amd a series processors for laptops. Which processor is better to choose for a laptop?

I look forward to your questions about the article.

Articles on this topic:

Hello friends! Today I wrote a very relevant article for you about choosing a processor for a laptop!

Confess when was the last time youWe were in a computer store and were choosing a laptop (and choosing any laptop starts with the processor), then we completely trusted the seller, since all these names of processors and video cards, with some kind of letter designation U, M, MQ, N, A6, R5, MX, you've only been confused. As a result, already at home you sorted it out a little and realized that you bought the wrong thing. And I completely understand you, because now is a difficult time and in order to have the maximum possible profit, the manufacturer is going Sometimes for various marketing tricks, sometimes selling us the “newest” processor, which, upon closer examination, can hardly be called the newest, since according to all test results it is inferior to the old processor produced 5 years ago.

When I asked this question to the general manager of the Moscow HP store (Hewlett-Packard), he answered me like this:" IN Nowadays, manufacturers of mobile processors prioritize low energy consumption, since it is believed that the device, first of all, should consume less energy and work autonomously for a long time on one battery without recharging, but you remember from school physics that mThe instantaneous power over a period of time is equal to the total transferred energy, and if this energy is not enough, then where will the power come from?»

In simple words, friends, most modern laptops (priced 40-50 thousand rubles!) are equipped with low-power but economical processors. Then the question! If we want to play modern games on a laptop without lags, then what should we do? How to choose a processor for a laptop so that the computer device itself is powerful and inexpensive? In today's article we will try to answer all these questions and tell you how laptops sold in stores differ.

Laptop computers(laptops) are very popular today. A very large number of people have a desire to buy a new laptop and, as they say, demand creates supply. The stores offer dozens of models from various manufacturers. Most buyers who come to the store see this abundance and their eyes begin to wander, which laptop should they choose.

There are several companies that produce laptops (Asus, Lenovo, Acer, etc.). We will not talk about which company is better, it is incorrect in relation to them. Moreover, they all use the same components (processors, video cards, etc.). But we'll talk about components.

All components installed in the laptop are called in one word - " Hardware platform". The basis (foundation) of the hardware platform is the processor, CPU in Russian, CPU in English.The choice of processor determines whether our laptop will be new or not quite new, low-performance or high-performance, with reduced or increased power consumption.

Processors are produced by 2 companies: Intel and AMD. AMD loses in demand Intel. E If in 2006 sales of AMD and Intel processors were 50 to 50 percent, then in 2010 it was 30 to 70, and now only 18 percent of buyers buy AMD, the remaining 82 percent buy Intel.

Both companies constantly update their processors (about once a year). The update does not change the name of the processor; for example, Intel's Core i3 remains Core i3, and AMD A8 remains A8. The update changes the generation of processors, stores do not have time to sell the previous generation, and manufacturers offer a new one, stores now sell 4 lines of Intel processors for laptops (there is also Xeon, but this is for mobile workstations):

Intel Core- the most productive processors!

Intel Core M - average performance processors.

Intel Pentium - below average performance.

Intel Celeron- low performance processors.

Each line has several generations of processors. Let's look at each line in detail!

Intel Core

Core i3 is the weakest in the line.

Core i5 - average capabilities.

Core i7 - the most powerful.

Today, 4 generations of Intel Core processors are sold.

Haswell- year of release 2013 ( 4th generation).

Broadwell- year of release 2014 ( 5th generation).

Skylake year of release 2015 ( 6th generation), it was from this generation that Intel began producing quad-core i5 processors.

Kaby Lake appeared quite recently ( 7th generation).

You can determine which generation by the first digit, for example:

Core i5-4 200U - 4th generation Haswell (2013)

Core i7-4 510U - 4th generation Haswell(2013)

Core i5-5 200U - 5th generation Broadwell (2014)

Core i7- 5 500U- 5th generation Broadwell ( 2014)

Core i3- 6 100U - 6th generation Skylake(2015)

Core i5-6 200U - 6th generation Skylake(2015)

Core i7- 6 500U - 6th generation Skylake(2015)

Core i7- 7 500U - 7th generation Kaby Lake (2016)

Core i7- 7 Y75- 7th generation Kaby Lake (2016)), as you may have noticed the letter Y in the name of the processor, what it means will be discussed in the next section of our article.

