Recent findings suggest AMD is outselling Intel 2:1 in the DIY enthusiast segment. Internal data from EK Water Blocks suggests AMD captures around 30% of the liquid cooling enthusiast market.
People familiar with the internet are very much aware of how heated online discussions can get, especially when it comes to two companies competing for the same customers. Most recently, a small report compiled by a Redditor sparked debate as data suggests AMD is outselling Intel 2:1 at the German online reseller Mindfactory.de. The author writes:
“After a record month another record month: AMD again outsold Intel by a ratio of 2 to 1. It sold more than 16,000 units, more than ever and dwarfing sales in last year. […] The new Coffee Lake series starts to sell in numbers, but the 9900K is still 600 Euros, almost a 100% premium compared to the Ryzen 2700X. Threadripper also enjoys healthy sales while Skylake-X dropped to a few units […] All in all good times for AMD in the DIY market. Lets see how long this streak continues.
If the data is a true representation of global sales, it would be fantastic news for AMD. The company’s recent success comes after years of suffering in the desktop PC market. However, cross-checking the information with industry partners in Taiwan suggests the news may be a bit overblown. Looking closer at the sales data of EK Water Blocks, a leader in custom loop liquid cooling, supports that idea.
EK Water Blocks is known for their high-quality water blocks and liquid cooling solutions. The target customer is the high-end PC gaming and enthusiast market which include primarily high-end PC DIY enthusiasts, but also price/performance-oriented DIY enthusiasts and triple-A title PC gamers. The benefits of liquid cooling are first and foremost its intriguing aesthetics and superior thermal performance compared to more common air or all-in-one cooling solutions. At the very high-end segment of the market you can find boutique systems such as 8Pack’s “no-compromise” OrionX Dual System priced well over US$30,000.
EK Water Blocks offers a wide range of CPU water blocks for both AMD and Intel mainstream and high-end desktop platforms. You can find products in the form of universal CPU blocks, compatible with all motherboards, as well as monoblocks which are designed to fit specific motherboard models.
It’s clear that the launches of the Ryzen and Ryzen Threadripper products on March 2, 2017, and August 10, 2018, were a turning point for AMD. In 2018, the market share for AMD hovers around the 30% mark. This is a significant improvement compared to two years ago – before Ryzen – but far removed from the 2:1 ratio Mindfactory’s data would suggest.
As AMD assumes a technology leadership position with 7nm CPUs to be released next year, announced at their Next Horizon event last month, it will be interesting to see if the liquid cooling enthusiast market shifts further in the direction of the Santa Clara based technology company.