Planning to buy a new laptop? Here's how to choose the right Intel CPU for your machine

Intel CPUs have long been the processor of choice for most users buying a new laptop or desktop PC. Majority of the laptops on the market today tend to have an Intel inside, and you can find all sorts of models across price ranges.

Most of the laptops in the market are currently powered by Intel processors. (Intel)

Intel CPUs' newer models strike a good balance between power consumption and performance, and we've also gotten plenty of AI-capable Intel processors this year to supercharge Microsoft's Copilot experience, with more coming soon.

If you are planning on buying a new laptop with an Intel CPU, here is what you need to know before you make your decision.

What to look for in a CPU?

Generation - For a laptop CPU, the most important thing would be to try and get the most recent generation within your budget. More than just performance, the latest generation tends to be more power efficient, may feature improved architectures, and tend to have better specs. Since you can't upgrade the CPU in your laptop, it's important to get the latest generation or one from the previous generation at the very least.

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Number of cores - As a rule of thumb, the more the merrier. The total number of CPU cores can directly translate into better computational performance, provided the application can take advantage of all the cores effectively. Intel switched to a hybrid core architecture from the 12th generation onwards, where the CPU has a mix of performance (P-cores) and efficiency cores (E-cores). E-cores are always more in number than P-cores. Intel also has something called Hyper-Threading, a technology that allows more than one process to run on each physical core in order to complete a task quicker.

NPU - A Neural Processing Unit or NPU is a recent addition to Intel CPUs. Basically, this co-processor inside the CPU is used to execute AI related tasks more efficiently. All Copilot laptops and upcoming Intel Copilot+ PCs will have an NPU onboard. This chip will enable new and exclusive AI features in Windows 11, so if you think you'll need them then you need to make sure you have Intel's Core Ultra series processor or newer.

Cache memory - This is essentially really fast memory that relays data from the RAM to the CPU. The more cache memory a CPU has, the more instructions it can have ready for the CPU to execute at any given time. There are various levels of CPU cache memory – L1, L2, and L3 – with L1 being the fastest since it's closest to the core. L3 cache is usually much larger in size than the other two. In short, having more CPU cache leads to lower latency and better performance.

Intel Evo Edition - Intel Evo Edition laptops is more of a certification that promises a set of premium experiences, longer battery life, and enhanced privacy. You can easily identify such laptops with the Intel Evo logo on the product page or a physical sticker inside the laptop. Features like biometric login and wake-from-sleep in under a second are some things that you can expect. Select Intel CPUs qualify for this certification, going back to 11th Gen processors, so if you're stuck between two choices and one of them is Evo, always go with the Evo edition.

The Intel 13th and 14th Gen CPU controversy

If you're following the computing space, chances are you've stumbled upon the ongoing brouhaha regarding stability issues with Intel's 13th and 14th Gen CPUs. This issue is only affecting Intel's high-end desktop CPUs, which means the laptop versions of these two generations should be in the clear. After months of users and game developers reporting stability issues, Intel has acknowledged the problem and is preparing to deploy a microcode patch in an attempt to fix it. The company won't be recalling the affected CPUs, but it has announced an extended two-year warranty for affected chips.

Understanding Intel's naming convention

It's important to understand what those letters and numbers mean in the name of the Intel CPU. This is a quick and easy way to spot a new generation from the old, and also know what sort of features and performance to expect by simply understanding the naming convention. Intel has recently made some changes to its naming system and how it classifies its various family of CPUs.

Intel Core Ultra series

This is how Intel Core Ultra series processors are named. (Intel)

This is how Intel Core Ultra series processors are named. (Intel)

Let's start with the latest series of Intel CPUs, known as the Core Ultra series. You'll find these in 2024 laptops models bearing the Copilot button on the keyboard. The Core Ultra series features a dedicated NPU, and some models have the latest Intel Arc GPU for enhanced gaming. This series is good for general computing, mid to casual gaming, and is the best for running AI tasks.

