As always, we must be very careful when interpreting the data offered by the largest video game store. Here is data from recurring users (who enter quite frequently) with data from users who have not been connected for months or years. Within this, we can draw some conclusions.
Intel continues to lead on Steam, but AMD continues to gain ground
If you want to build a gaming computer, you currently have two options when it comes to processors: AMD or Intel. These are the only two mainstream PC processor manufacturers. Although there are laptops with ARM-based chips, these are the fewest and usually, they are in systems that barely move the minesweeper.
It is not surprising that Intel lead Steam stats with a 68.03% sharebut losing quota little by little. amd has managed to increase its market share by 1.24%, thus reaching a 32.81% share. Note that AMD has managed to reduce the difference little by little, which has become greater than 80%.
These data are quite irrelevant, since they fall within the data that are well known. Perhaps the most interesting thing is to see the number of cores and frequencies of these processors. There is some pretty interesting data here. But more interesting would be to know which are the most used processors, something that Steam does not give.
Recurring frequency in processors
Well, the frequency of intel processors more common is for below 3.0 GHzwhile in the processors amd is for above 3.0 GHz. Indicate that the data refers to the base frequency, not to the Boost frequency.
According to statistics, the 17.98% of users use intel processors whose frequency is between the 2.3 GHz and the 2.69 GHz. Something interesting is that there is a reduction in the share of these processors of -0.77%. Processors follow with frequency between 3.3 GHz and 3.5 GHz with a 16.29% share, with an increase of 0.68%. We have in third position those who have between 2.7 GHz and 2.99 GHz with a 13.38% sharefalling a -047% share.
The data seems to indicate that users opt for mid-range and entry-level processors. Mostly, it seems that you opt for non-K core processors, which have lower base frequencies. It also seems to point in the direction of laptop processors, which also have lower base clocks than Core-K, for example.
Now we go with the frequencies of the AMD processors. The most common are processors with frequency of between 3.3GHz and 3.69GHz with a 14% fee, rising 0.89%. Then we have the processors with frequency higher than 3.7 GHzwith a 7.83% fee, which rose 0.72%. Finally, we have those who are eBetween 3.0 GHz and 3.29 GHzwho have a 5.21% share and that fall -0.02%.
This data clearly indicates that users are mostly using AMD Ryzen processors, including APUs. It does not seem that the Ryzen processors for laptops have much of a presence, since these are usually below 3.0 GHz due to consumption and temperature.
How many cores does Steam “recommend” for gaming?
Within the data, Steam gives us data on the number of cores, something that gives us a very interesting picture. According to these data, the 10.2% (-1.16%) of users have a processor 2 cores. The 19.12% (+0.72%) of users use a processor with 8 cores. The 1.99% (+0.3%) has a processor of 12 cores and the 0.6% (+0.08%) has a processor of 16 cores.
The interesting thing is that more than 65% of Steam users use 4-core and 6-core processors. Specifically, the 33.03% (-0.7%) of users use 4 core processors and the 32.89% (+0.63%) uses 6 core processors.
It seems that most users stay with the mid-range and entry-level processors with prices below €250. The truth is that for gaming the number of cores does not matter much, the frequency matters more.
Yes, there is a niche of almost 20% that opts for 8-core processors. Most likely, these processors are AMD Ryzen 7, which are quite cheap. It is also possible that they belong to the Zen2 architectures, which are at a very good price for being “old”.
Conclusions
Valve hides the name of the processors, something that does not happen in graphics cards, which is a curious thing. Based on the data, it seems that Intel dominates, in terms of laptop processors, because of such low frequencies. While in AMD, desktop Ryzen predominates over those intended for laptops.
If we combine this frequency data with the number of cores, it seems even more revealing in both cases. Users opt for the mid-range and input in terms of processors from both manufacturers. In the case of Intel, it points more strongly to chips for gaming laptops.
