Intel Laptop Processors Comparison Chart
LINK >>> https://urlgoal.com/2tkv26
Most laptops today are powered by an Intel CPU, though there are several models that use AMD processors and some that use Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. Of course, Apple is transitioning its laptops to use custom M-series silicon. Even if you only look at Intel's lineup, there are more than two dozen different models you might see featured in a brand new notebook. Fortunately, learning the basics isn't too difficult.
On Intel processors, the first number after the hyphen is the generation indicator; the latest generation is the 11th so the very newest CPUs have an 11. However, some laptops that are currently for sale haven't been updated to the latest platform yet and will still have a 10 (for 10th Gen) in the model number.
As for Apple, it currently has a single custom laptop chip called the M1. So far, it's the most powerful mobile CPU in existence so long as your software runs natively on its ARM-based architecture. So far, the M1 is available in only the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro but we expect to see an upgraded version of the chip (perhaps the M1X) in the rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro and 14-inch MacBook Pro. If you're curious how the M1 stacks up against Intel chips, see our M1 vs. Intel comparison guide.
If you're a power user or gamer, a laptop with an H processor is probably your best choice. H Series processors have six or eight cores instead of the four you'll find on most other Intel CPUs. H-series processors also have a TDP of 45 watts, which means that the laptops holding them are either going to have poor battery life or large batteries. Because they generate more heat than U series chips, you won't find H CPUs in super-light or thin laptops.
You may see processors labeled as either H, HQ or HK. H and HQ are standard while the HK denotes a processor that has been unlocked for overclocking. You'll only find those in high-end gaming laptops.
Most U Series processors have a TDP of 12-28W, which is the sweet spot between solid performance and good battery life, but does require active cooling in the form of a fan. There are a few U series CPUs with 28-watt TDPs, though only a handful of laptops use them. With a large battery and a power-efficient screen, U series laptops can get well over 10 hours of endurance with some high-end systems getting closer to 20 hours.
When you're shopping for a laptop, be wary of the Y series (now called UP4), which you may see branded with Core i5 / Core i7 . Intel Y Series processors have a very-low TDP of 7 watts, which allows manufacturers to use them in fanless, super-thin laptops. Unfortunately, most of those laptops also have low-capacity batteries or high-powered screens so they actually end up with worse battery life than competitors with more powerful U-series (UP3) processors.
If you're looking at a laptop that costs between $200 and $400, there's a good chance it has an Intel Celeron or Pentium series CPU. These budget-minded processors deliver performance that's just good enough for web surfing, email and light productivity. Celeron chips are very common in Chromebooks, because Google's browser-based OS doesn't require as much horsepower as Windows. If you're buying a Windows laptop, get one with Celeron / Pentium only if price is a primary concern. One excellent example is the Microsoft Surface Go, which uses an Intel Pentium Gold processor instead of the Intel Core chips found in the Surface Laptop 4 or Surface Pro 7.
All Intel and AMD laptop CPUs come with built-in graphics processors (GPUs). On most Core i3/i5/i7/i9 CPUs of any line, these GPUs are named Iris Plus or Iris Xe, or AMD Radeon. For higher-end 11th Gen Intel processors, the integrated graphics is called Iris Xe, which is significantly faster but still no much for discrete graphics chips from Nvidia and AMD.
Broadly speaking, today's laptop processors use either the ARM or x86 architecture. The latter was created by Intel in 1978 and dominates the PC industry, with Intel and AMD battling for market-share supremacy. ARM-based chips, on the other hand, are produced by hundreds of different companies under license from the British firm ARM Limited, owned by Softbank. (For a while, it looked like Nvidia was on the path to acquiring ARM from Softbank, but the chip maker has abandoned its efforts.)
Found in billions of devices from smartphones to supercomputers, ARM chips had been seen only in some Chromebooks and a very few Windows laptops (based on Qualcomm CPUs) until Apple switched from Intel to its own ARM-design M1 processors in late 2020, and now its M2 chips in 2023. Apple's changeover is a leading reason that ARM chips are seeing wider acceptance as an alternative to x86 for mainstream computing. (See our Apple M2 chip explainer.)