The number after the Ultra name indicates the tier. 9 is the most premium, followed by 7 in high-end models, and 5 as the starting point. The first number in the model number is the series. Meteor Lake or the current-gen Core Ultra series is the first generation, hence the number ‘1'. Upcoming Lunar Lake Core Ultra processors will most likely have ‘2' at the beginning to help you identify the generation. The next two numbers are the actual part number of this CPU for its generation. Generally speaking, higher is better.

The last letter or suffix in the name is important, as it denotes the class of CPU, the features you can expect, and what apps will run best on it. This generation of Core Ultra series only has two suffixes – H and U. ‘H' class CPUs have Intel Arc graphics, more cache and P-cores, but a higher power requirement (TDP), while ‘U' class CPUs have a lower power rating, only two P-cores (E-cores can be similar to H class), and Intel Graphics.

Intel Core series

Here's how Intel Core series processors are named. (Intel)

Here's how Intel Core series processors are named. (Intel)

Along with the introduction of the Core Ultra series, Intel also changed the way it will name newer CPUs by dropping the ‘i' in name. It added three new SKUs called Core 7, Core 5, and Core 3 processors, all having just ‘U' class models. The major difference between these and the Core Ultra series is that it doesn't have an NPU and the GPU is Intel Graphics, instead of Arc. These CPUs use Intel's Raptor Lake or 13th Gen architecture. You'll find these chips in basic, everyday computing laptops.

Intel Core 14th and 13th Gen series

Here's how Intel Core 14th and 13th Gen Series processors are named. (Intel)

Here's how Intel Core 14th and 13th Gen Series processors are named. (Intel)

These are the last generation of Intel processors to carry the ‘i' branding in the name, and the majority of the laptops in the market will have these CPUs. Both are based on Intel's Raptor Lake architecture (14th Gen uses Raptor Lake-Refresh). For laptops, Intel only released the high-end ‘HX' series of the 14th Gen, commonly found in premium gaming laptops. 13th Gen laptop models are a wider variety, starting with ‘HX' at the top all the way to ‘U' class at the bottom. Here, you have a choice between four tiers like i3, i5, i7, and i9. The greater number, the better the features and performance (also price).

The first two numbers indicate the generation. With laptops, look for a CPU with either 14, 13, or 12, but don't settle for anything lower. The next three numbers indicate where the CPU stands within that tier. This isn't that important, unless you're looking for specific features. The suffix at the end is what you should pay attention to. For laptops, these are what the suffixes mean:

HX/ HK - These are the highest performing CPUs for its respective generation, with minor differences to number of cores, onboard GPU, cache, and power draw. These CPUs are usually used in high-end gaming or content creation laptops. Core i9 models generally have only these suffixes.

H - This is a popular choice for high-performance laptops that want to balance power consumption too. ‘H' class laptops are available across the tiers, except for Core i3.

P - This class of processors is popular in premium thin and light laptops. It offers good performance, while keeping power consumption and heat to a minimum.

U - The ‘U' class of laptops are the most power efficient, and are used in thin and light machines as well as entry-level laptops. They're designed to handle light workloads and basic tasks only.

Intel Processor series

Here's how Intel Processor series is named. (Intel)

Here's how Intel Processor series is named. (Intel)

In late 2022, Intel announced that it will replace the Pentium and Celeron branding with just ‘Intel Processor'. The new naming scheme does not include any generation indicator in the CPU number, although you can get more information by looking it up on Intel's website. This series will have either an ‘N' or ‘U' prefix, but no suffix. These CPUs should be available in low-cost laptops, and will be good for just the very basic computing tasks.

If you do happen to stumble upon laptops with an Intel Pentium or Celeron CPU, make sure they are from the 12th Gen ‘Alder Lake' series at the very least.

Upcoming Intel CPUs to look out for

The next generation Core Ultra processors are right around the corner, and Intel will be making an official announcement on September 3, 2024. These processors will be based on the new Lunar Lake architecture which promises even greater power efficiency, improved computing and neural processing power, and stronger gaming performance. Intel says these chips will power more than 80 new laptops, which will include the first Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs.

Keep in mind that this will only be an announcement, so actual availability of models from OEMs will depend on each manufacturer. There's typically a couple of months delay between new Windows laptops being announced globally and by the time they make it to India, so I suspect we should see these models here by the end of year or even early next year.

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