How to Identify My Intel® Processor. What generation is intel on

As a Windows expert, Anyron’s primary focus is PCs and laptops. He spends most of his time on smartphones, tablets and audio devices, with particular emphasis on Android devices.

Difference Between Intel Processor Generations

The last time I went to a computer store to inquire about the latest laptop prices, I was told the new laptop had a 4th generation Intel processor. I asked the person about the difference between the first and fourth generations, but he was unable to answer correctly saying that the fourth generation was faster than the first, second and third generations.

So I went home and I wanted to know the philosophy of CPU generation on the Internet. To my amazement, there was no complete guide available that could make it clear about the Intel processor generations and their differences. After a lot of research, I have enough knowledge to write and document the differences that I found in this article.

The misconception

• Pentium 1, 2, 3, 4
• Celeron
• Pentium M and Celeron M for mobile devices
• Dual-core Pentium processor
• Solo Core
• Core Duo
• Core 2 Duo
• Core 2 Quad
• Core i3, i5, i7

The concept of generations appears mainly after the release of the Core i series. The difference in the microarchitecture of the processors is the main difference in the generations of the processors. We will discuss these generations in detail below.

Click the image below to open the visual Intel generation timeline:

Generations of Intel processors

Broadwell chips also offer faster wake-up times and better graphics performance. Supports LGA 1150 slots with DDR3L-1333/1600 2-channel RAM.

Option 2: Packaging Box

If you purchased an Intel® boxed processor, the packaging includes the processor number along with other information such as the lot number (FPO) and serial number (ATPO.

Option 3: Markings on the Processors

The Intel® processor name and number is located on top of the processor. See the example below.

Watch this video to learn how to identify the Intel processor name and number.

Identify the generation of your Intel® Core processors

You can also identify the processor generation if you have an Intel® Core ™ processor. The CPU generation is the first number after i9, i7, i5 or i3.

You can also identify the processor generation if you have an Intel® Core ™ processor. The CPU generation is the first number after i9, i7, i5 or i3.

FAQ

What generation is Intel on? Intel’s 11th generation is currently the latest, but will be replaced by Alder Lake by the end of the year

How to check Intel CPU generation on Windows 10 / windows 7?

Go to Start and type in “system information”. In the system information, you can check the CPU tab. It will tell you the name of your CPU.

The first processor number is the processor generation. For example, if the processor name is Intel Core i5-10600K, it will be the 10th generation processor.

What is the latest generation of Intel processors? – Coffee Lake processors were discounted in June 2021. For now, we can consider the latest Comet Lake / Ice Lake (10th gen) and Tiger Lake / Rocket Lake (11th gen.

Which generation of Intel processors is the best? – One simple answer to this question is not possible in most cases the newer generation would be better than the previous one. However, you have to check each processor individually for its performance

For example. The 8th Gen 8600k Intel Core i5 is faster than the 10th Gen 10400T Intel Core i5.

After Nehal, Intel Sandy Bridge processors appeared in 2011. However, they were first demonstrated in 2009. Unlike Nehalem, Sandy Bridge also supported integrated graphics. They also had an approximately 11.3% performance improvement over the last generation processors.

Intel 10th Gen CPU Model Numbers and Letters Explained

CPU Model Series

The beginning of the model number indicates which “series” the processor is from. As we mentioned earlier, i3 processors are the least powerful. They go faster until you reach the i9 series, Intel’s most powerful desktop processors.

As you can see in the model table above, each model starts with an i3, i5, i7 or i9 and clearly indicates the range you are looking at. We are about to delve into the specifications of each range.

CPU Model Generation

We have the number 10 after the series icon. If you were paying attention, you guessed it, this refers to the fact that this is Intel’s 10th generation processor. Generation 9 i5 processors would have model numbers like i5-9600 etc. Note that the first number is now 9, not 10.

If you are looking at a computer that lists the model number as 9 rather than 10, it uses last-generation technology. This is not always a bad thing. In some cases, Gen 10 processors are still hard to come by or much more expensive. In general, however, the newer generation should be preferred.

CPU Model Number

The numbers following the Generation ID are exactly the type of Gen 10 CPU that you are looking at. In the example above, we’re looking at a 10th Generation i5 600 series CPU. Other CPU options are i5-10400 and i5-10500. As you can imagine, the higher the number, the more powerful the processor is.

In this example, the difference is in the processor frequency. Now without getting into the complicated world of CPU frequencies. Higher CPU frequency is not always better when comparing CPUs. However, when comparing within the same model and brand, it can be assumed that a higher frequency will provide better computer performance.

