A computer's processor is its brain,
the component where most of the "thinking" happens. A faster CPU
(central processing unit) lets you crunch spreadsheets, surf web pages, play
games or edit photos faster, but a higher-wattage processor may also give you
worse battery life.
Most laptops today are powered by
an Intel CPU, though there are several models that use AMD processors. 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.
The first word in the processor name is
the brand, which is usually "Intel Core" but may also be labeled as
Xeon, Celeron, Pentium or Atom. There's also "AMD Ryzen" and
"AMD FX." Following the brand, you see the brand modifier, which is
most often i3, i5 or i7 but can also be other letters and numbers such as m5,
x5, E or N.
On Intel processors, the first number
after the hyphen is the generation indicator; the latest generation is the 9th
so the very newest CPUs have an 9 here. However, many laptops that are
currently for sale haven't been updated to the latest platform yet and will
still have a 7 (for 7th Gen) in the model number.
Then you'll probably see some
combination of a two or three digit number and a single letter which is
probably U, Y, H (also H or HK). The numbers indicate that particular SKU and
the letters indicate the processor line. The line is extremely important
because it tells you roughly how much wattage this processor needs.
On AMD processors, the numbers and
names aren't quite as straightforward. The company's new Ryzen Mobile CPUs are
named Ryzen 5, which competes with Core i5 U series and Ryzen 7, which competes
with Intel's Core i7 U series.
Some of the Famous Personal Purpose CPU
and their capabilities with their purpose are listed below.
Purpose
|
Recommended CPU
|
Sample SKUs
|
Typical Battery Life
|
Workstation / Gaming
|
Intel Core i5 / i7 H Series
|
Core i9-8950HK, Core i5-8300H
|
3 to 8 hours
|
Everyday Productivity w/ a Boost
|
Intel Core i7 U Series / Intel Core
i5 or i7 G Series / AMD Ryzen Mobile 7
|
Core i7-7500U, Core i7-8550U, Core
i7-8705G
|
5 to 17 hours
|
Everyday Productivity
|
Intel Core i5 U Series / AMD Ryzen
Mobile 5
|
Core i5-7200U, Core i5-8250U
|
5 to 17 hours
|
Super Thin (Mediocre Performance)
|
Intel Core m / Core i5 / i7 Y Series
|
Core m3, Core i5-7Y54
|
5 to 9 hours
|
Budget Laptops, Low Performance
|
Intel Celeron, Pentium
|
Celeron N3050, Pentium N4200
|
4 to 6 hours
|
Super Cheap, Worst Performance
|
Intel Atom Series
|
Atom Z3735F, Atom x3, Atom x5
|
7 to 12 hours
|
