Intel, AMD and Nvidia: the three big names you might think of when buying or building a computer, informing CPU and GPU tech.

These manufacturers have been in the game for a long time, and with news that Intel is entering the GPU market, it’s likely that Intel, AMD and Nvidia will continue to dominate the computer space for some time.

But what do these companies and their tech mean to you? Well, we’re here to demystify the tech that these companies offer.

Here are Intel, Nvidia and AMD computer components explained, perfect if you’re shopping a laptop, PC or if you’re planning to build a computer.

We’ve divided this breakdown between CPUs and GPUs, to make it easy to follow.

The CPU (or processor) provides the processing power for your computer. Faster, more expensive processors allow you to complete more tasks at once, often quicker too. This comes down to the number of cores available and the level of performance on offer.

The CPU market for consumers is, at the moment, locked between AMD and Intel for computers (phone processors are a different market).

AMD’s Ryzen series is powerful at cheaper prices than Intel. The argument is usually that AMD’s Ryzen processors make more sense on a cost-to-performance front, however there are sometimes exceptions.

If you’re interested in buying an AMD CPU, keep these things in mind:

CPU market leader Intel does things a little differently to AMD. Intel’s processors are typically a bit more expensive, but consistently outperform their direct AMD rivals in benchmarking.

If you’re interested in buying an Intel CPU, keep these things in mind:

GPUs handle the graphics processing capability of your machine, meaning how pretty your games might be or how well you might be able to render high-quality graphics in design applications.

The GPU (graphics card) market is a bit different to the CPU market. While we’ll be talking about AMD and Nvidia below, keep in mind that Intel is technically the market leader for GPUs, due to integrated graphics in CPUs. Additionally, while AMD and Nvidia design the GPUs in this market, you’ll typically end up buying one from an aftermarket manufacturer (such as Gigabyte, ASUS or MSI). There’s no true “best” manufacturer, but you can make your choice based on aesthetics, price and reviews.

For gamers, Nvidia is typically the most celebrated graphics card maker, with its stock usually selling out well before rival AMD does.

Here’s what you should know about Nvidia GPUs:

AMD, like in the CPU market, is a budget-to-performance pick, although its cards are typically quite well received by reviewers.

Here’s what you should know about AMD GPUs:

Hopefully, this has demystified some of the confusion around CPUs and GPUs. When I first got into PC building I was super confused by this, but 10 years on it comes quite easily.

If you’re interested in building a computer or have questions about specific parts, we’ve got an explainer for that.

I hope your parts and computer shopping go smoothly from here on out.

Zachariah Kelly is a writer at Gizmodo Australia.

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