Thursday 5 May 2022
It is known that Intel is one of the leading processors company. However, many people have certainly wondered what these "random" numbers and letters at the end of CPU model numbers mean. The reality is that they are not just random as they give a lot of information regarding the features of the processors.
But let's take a processor name for example and analyze it to understand what each part of its name means.
Intel Core i5-6500T
Brand
In our case "Intel Core". The name of Intel processors starts with the Processor Brand - the product line for which it was created. The most common Intel processor names you will see today start with Intel Core, Intel Pentium, and Intel Celeron.
The Intel Pentium and Intel Celeron series were launched by Intel as the most economical processor series for consumers with more basic requirements, we will analyze them separately later.
There are also a series of Intel Xeon processors offering a higher level of performance on Servers and Workstations.
Brand Modifier
The Intel Core series of processors includes a Brand Modifier before the rest of the model number. In our case the "i5". Intel Pentium and Intel Celeron processors differ and do not use this addition in their titles. The Intel Core range includes Modifiers i3, i5, i7, and i9. Higher numbers in the modifiers mean a higher level of efficiency, but also additional features and technologies. In practice, this means that an i7 has better performance than an i5 and an i5 better than an i3 respectively.
Generation Indicator
The Brand Modifier is followed by an indication of the processor generation. Intel processor generations are identified by number in all processor categories. In a four-digit processor number, the first digit represents the generation. In our example, the 6500 digit processor is 6th generation
SKU numeric digits
For most Intel processors, the last digit of the product number is the SKU (Stock Keeping Unit). In our example the "500". An SKU is an alphanumeric code assigned to products that allow companies to track their inventory. SKUs are assigned by Intel in the order in which the processors of each generation and series of CPUs are developed. A higher SKU, in both identical brands and generations of processors, will generally have more capabilities. However, SKU numbers are not recommended for comparison among different generations or product lines.
Product line suffix
The SKU suffix is another indicator of processor capabilities that you might encounter when researching the market. These extra features are indicated by a letter-based product suffix. In our case, T means the processor's chips are designed to consume less power. Another example in the Intel Core series of processors is the suffix U, which indicates a processor designed for a Laptop with energy savings.
See more related Intel processor suffixes here.
As mentioned earlier, the Intel Pentium and Intel Celeron are slightly different from the Intel Core.
Intel Pentium processors
Intel Pentium processors include a one-letter prefix, followed by a four-digit SKU number.
Higher numbers within the processor class or family generally indicate improved CPU performance.
Intel Celeron processors
Names for Intel Celeron processors come in a variety of formats. Some Intel Celeron processors have a three-digit numeric SKU without an alphabetic prefix.
Others include a one-letter prefix followed by a four-digit SKU. Higher numbers within the category or family of processors usually indicate improved capabilities.
It is a fact that there is a degree of difficulty for an inexperienced consumer in recognizing the differences among Intel processors and their features by name. However, keeping in mind the above general rules of nomenclature, one can create a satisfactory image about the processor before looking for more features.
