What is the difference between Intel® Core™ processor generations?

The Intel® Core™ processor family spans several generations of processor upgrades. There are three basic family generations of note. Usually, the greater the number, the later the generation. For example, 13th gen is newer than 12th gen, 11th gen and 10th gen. These correspond to improvements in process technology and features to allow for more sophisticated applications, such as virtual reality, gaming and office productivity. In addition to generations, processors can also be categorized by Intel® Core™. Though there are multiple options within each category, there are four basic groups. Intel® Core™ i3, for entry-level performance Intel® Core™ i5, for mid-level performance Intel® Core™ i7, for high-level performance Intel® Core™ i9, for highest-level performance

What is clock speed (MHz, GHz)?

Clock speed, measured in megahertz (MHz) and gigahertz (GHz), represents how fast a processor moves. It's calculated by the number of clock cycles managed per second.

CPU Cache stores frequently used data and instructions close to your Processor for quicker access.

What do the letters on Intel® Processors mean?

<ul><li>B – Ball Grid Array (BGA)</li><li>C – Desktop processor based on the LGA 1150 package with high performance graphics</li><li>G1-G7 – Graphics level (processors with new integrated graphics technology only)</li><li>E – Embedded</li><li>F – Requires discrete graphics</li><li>G – Includes discrete graphics on package</li><li>H – High performance optimized for mobile</li><li>performance graphics</li><li>HK – High performance optimized for mobile, unlocked. Not all systems sold with HK central processing units (CPUs) are designed to exceed the stated speed of the processor.</li><li>HQ – High performance optimized for mobile, quad core</li><li>K – Unlocked</li><li>M – Mobile</li><li>P – Power and thermal efficiency with more power than U series</li><li>Q – Quad-core</li><li>R – Desktop processor based on BGA1364 (mobile) package with high performance graphics</li><li>S – Performance-optimized lifestyle, special edition</li><li>T – Power-optimized lifestyle</li><li>U – Ultra-low power, mobile power efficient</li><li>X/XE – Extreme edition, unlocked, high end</li><li>Y – Extremely low power</li></ul>

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Help Me Choose: Intel® Processor

Intel® Core™ Processors

Learn More about Intel

Help Me Choose: Intel® Processor

The processor is the engine behind your computer processing critical information and instructions.

The speed at which your system runs programs, loads pages, and downloads files depends in part on the processor. Bandwidth, clock speed, and the number of cores in the processor all help determine processor performance.

Which Processor Do I Need?

Processor	Intel® Core™ i3	Intel® Core™ i5	Intel® Core™ i7	Intel® Core™ i9
Internet Browsing & Productivity Application Performance	✓✓	✓✓✓	✓✓✓✓	✓✓✓✓✓
Document Creation	✓	✓✓	✓✓✓✓	✓✓✓✓✓
Video Editing		✓	✓✓✓✓	✓✓✓✓✓
Gaming	✓	✓✓✓	✓✓✓✓	✓✓✓✓✓
What it's Great for	Value-priced for home-related tasks: internet browsing and watching videos.	Everyday Tasks: Document creation, productivity applications like Microsoft Office and basic gaming.	Business and/or home-related computer tasks: High-definition gaming, video editing, high-end content creation and development.	AAA Gaming and Development. Amazing mobile performance, uncompromising gaming and VR, and next-level content creation.

The new Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors are designed for optimal balance of performance and power efficiency, featuring 3D performance hybrid architecture, immersive graphics, and advanced AI capabilities.

Processor	Intel® Core™ Ultra Processor 9	Intel® Core™ Ultra Processor 7	Intel® Core™ Ultra Processor 5
AI-enhanced video editing	✓✓✓	✓✓✓	✓✓✓✓
Casual gaming on-the-go	✓✓✓	✓✓	✓✓
Multitasking with AI accelerated software	✓✓✓	✓✓	✓✓
AI effects on video calling	✓✓✓	✓✓	✓
Best for	Seamless mobile computing experience with optimized performance.	Demanding applications with an optimal balance of power and performance	Basic and general computing for everyday tasks.

FAQ

: The Intel^® Core™ processor family spans several generations of processor upgrades. There are three basic family generations of note. Usually, the greater the number, the later the generation. For example, 13th gen is newer than 12th gen, 11th gen and 10th gen. These correspond to improvements in process technology and features to allow for more sophisticated applications, such as virtual reality, gaming and office productivity.

In addition to generations, processors can also be categorized by Intel^® Core™. Though there are multiple options within each category, there are four basic groups.

Intel^® Core™ i3, for entry-level performance
Intel^® Core™ i5, for mid-level performance
Intel^® Core™ i7, for high-level performance
Intel^® Core™ i9, for highest-level performance
: Clock speed, measured in megahertz (MHz) and gigahertz (GHz), represents how fast a processor moves. It's calculated by the number of clock cycles managed per second.
: CPU Cache stores frequently used data and instructions close to your Processor for quicker access.
: B – Ball Grid Array (BGA)
C – Desktop processor based on the LGA 1150 package with high performance graphics
G1-G7 – Graphics level (processors with new integrated graphics technology only)
E – Embedded
F – Requires discrete graphics
G – Includes discrete graphics on package
H – High performance optimized for mobile
performance graphics
HK – High performance optimized for mobile, unlocked. Not all systems sold with HK central processing units (CPUs) are designed to exceed the stated speed of the processor.
HQ – High performance optimized for mobile, quad core
K – Unlocked
M – Mobile
P – Power and thermal efficiency with more power than U series
Q – Quad-core
R – Desktop processor based on BGA1364 (mobile) package with high performance graphics
S – Performance-optimized lifestyle, special edition
T – Power-optimized lifestyle
U – Ultra-low power, mobile power efficient
X/XE – Extreme edition, unlocked, high end
Y – Extremely low power

Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics — Game On!

New Intel^® Iris^® X^e graphics offer discrete-level graphics performance in sleeker, thinner, and lighter laptops.

Intel^® Iris^® X^e graphics also deliver brilliant visuals with support for billions of colors, HDR10, Dolby Atmos sound, and long playback of Dolby Vision-enabled content with hardware acceleration, an industry first.

Not only can you play top games in up to 1080p at 30 fps or more and enjoy an amazingly immersive entertainment experience, but 11th & 12th Gen Intel^® Core™ processors with Intel^® Iris^® X^e graphics also enable you to complete creative projects with blazing speed powered by unique hardware accelerated AI, all in a sleek, thin & light laptop with leading performance — whether plugged-in or unplugged.

What is the Intel® Evo™ platform?

Wherever you see the Intel^® Evo™ badge on a Dell PC, you can count on designs to have the following combination of purposeful technologies verified for your experience. Based on how you’ll actually use them—with many applications open at once, heavy media use, and constant toggling—so our measurements of battery life, responsiveness, and speed reflect the way you work.

Each Dell systems requires verification for at least the following:
Performance - 11th & 12th Gen Intel^® Core™ processors and Intel^® Iris^® Xᵉ graphics deliver 3x faster photo and video editing.
Wi-Fi Connections - Nearly 3x faster internet with built-in Intel^® Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) technology, versus standard Wi-Fi.
Battery Life - Count on 9+ hours of battery life on FHD displays so you can work anywhere.
Graphics - Intel^® Iris^® Xᵉ graphics and razor-thin bezels make screen time more enjoyable.
Wake Faster - Wakes in less than a second and 40% more responsive than a 2-year-old laptop.
Simple Connections - Thunderbolt™ 4 provides a 40GB/s data transfer rate through a single-cable connection.