AMD processor-based Dell PCs can join Intel fleets without slowing IT down, PT finds

Hands-on PT testing found identical steps and times managing AMD and Intel processor-based Dell PCs via Dell Management Portal and Microsoft Intune.

ROUND ROCK, TX, UNITED STATES, September 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Businesses that already manage a fleet of Intel processor-based Dell PCs may hesitate to add AMD processor-based systems, worried that a mixed-processor fleet will mean new tools or extra work for IT. New hands-on testing from Principled Technologies (PT) indicates otherwise: Across a wide range of common management tasks, AMD processor-based and Intel processor-based Dell PCs required the exact same administrative steps and the exact same amount of hands-on time.

PT testers used the cloud-based Dell Management Portal, which integrates with Microsoft Intune, to manage two pairs of Dell systems configured identically except for the processor: a Dell Pro Micro Desktop with an AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8700GE processor and one with an Intel Core i5 14500T processor, and a Dell Pro 5 Series 14 laptop with an AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 435 processor and one with an Intel Core Ultra 5 332 vPro processor. Testers completed 11 common IT tasks on each system and recorded the administrative steps and hands-on time each task required.

Key findings
• Accessing device information, BIOS credentials, and BitLocker recovery keys took two steps and eight seconds on both processor platforms.
• Deploying applications through Dell Management Portal and Intune took four steps and 43 seconds on both processor platforms.
• Configuring BIOS settings took six steps and 35 seconds on both processor platforms.
• Deploying updates through the Dell Management Portal Update Module, Windows Update for Business, and Dell Command Update each took the same number of steps (five, seven, and seven, respectively) and the same amount of time (20, 53, and 40 seconds, respectively) on both processor platforms.
• Device discovery and inventory, OS patching and provisioning, patching and firmware updates, and security policy enforcement each took the same steps (nine, seven, seven, and 10, respectively) and the same time (1:22, 1:40, 1:26, and 1:12, respectively) on both processor platforms.

PT also found that planning a Windows 11 refresh strategy from the Dell Management Portal took the same three steps and 40 seconds on both platforms, giving IT teams the same lifecycle-planning visibility regardless of processor. In an earlier study, PT observed no additional remote-troubleshooting procedures for AMD processor-based Dell systems alongside Intel processor-based devices.

The report noted that centralized management tools exist to simplify administrators’ day-to-day operations, and that introducing new devices into a fleet should keep that process streamlined “or the benefit disappears.” The consistent results, they concluded, mean that IT teams “can manage both platforms together with no additional complexity.”

For organizations planning a client refresh, the findings suggest that the choice between AMD processor-based and Intel processor-based Dell PCs need not hinge on IT operational impact. Because Dell Management Portal and Microsoft Intune abstract these hardware platform differences from day-to-day administrative work, IT teams can instead weigh cost, features, and performance when selecting new devices. Read the full report: “When AMD joins the fleet, IT stays on course.”

About Principled Technologies, Inc.
Principled Technologies, Inc. is the leading provider of fact-based marketing and competitive analysis backed by transparent methodologies.

Principled Technologies, Inc. is located in Durham, North Carolina, USA. For more information, please visit www.principledtechnologies.com.

Sharon Horton
Principled Technologies, Inc.
press@principledtechnologies.com
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