The entry-level i3 tier features dual cores - so, two processors on one chip - and Hyper-Threading, which allows for simultaneous, more efficient processing. (There's also the new luxury-class Core i9 line, designed for video pros and extreme gamers and slated to feature an 18-core model, as well as the Core-M series, in very thin, low-power premium products.) Intel's Core line of processors fall into three tiers - the i3, i5 and i7. What does all of this mean for you? A fairly impenetrable system of processor names just got even more complicated.

The next release, with smaller 10nm parts, isn't expected until 2018 - but those CPUs may be part of the eighth generation as well. Coffee Lake uses the same 14nm (nanometer) process as the previous generation, which is a measure of the transistors used in fabricating semiconductors.

Instead of sticking with one architecture per generation, however, the company says its eighth generation will feature multiple architectures - including last year's Kaby Lake series, this summer's Kaby Lake R release, the brand new Coffee Lake series and forthcoming Cannon Lake designs. Read: Intel brings the cores with 8th gen Coffee Lake processors The biggest change for the low-voltage CPUs is a step up to quad-core from dual-core one, which should improve multitasking performance. The first 8th-gen chips, which are designed for thin and light laptops and two-in-ones like the Surface Pro, include new 15-watt U-series Core i5 and Core i7 processors. And the eighth generation of the Core family marks some serious changes in the way that Intel is organizing, naming, and releasing its processors.Īcer's 8th-gen gaming hybrid, the Nitro Spin 5. These are the pervasive Core chips that power popular devices like Apple's MacBook Air and iMac, Microsoft's Surface Pro, and hundreds of others. This summer, Intel disrupted the predictable, incremental power increases it delivers every year with what it says is a 'once in a decade' performance upgrade to its line of mobile processors. Still, with a little bit of analysis, it's possible to decrypt these code names to figure out exactly what you can expect out of your processor, how new it is, and whether it's worth the money. It doesn't help that most Intel processors have stuck with the exact same top-level names (Core i5, Core i7, etc.) year after year. The chipmakers have not done themselves any favors with their nerdy and arcane naming conventions. Whether called the processor, CPU, or central processing unit, it deserves top-line billing on your spec list, as it's the brain of your device.īut CPUs cause confusion and stress for shoppers. It's arguably the most important component in your laptop, tablet or desktop computer. The 8th generation of the Core marks a change in the way Intel names its chips.

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