I5-10600 has a base frequency of 3.30 GHz (Turbo to 4.8 GHz)
I5-10500 has a base frequency of 3.10 GHz (Turbo to 4.5 GHz)
I5-10400 has a base frequency of 2.90 GHz (Turbo to 4.3 GHz)

While this may not seem like much, the extra 0.4 GHz in the base frequency between the models will be a noticeable difference in some tasks.

CPU Chip Type

To keep things simple, we have removed the extra letters from the above models. Many Intel processors have a letter or two after a name. Intel models without a letter indicate they are the “entry level” model. The base models are standard, they don’t support overclocking, and they don’t try to squeeze every gram of performance or efficiency.

If you see a model number followed by a letter, it is somewhat different from the “standard” model.

K Chips

“K” chips are what you’ll most often find in performance applications. The K means they are “unlocked”, and you as the user (or Chillblast can do it for you by purchasing a K-chip computer) can increase the base frequency of the CPU for extra performance. Something that cannot be done with regular chips.

I5-10600k has a base frequency of 4.1 GHz (Turbo to 4.8 GHz)
That’s 0.8 GHz more than the “lock-in” or “standard” i5-10600 and a huge daily performance improvement.

The fact that these processors are unlocked means they can be “overclocked” in combination with adequate cooling. You can get every gram of performance out of a chip.

Choosing a 10th Gen Intel i3, i5, i7 or i9 Processor

Intel deftly divides each of its processor groups according to the number of cores the processors have, which makes it easy to pinpoint the value you get from each of them. However, the number of cores you get within a certain range will vary from generation to generation.

10th generation Intel i7 processors have 8 cores and 16 threads. However, the ninth-generation i7 only features 6 cores and 12 threads. Once upon a time the i5 was a quad-core processor, which is no longer true.

Core i3

4 cores / 8 threads
Up to 4.4 GHz

Core i5

6 cores / 12 threads
Up to 4.8 GHz

Core i7

8 cores / 16 threads
Up to 5.2 GHz

Core i9

10 cores / 20 threads
Up to 5.3 GHz

Hopefully, by breaking down the naming conventions of each token, and the table above shows each group’s spec headings, you will understand what they can do for you. If you’re still unsure whether to choose an i3, i5, i7 or i9 processor, read on. We will help you choose which product to buy for a specific application.

image Source: Intel

A 10th Gen Processor For Everyday Home & Office Tasks

If you are looking for a system that handles your daily tasks with ease, you will want something from the lower end of the 10th Gen Intel range as you won’t need anything unlocked or without graphics.

When we research our home and office computers, we find that most people don’t need more processing power than what the all-new 10th Gen i5 processor can provide.

With 6 cores and 12 threads and speeds up to 4.8 GHz, the 10th generation i5 offers performance similar to the most expensive processors from only one or two generations ago, at a significantly lower cost. Multiple high-speed cores will allow the computer to easily handle large spreadsheets and documents, with plenty of “headroom”, to handle these tasks for the next several generations.

If your budget doesn’t stretch to the i5, the i3 is still an admirable and powerful processor in the 10th Gen lineup if you want to go with Intel over an AMD-based PC. Even the most economical 10th Gen i3 from Intel offers fast clock speeds and hyper-threading.

With 33% fewer cores than the i5, it won’t be as effective at some intense tasks, but as a “all-round” computer that will last several generations of browsing the Internet, sharing photos, and crunching words – you’re good to go.

The Best 10th Gen CPU For Gaming

The best gaming processor usually has the highest clock speed available. Most games today don’t use multi-core computing like other programs do, so it’s about the speed at which a single core can do the most work, as well as the number of cores. As you can see in the tables above, more expensive processors with a higher clock frequency also have more cores.

For the best performance in lightweight games with an Intel processor, use an i5 or i7 processor. The i7 processor will give you greater performance in each task compared to the i5. However, of course, this will require an increase in the budget.

Remember that the CPU is not everything in your computer. Adobe (and other) programs offer hardware acceleration through built-in graphics cards; use a large amount of fast RAM; and you can always use more memory on board.

Intel Tiger Lake release date

Intel initially unveiled Tiger Lake at CES in January 2020, but it wasn’t until September 2 that the first generation 11 chips were officially unveiled. Over the course of the following months, they developed into a wide variety.

At Intel’s CES 2021 computer event on January 11, 2021, the company unveiled new H-series chips specifically designed for lightweight gaming laptops. This line was then extended on May 11, 2021 with the latest H-series chips targeting high-end computers.

The last two chips in the Tiger Lake series – the Core i7-11390H and Core i5-11320H – were launched with little fanfare on June 22, 2021.

All 11th generation processors are designed to integrate with laptop designs and are therefore sold as standalone components. Going directly to the OEMs means there’s no set release date – it depends on when each company chooses to go live.

