and their strategic efforts to overthrow Intel in the CPU market for PC gaming.

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