How to navigate the processor quagmire
Even Hercule Poirot would struggle to decipher AMD and Intel’s naming strategies, but it helps if you can work out how to spot the clues in the first place
One aspect of computing that has grown worse over time is the naming of processors. It’s not that we think AMD and Intel are deliberately confusing the market, but we’ve reached the point where even technology enthusiasts would struggle to decipher the model names.
But, like an Agatha Christie murder mystery, both companies scatter clues to help those seeking out the truth. Here, we attempt to isolate the clues.
Intel: Core blimey
Intel releases a new generation of its Core family of processors each year. We’re now on to the 12th generation, codenamed Alder Lake, which means most PCs you can buy include 10th, 11th or 12th generation processors. (There is still the odd exception for specialist machines, such as the Acer ConceptD 100 we test this month.)
Until Alder Lake, each generation brought minor percentage improvements in performance, but like compound interest those improvements add up when the years mount. What’s more, with the 12th generation, Intel made a big architectural leap by switching to a “Big.Little” strategy: Performance cores (P-cores) are now supported by Efficiency cores (E-cores). At least, in most chips. For instance, some Core i3 chips only include P-cores.
The great benefit of these extra cores are brought to bear in tasks that use multiple threads – video editing, rendering, most modern games – but those E-cores also help Windows deal with low-intensity tasks in the background and leave the P-cores to attack tasks that make full use of their power. Overall, we’re big fans of 12th generation Core chips.
However, you still need to dig into the detail or you might be caught out. Processors with “K” at the end of their name are unlocked, which means you can push them further than the stated frequency in partnership with a powerful cooler. An “F” means that Intel hasn’t integrated graphics into the CPU package, so you’ll need to partner it with a graphics card.
There are many more suffixes too, but we don’t have space to cover them all here. That’s one reason why it’s always worth entering a product name into Google (not Bing, as its algorithm sends you to weird places when it comes to processors) to see exactly what it includes and how fast it can go.
Intel doesn’t shout about this, but it also releases Pentium and Celeron processors based on the same technology as its Core chips. They’ll be cut back in terms of core counts, cache and clock speed, and never include Hyper-Threading (where cores can be split into two threads, enabling faster parallel processing), but they have their rightful place in budget systems that will be used for undemanding office applications.
AMD: Ryzen to the challenge
Ever since AMD committed to its Ryzen chips, and in particular the Zen architecture they’re built upon, it has blazed its way to performance glory. It’s only thanks to Intel’s radical switch to the Big.Little strategy, as described above, that it can finally match AMD for the number of cores per processor. Based on our benchmarking, Intel has also overtaken its rival for single-core performance.
So, forget AMD? Not at all. Its Ryzen 5000 family of desktop processors continues to deliver phenomenal value for money, and we’re also grateful to AMD for adopting a relatively simple naming strategy that makes it easier for people to understand what they’re buying.
If you see an “X” at the end of a chip’s name, that indicates it’s a more powerful variant of the same processor without an “X” (such as 5800X vs 5800) and will be amenable to overclocking. “XT” versions are their big brothers, with higher clock speeds by default. And “G” indicates a chip with Radeon Vega graphics built in. If you see an “L”, which is unlikely outside of all-in-one
PCs or very compact designs, that indicates low power consumption, integrated graphics and reduced performance.
One last thing. AMD has just launched its Ryzen 7 58003XD processor, with its “3D V-Cache Technology” that basically packs in far more cache. This gives it a boost in games in particular, with AMD claiming increases of up to 36% compared to the Ryzen 9 5900X in Watch Dogs: Legion. We expect this 3D approach to be commonplace in its Ryzen 7000 series of desktop chips (Ryzen 6000 will be for laptops only), due out in the second half of this year.
It’s always worth entering a product name into Google to see exactly what it includes and how fast it can go