Intel, AMD, Snapdragon or Nvidia: CPU and graphics brands explained

These four companies produce the most important chips for the vast majority of laptops.

This guide gives you a brief overview of the four brands, what they do and how they might impact which computer you buy. 

Whatever your budget, our lab tests reveal which models are worth your money and which aren't. See our expert pick of the best laptops.

CPUs explained: Intel, AMD and Snapdragon

The CPU (short for 'central processing unit' and often simply referred to as a 'processor') is the brain behind everything your computer does. Your choice of processor is the most important factor when considering how fast you need your computer to be and how much to spend.

Intel was traditionally the dominant player in laptop processors, but AMD has grown in prominence since it launched its Ryzen range of higher-end laptop processors in 2017. Snapdragon joined the party as part of the AI bandwagon from 2024.

Intel, AMD and Snapdragon are the three main companies that make CPUs for laptops. Snapdragon, a brand of Qualcomm, mainly make higher-end AI-focused processors for laptops. However, Qualcomm also make CPUs for smartphones and tablets - these CPUs are occasionally used in budget Chromebooks (running ChromeOS, Google's rival to Windows and MacOS).

Use our expert laptop reviews to pick the best model for your needs and budget.

Cheaper laptops: CPU comparison 

Here you'll find Intel's budget processor line, now known simply as 'Intel Processor', as well as the legacy Celeron, and Pentium. These chips will quickly reach their limits with anything beyond the basics, but are fine for straightforward tasks like email and web browsing. 

There's also Intel's ancient Atom line, which hasn't had an update since 2016 and should be avoided. 

You'll see Intel Core 3 (and legacy i3) on some higher-spec budget laptops - see below for more on these.

AMD processors

AMD's budget offering is simple: it's the AMD Ryzen 3, and Athlon-branded processors at the very budget end . 

AMD used to have a line of A-series and E-series budget processors (including A4, A6, A9 and A10), but these are now all dated and should be avoided. 

• AMD E2, for example, used to compete against an Intel Celeron or Atom processor. 
• AMD E1 is one of the slowest processors you’ll find on any computer, and isn't up to the demands of modern computing.

What you need to know about Chromebooks

Many of the cheapest laptops now on offer are Chromebooks, since it's cheaper for a laptop to include Google's ChromeOS than Windows. 

Some Chromebooks take advantage of the lower resource requirements of ChromeOS and use processors originally designed for smartphones and tablets. This is where you'll see the odd laptop running a low-end Qualcomm processor. It'll handle tasks you do on a smartphone, like email and light web browsing,  just fine. But don't expect it to be able to handle the demands of anything more complicated. 

You might also see Rockchip processors on ultra-cheap Chromebooks.

See all of our Chromebook reviews.

CPUs on mid-priced laptops and above

At the higher end of the laptop market, where you see Intel Core 3, 5 and 7 chips (plus legacy i3, i5, i7 and i9), the difference in performance can be more stark. Read our guide to Intel processors for more information. 

The equivalent AMD chips are Ryzen 3, 5, and 7. While there are differences in how the two brands' processors are designed, they can largely be considered like-for-like when making a buying decision - unless you have very specific needs with specialist software that works better with AMD or Intel, for example. 

Our laptop reviews reveal any shortcomings with a model's performance, so it's always worth checking these first to help narrow down your choices.

You might also see Qualcomm processors in ultra thin and light mid-priced laptops (usually Chromebooks), where the focus is more on portability than performance.

Copilot+ 'AI-ready' laptops

These higher-end laptops come with chips that can handle intensive AI processing on the laptop, rather than relying on an internet connection to the cloud. Microsoft offers various features in Windows 11 exclusively for Copilot+ compatible laptops - see more on should you buy a Copilot+ laptop.

You will see Intel's 'Ultra' range of processors (Intel Core Ultra 5, 7 and 9), AMD's 'Ryzen AI' branded processors and also Snapdragon, who was first to launch AI processors in 2024 with its Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite models.

Compatibility limitations with ARM-based processors

Snapdragon's X Plus and X Elite processors, found in many Copilot+ laptops including Microsoft's Surface range, are based on ARM architecture. Whereas most Windows PCs are based on Intel's x86 architecture. 

ARM has yielded some benefits, including the potential for longer battery life in laptops due to lower power consumption. However, it means that many older peripherals, such as printers, may lack support for ARM-based PCs. 

Drivers for hardware, games and apps will only work if they’re designed for a Windows 11 ARM-based PC. This means that if you're considering a PC with an ARM-based processor, such as the Snapdragon X Plus or X Elite, you should check that any the third-party software and peripherals you use (such as printers) support ARM-based PCs. If in doubt, simply choose a computer with an Intel or AMD processor instead.

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Graphics: Intel, AMD, Snapdragon and Nvidia

A graphics chip controls what you see on your monitor or screen and every computer has one. They are either integrated into your processor or a separate ‘discrete’ or ‘dedicated’ chip that handles the workload all by itself.

Intel, AMD, Snapdragon and Nvidia all produce graphics chips. If you work with 3D modelling, video editing or like playing new 3D games, you’ll want to pay more in order to get better graphics performance, as this can make a big difference.

Intel is the most popular graphics chip maker simply because its ‘HD/UHD/Iris Graphics’ processors are built into practically every CPU it makes. This is known as integrated graphics and is fine for basic tasks and basic 3D gaming, but not much else. 

Qualcomm's Snapdragon X AI-ready processors come with Adreno integrated graphics.

Dedicated graphics

If you do 3D and video work or gaming, you’ll want to buy a laptop or desktop with a ‘dedicated' graphics card. This will usually be clearly stated in the specifications sheet - but in case it isn’t, here’s how to tell what you’re buying. 

Since dedicated graphics can perform lots of calculations in parallel, they have also been used for AI applications (although for AI, the best place to start is an AI-ready processor, as explained above). The big players here are Intel, AMD and especially Nvidia.

With Intel, this includes its Arc range (Intel Arc 3, 5 and 7).

AMD makes modest integrated graphics chips for its processors. just like Intel. You can tell when its more powerful dedicated graphics are included as it adds the 'Radeon' brandling. In gaming desktop PCs and laptops, they’re typically called 'Radeon RX', with higher numbers denoting more powerful models. 

Nvidia is the simplest to explain because the company currently only makes dedicated graphics cards. Models from the current generation are called ‘Nvidia GeForce’ and have low to high-end ranges starting from GT to RTX, and are very popular with gamers. With the numbers that follow, the higher these are the more powerful the graphics card (older ranges started with numbers to denote the generation, with a higher final two numbers denoting more power). 

In the market for a new monitor? See our expert guide on the best computer monitors