Intel Core M

Core has it lowest power processors Y and This is where things get a little more complicated.

I don't remember when they appeared, but Ivy Bridge they were Core i3-3229Y.

Intel Core M start with the 5th generation and there are three generations on sale: 5, 6 and 7.
In the 5th generation Y was singled out separately and they became not Core i, but core M (without i 3, i 5, i 7), for example - Core M 5Y31.

IN In the 6th generation they were divided into M 3, M 5, M 7 (Core M7-6Y75, Core M5-6Y57, Core M3-6Y30).
IN The 7th generation only has M3, for example - Core M 3-7Y30, but at the same time for i5 and i7 they returned Y ( Core i5-7Y54, Core i7-7Y75).

Core M3 - the weakest processor in the line, for example (Intel Core M3-6Y30).

Core M 5 - average capabilities.

Core M 7 - The most powerful.

You can also determine which generation by the first digit, for example:

intel Core M 5 Y31 - 5th generation, based on architecture Broadwell (2014)

intel Core M7-6 Y75 - 6th generation, based on architecture Skylake (2015)

intel Core M 3- 7 Y30- processor 7th generation of this line, based on the latest Kaby Lake architecture (2016) and performance is approximately equal intel Core i5-4200U, but during long-term operation it is still inferior to it due to very low power consumption (TDP) - only 4.5 W.

Pentium and Celeron are manufactured based on the Atom core and based on the Core core.

And created on the basis Core, have the letter U or M in the name, for example: Celeron 3855 U, Pentium 3560 M. They can handle light and medium tasks - Internet surfing, office applications and working with simple graphics.

Determine the release year of the processor you can also use the first digit,

Celeron

2 - year of release 2013 and 2014, for example: Celeron 2 970M.

3 - year of release 2015 and 2016, for example: Celeron N 3 010.

Pentium

3 - year of release 2014, for example Pentium 3 560M.

4 - year of release 2015 and 2016, for example: Pentium 4 405U, Pentium N 4 200.

Note: Intel was too clever with the number 3.
year 2013 ( 3558U, 3556U, N3510)
2014 (N3540, N3530, 3560M)
2015 ( N3700, 3825U, 3805U)
2016 ( N3710).

AMD has the same as Intel Core, The first digit indicates the year of release:

5 - 2013 (A6- 5 200)

6 - 2014 (A6- 6 310)

7 - 2015 (A6- 7 310)

9 - 2016 (A6- 9 210)

• The processors differ significantly in performance. Intel has the lowest performance Celeron N, and the highest performance Core i7 HK is a four-core processor with an unlocked multiplier (overclockable processor), the difference in performance between them is very large, Celeron is 11 times weaker.
  

AMD does not have high-performance laptop processors, the most powerful is the AMD FX-9830P (latest generation) and it is lower in performance than the 4-core Core i5. AMD's lowest-performance processor is the E1, equal to the Celeron N.

Laptop processor power consumption

Intel processors (Core M, Celeron N and Pentium N) have the lowest power consumption.

U processors have higher power consumption and M and H processors have even more.

The highest power consumption is for quad-core processors: MQ, HQ, HX, HK.

They do not produce 4-core U and Y processors.

The lower the power consumption, the lower the performance of the processor model!

CPU Core M3 is lower in performance than Core i3 U.

CPU Core i3 U is lower in performance than Core i3 H.

Celeron N is lower in performance than Celeron U.

With AMD also, the weaker the processor, the lower the power consumption.