Intel Tiger Lake price

As mentioned above, the chips won’t be available for purchase unless you buy a laptop that has one built in. The price you will pay therefore depends on the device you choose and its power, although the processor level (i3, i5, i7, i9) gives you a rough indication of how much they will cost. This applies to both the regular roster of Tiger Lake and the game-focused H series.

The first wave of Tiger Lake-powered devices was announced at IFA 2020, including the Samsung Galaxy Book Flex 5G (UK Flex 2) and the Acer Swift 5 and Swift 3. Since then, there has been a wide range of laptops with 11th generation processors launched, and Companies such as Dell and Microsoft joined the event. As a rule, any devices with 10th Gen Intel processors are likely to be migrated to Tiger Lake in the next generation.

The H-series gaming chips have been announced relatively recently, so models equipped with these processors are likely to become available in the coming weeks and months.

As a Windows expert, Anyron’s primary focus is PCs and laptops. He spends most of his time on smartphones, tablets and audio devices, with particular emphasis on Android devices.

Gamers get a boost

With an Intel Alder Lake processor, the company claims to be “The World’s Best Gaming Processor.” With these claims, Intel would be better able to do just that. According to Intel, this will happen.

In Far Cry 6, the i9-12900K has a 14% increase in performance compared to the AMD Ryzen 5950X. Hitman 3 gains 15% while Troy: A Total War Saga gains 30%. It should be noted, however, that it was in 1080p on high settings. 4K tests were not given.

Intel says its new Alder Lake processor is the best processor for gamers.

Intel targets content creators

Looking at various editing software, Intel says the i9-12900K performs up to 32% better * than the last generation i9-11900K. According to Intel, benchmarks in programs like Adobe After Effects show a 100% increase over the generation. When running both Adobe Lightroom and Premiere, Intel provides 29% of the overall increase. If you’re exporting Premiere video in the background while working on images in Lightroom, the jump is even more impressive, with an alleged 47% increase.

For those who like to capture their gameplay, Intel has used Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord to show how the i9-12900K increases frame performance. Despite not providing specific numbers, Intel saw an 84% increase in frame rates over the generations.

Intel wants to be the processor that content creators are looking forward to with Alder Lake.

You can also identify the processor generation if you have an Intel® Core ™ processor. The CPU generation is the first number after i9, i7, i5 or i3.

Turbo Boost and HyperThreading

Turbo Boost is an overclocking feature that Intel has built into its processors for generations. Basically, this allows some of the chip’s cores to run faster than their base clock frequency when only one or two cores are needed (e.g., when you’re doing a single-threaded task that you want to execute right now). Both Core i5 and Core i7 processors use Turbo Boost, with Core i7 processors generally achieving higher clock rates.

Every chip you look at will have basic and increased clock speeds, and while higher is generally better (again: everything else is equal), it depends on the specific design and cooling of your computer, how long the chip can maintain its speed acceleration, how high and on how many cores. This is where it comes in looking at meticulous performance tests.

In contrast, Intel Hyper-Threading Technology is a feature that has it or not. It uses multithreading technology to make the operating system and applications think that the CPU has more cores than it really is. Hyper-Threading technology is used to improve the performance of multithreaded tasks by allowing each core to address two processing threads simultaneously instead of just one. The simplest multithreading situation is when a user runs several programs at the same time, but other activities may use Hyper-Threading under certain conditions, such as creating and editing multimedia (especially transcoding and rendering where the software supports multithreading), and even sometimes surfing the Internet (simultaneous loading of various page elements such as videos and images).

Overall, if everything else is equal, a family’s Hyper-Threading-capable processor will have more capabilities than one that doesn’t if that feature has a big impact on what you do on a daily basis. This even applies to Core families, meaning it might be better if your software relies heavily on multi-threading to go for a quad-core chip with Hyper-Threading instead of the equivalent six-core without.

Unfortunately, when purchasing PCs, it is not always easy to find information about the number of cores or the presence or absence of Hyper-Threading support on the computer vendor’s specification list. However, if you can find the exact model number of the chip, connect it to Intel’s spec database which will show you clock speed, number of cores, Hyper-Threading support and much more.

Understanding Integrated Graphics

Most non-gaming machines that are thin and light with Core i5 or Core i7 processors rely on integrated graphics acceleration silicon that is part of the processor. On the other hand, gaming machines and some high-end systems have dedicated graphics chips that are separate from the CPU.

Core i5 and Core i7 chips have all sorts of integrated graphics capabilities. At the bottom are Intel HD Graphics and Intel UHD Graphics. Iris Plus is a step up, available on many 10th generation chips. The newest and best integrated graphics card is Iris Xe, only available on a few 11th Gen Core i5 and Core i7 models.