To complicate things further, today's processors typically have two advertised clock speeds: a base (minimum) clock and a boost (maximum) clock, sometimes dubbed turbo speed since Intel refers to the duality as Turbo Boost technology. When handling light workloads, the CPU runs at its base clock, typically between 1GHz and 2GHz for laptop chips though sometimes higher depending on the processor's rated wattage. (More on that variable in a minute.) With the latest CPUs from Intel, you may have ratings for multiple possible peak boost clocks, depending on how many cores in the CPU are boosting at a time.
Some low-end laptop processors lack a boost clock altogether, limiting their performance under pressure. Laptop CPUs' boost clocks are often as high as their desktop counterparts, but are usually not sustained for as long before ramping down due to power or thermal limitations. This concept is called \"throttling,\" a safety measure built into the processor to keep it running within its rated specifications.
AMD and Intel have been fierce competitors for laptop CPU market share so far through the 2020s. This was not the case during the 2010s, when Intel dominated the market with better-performing and more power-efficient processors, mostly relegating AMD to entry-level budget notebooks.
AMD and Intel differentiate their laptop processors according to all of the basic concepts discussed earlier, but their top-level branding is most visible to casual shoppers. Here are their basic product lines by intended market.
Knowing a CPU's generation and/or codename is helpful to determine when it was released and to locate specific performance data on it. The two rivals typically refresh their processors every 12 to 18 months. Unless there's some financial incentive to getting a laptop with an older chip, we advise buying the most recent generation to ensure you're getting the newest features and the most longevity from your purchase. There's more on chip lines in detail later in this guide, but here's a pair of cheat sheets to the laptop-CPU codenames of the last five years:
Look at the chart above, and the mainstream Intel processor world might seem dominated by the Raptor Lake U and P lines, but we haven't tested these yet, as laptops with them haven't hit the market quite yet; we've just started testing the 13th Gen Core H series models, which just started appearing in on-sale laptops in February 2023. The 12th Generation chips are the current mainstream, and you might consider an 11th or even 10th Gen laptop if it's otherwise a fine deal.
However, they only have two cores and are not close to the recommended Core i5-11600 and Core i5-11400 in performance. The G6605 is the latest Pentium Gold processor. Pentium Silver chipsets, like the N6000, are laptop processors and are only well suited to the basics. If the jump to an 11th Gen Intel Core i3 does not cost too much, make that jump.
If you're looking for the best CPUs for gaming or the best workstation CPU, there are only two choices: AMD and Intel. That fact has spawned an almost religious following for both camps, and the resulting AMD vs Intel flamewars make it tricky to get unbiased advice about the best choice for your next processor. But in many cases, the answer is actually very clear. In fact, for most users, it's now a blowout win in Intel's favor, as you can see in our CPU benchmark rankings. Of course, that comes with caveats, but it represents a fast reversal of fortunes for the chipmaker after its PC dominance was completely overturned by AMD's Ryzen processors.This article covers the never-ending argument of AMD vs Intel desktop CPUs (we're not covering laptop or server chips). We judge the chips on seven criteria based on what you plan to do with your PC, pricing, performance, driver support, power consumption, and security, giving us a clear view of the state of the competition. We'll also discuss the process nodes and architectures that influence the moving goalposts. Overall, there's a clear winner - Intel offers the best price-to-performance ratio in nearly every price range. However, which CPU brand you should buy depends mostly on what blend of features, price, and performance are important to you.If you're looking for the fastest overall chips on the market at an accessible price point, you should look to Intel's potent 13th-Gen Raptor Lake series. Intel's Alder Lake completely redefined x86 desktop PC chips with a new hybrid architecture that delivers exceptional levels of performance by combining high-performance and efficiency cores into one package. Raptor Lake builds on that formula to deliver winning performance in gaming and all other types of work, albeit at the cost of higher power consumption than AMD's competing chips.AMD's answer comes in the form of its Zen 4-powered Ryzen 7000 series. AMD has recently reduced the pricing of its chips and rolled our newer non-X models that reduce the price of entry, but the modern Ryzen 7000 platforms still carry a hefty upcharge for the expensive motherboards and DDR5 memory, muddying the value proposition. However, the company's powerful X3D models utilize a breakthrough 3D chip-stacking tech to take the lead in gaming performance, as you can see in our Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Ryzen 9 7900X3D reviews, but that does come at a pricing premium. For the broader view, you can see how the entire Ryzen 7000 family stacks up against Raptor Lake below.You can see how all of these processors stack up in our AMD vs Intel CPU Benchmarks Hierarchy, but we also have a more stringent breakdown below. 59ce067264