Laptop video card

• The more powerful the additional video card, the more powerful the processor should be! Gaming graphics require a large number of complex calculations, so laptops are equipped with additional video cards based on processor power and customer needs.Laptops come with one video card (built into the processor), it is also often called “integrated”,and come with 2 video cards: built-in and additional (discrete). When we turn on the laptop and the desktop appears, this is the work of the built-in card (the processor processes the data and the video card displays the image on the screen), we open the browser and this is the same work of the built-in card. The built-in "integrated" card works with the vast majority of programs, which is why half of the laptops sold have one video card.

The additional (discrete) video card works mainly with 3D graphics (for most users this is games).

3D graphics vary in severity (quantity and quality of objects), so additional video cards are produced in different capacities

Video cards for general use are produced by AMD (Radeon video cards) and Nvidia (GeForce video cards).

FirePro (AMD) and Quadro (Nvidia) professional cards will not be discussed.

Today, stores sell three lines of mobile Radeon video cards.

R5 is the lowest in performance.

R7 - higher performance.

R9 are the most powerful cards.

Each line has a series:

M200 series released 2014

M300 series released 2015

M400 series released 2016

The M400 series is represented by the following video cards: R5 M435, R5 M430, R5 M420, R7 M465X, R7 M465, R7 M460, R7 M445, R7 M440, R9 M485X, R9 M470X, R9 M470.

Nvidia, as such, does not have lines; it has a division between GeForce from 10 to 40 and GeForce GTX from 50 to 80.

The first digit indicates the year of release.

8 - year of release 2014.

9 - year of release 2015.

the second digit means performance, the lower the number, the lower the performance:

810M 820M ....880M

910M 920M ....980M

In 2016, GeForce 920MX, 930MX, 940MX video cards appeared and they are 30 percent more productive than the 920-940M, as well as GeForce GTX 1050, 1060, 1070, 1080 (they don’t have M mobile) they are 2 times more productive than 950-980 video cards M.

Power determination laptop processor and video card

Buying a laptop begins with viewing the models offered in stores. We offer a simple and fast way to determine the power of the processor and video card.

There is a website on the Internet PassMark http://www.passmark.com and there is a very large database of performance test results for all existing processors, video cards, as well as RAM and hard drive. Based on these tests, a performance index is derived. TOWe'll show you how to use the site using the example of choosing a laptop.

So, we have 2 laptops with the same price.

HP Pavilion 15-au107ur, Z3B14EA(with Intel Core i5 7200U processor)

And

Lenovo B5180, 80LM012URK(with Intel Core i5 6200U processor)

Let's check the processor performance rating.

We go to the website http://www.passmark.com and enter into the search window the model of the Intel Core i5 7200U processor installed on the HP Pavilion 15-au107ur laptop, click on the Magnifying Glass icon (Search).

The page will open,select the line with the name of the desired processor Price perfomance comparison, here it is number 1 (but may not be the first number) and click on it with the mouse.

In the window that opens we see the average performance rating is 4725, and the average performance rating for one core is 1747 (by the way, the number of cores misleads some buyers, for example, the Pentium N3710 processor has four cores, but the performance rating for one core is 571).

We also see more information:

These processors were tested on 281 laptops.

Minimum power consumption (TDP) 7.5 W.

TDP) 15 W.

The year of appearance of laptops with this processor is 2016.

Let's check the performance index of the second processor, the steps are the same.

Enter the model of the Intel Core i5 6200U processor installed on the laptop into the search window Lenovo B5180 , click on the Magnifying Glass icon (Search).

A page will open, select the line with the name of the desired processor Price performance comparison and click on it with the mouse.

The performance score is 3941, down 18 percent from the previous processor's score.

These processors have been tested on a 2790 laptop.

Maximum power consumption ( TDP) 15 W.

The year of appearance of laptops with this processor is 2015

Using the same method, we will check the video cards of our two laptops.

average rating NVIDIA video cards GeForce 940MX installed on an HP Pavilion laptop is equal to 1237.

Evaluation of the AMD Radeon R5 M330 video card installed on Lenovo laptop B5180 is equal to 579.

The year of appearance of laptops with this video card is 2016.

