AMD processor usage share maintains an upward trajectory in Steam's February survey but Intel could soon fight back with Rocket Lake

Once again AMD has added to its processor usage share in regard to Steam users. The February Hardware & Software survey reveals a new high for Team Red, with an overall share of 28.66% to Intel’s 71.34%. This is an increase of 0.67% for AMD from last month, leaving the curious blip from December’s survey firmly in the distance (when AMD accrued just 19% share).

In terms of OS, AMD gained in both Windows and Linux. For the former, Team Red amassed +0.52% share over the previous month, while for the latter the movement was considerably greater for AMD, as it snatched +2.19% away from Intel. It seems gamers are still on the hunt for the faster Ryzen 3000 and Ryzen 5000 chips, as CPUs with speeds from 3.3 GHz to 3.69 GHz had the greatest positive percentage change for the month.

However, supply issues concerning Ryzen 5000 might give Intel a solid edge over the next few months as Rocket Lake is to be launched later this month (unveiling March 16; shipping March 30). Mass production for the Rocket Lake chips apparently began months ago, and SKUs have already been sold ahead of schedule via one major European retailer. While many desktop PC builders might want to get their hands on Ryzen 5000, an Intel Core i9-11900K or i7-11700K would likely make an acceptable, and available, substitute.

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