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.

What does the intel processor do