What games and at what settings can the video card of this or that laptop run?

Performance assessment hardware platform We have learned about our laptops and already have a real idea of ​​which is better and which is worse (despite the same price), but most users are also interested inwhat games and at what settings the video card of this or that laptop will run. DTo do this, go to another site

http://www.notebookcheck-ru.com/Videokarty-v-igrakh-Tablica.14067.0.html

On the left side of the window that opens, enter the name of the GeForce 940MX video card in the input field. On the right side of the window, select the game we are interested in from the list (I will select Resident Evil) and click the "Show" button

Left click to enlarge the screenshot

a page with the result will open. PIn terms of gaming performance, this video card ranks 182nd. M This is determined for all cards, not just mobile ones. We also see that 61% of users played the Resident Evil game comfortably only on low settings.

In this window you can select several games at once. Hold down the Ctrl key and highlight the games you are interested in, then click the "Show" button

We perform the same actions with the AMD Radeon R5 M330 video card.

P Regarding gaming performance, this video card ranks only 337th and unfortunately not tested with Resident Evil game.

This is how you can compare laptops offered in stores.

How to view performance ratings on the PassMark website all the components of your laptop

Return to the site http://www.passmark.com

Select Benchmarks, then CPU Benchmarks.

Select Laptop/Portable CPU Chart

In this list you can find the processor you are interested in and compare its rating with the rating of any other processor.

We compare video cards in the same way.

Select Benchmarks, then Video Card Benchmarks.

Performance ratings of components of a regular computer or laptop based on the PerformanceTest program

Users from all countries test their laptops and computers using this program and add test results to the database.

For example, I suggest testing a laptop Acer Aspire E5-573G-31V3 with Intel Core i3 5005U processor and GeForce 940M video card.

Download the PerformanceTest program.

Software-->PerformanceTest

Download Download PerformanceTest 9.

If you have an old operating system, you can download previous versions of the program below.

We install the program.

The installation process is very simple, you just need to accept the license agreement.

Launch the program after installation.

Click on the Continue button.

If you want to test all the components of your computer or laptop at once (you can also test them separately), then click on the RUN BENCHMARK button.

Yes.

The test of the processor begins, then the video card, RAM and hard drive.

To ensure that the test score is accurate, do not run any applications on your computer or touch the mouse during the test. The test itself will last no more than five minutes.

During the test, the processor is loaded with various computing operations.

For the video card test, the PassMark PerformanceTest program creates exactly the same load that would occur during the most demanding computer game.The video card is also tested for 2D and 3D graphics. As you know, graphics come in 2D and 3D.

2D graphics is responsible for displaying a two-dimensional image: displaying the desktop, watching videos, and the like.

3D graphics are responsible for displaying a three-dimensional image: displaying all the details of a modern game; the application environment is also tested here: DirectX 9, DirectX 10, DirectX 11, DirectX 12.

RAM test. The RAM bandwidth is checked.

The hard drive test looks like writing small blocks of data to it.

At the end of all tests, we get an overall assessment of the configuration of our laptop. On the right side of the window we see individual ratings of all components. Of course, the result is not so great, but this laptop costs more than forty thousand rubles. The Intel Core i3 5005U processor score is 2679, and the GeForce 940M video card score is 1479.

Click OK.

The program offers to enter test results into its database.

The result (in the form of a report) will always be available via the link:

http://www.passmark.com/baselines/V9/display.php?id=73690558801

The main PassMark PerformanceTest window will also display the test results of each component with all the details, for example, click on the GPU MARK button and you will see all the tests performed on the processor.

The program allows you to compare performance ratings of different models of computers and laptops. You don't have to test your car.

Launch the program and click on the Manage Baselines icon

In the window that opens, click Currently Selected.

The program offers you to compare your assessment with the assessments of these models. We don’t need this now, so we clear the list (uncheck the boxes) and return to the search, click on the Simple Search button

You can search by processor, video card, disk and model. As an example, let's search on a video card.

Enter the name of the video card in the input field, in my case - 940M and click on the Search button.

and select several models (check them), click “Close”,

If you have tested your laptop's video card in the program PerformanceTest, then your result will be displayed here.

I look forward to your questions about the article.

Popular

Hello friends, readers of our site. Today I would like to review the browsers of 2017 for you. Every day, many new programs appear in the world that satisfy our needs in all areas of digital life.

Processor (CPU) - central processor device. To put it simply, this is central device a computer that processes information. Such important things as speed (working speed) and performance (working efficiency) depend on the processor.

How important is clock speed?

At first glance, it is difficult to understand what the differences are between the processors in different laptops and even in the configuration of the same model. The fact is that in times when processors were simple (single-core), and the number of models used by manufacturers was relatively small, everything was relatively simple: the newer the chip and the larger it was, the better.

Clock frequency is the number of operations that a computer performs in one second, this frequency is measured in MHz (megahertz). To find out more about what this is, follow the link above.

Now everything is not entirely true, especially if we talk about chips intended for laptops - a high clock frequency does not always mean that you bought a high-performance processor model.

In this article we will look at how to determine which processor is right for you.

In general, when choosing a processor you need to focus on:

• processor manufacturer;
• the presence of “built-in” or “dedicated graphics / combining both;
• energy saving;
• clock speed and cache size.

Processor architecture refers to how its main elements are located inside the processor. Certain processor capabilities depend on this. This is a complex device consisting of a huge number of transistor cells. That's why new architecture- this is always a step forward, an increase in speed, new, more stringent technological standards, etc. The more modern the architecture of the processor installed in your laptop, the better.

Phenom processor architecture.

Step one - determine whether Amd or Intel

Before deciding on the specific characteristics of the processor, you need to decide on the manufacturer. To decide on this issue, just read our article - ““. In general, it should be noted that there is no one hundred percent leader in this confrontation. However, usually, if you are willing to spend a good amount of money on a laptop, then Intel will be optimal for you, while Amd is a priority choice in the budget segment.

Step two - determine whether the processor needs built-in graphics

There are several types of processors:

• with integrated (built-in) video card
• with discrete (dedicated) video card
• with both integrated and discrete video cards

Advantages of processors with integrated video cards:

1. Price - such processors cost much less
2. Energy consumption - laptops with such processors hold a charge much longer
3. Noise - such processors are much quieter due to the fact that there is no need for additional fans

Advantages of processors with discrete video cards:

1. High performance graphics card
2. High quality graphics
3. Possibility of replacing the video card if it becomes outdated

As already mentioned, processors with integrated graphics cards are less powerful. Thanks to this, simple laptop models that are designed for office work can do without discrete video cards. Of course, you can’t play modern demanding games on such a laptop or computer, but this is more than enough to work with a warehouse database, Excel or Word.

When you buy a laptop with a discrete graphics card, your laptop will still have integrated graphics. In this case, HD Graphics (a series of built-in (integrated) video cards from Intel) works when the laptop uses batteries for power, and discrete card- when working from the network to ensure maximum performance.

The functionality of HD Graphics is not as bad as salespeople in stores say. Of course, in Battlefield 4 on a laptop with such graphic system You won’t be able to play normally, but games that are a little older or with not too sophisticated graphics will work great.

Therefore, if you are not going to use the laptop for games or use complex programs that require a decent graphics card, you can safely go for a laptop that only has graphics integrated into the processor. If you are purchasing a machine on which serious graphics calculations will be performed, a video card integrated into the processor is not enough; you need a separate discrete video card. There is a separate article about that for a laptop.

Step three - decide on the number of cores

4-core processor from Intel. Each Core = core.

Almost all modern laptops are equipped with at least dual-core processors. Only very weak machines, which are not even laptops, but netbooks, are designed on single-core systems such as Intel Atom.

Most of the laptops are lower and middle price ranges run on dual-core chips different generations. More powerful – multimedia and gaming machines, are equipped with quad-core processors.

At the same time, we cannot categorically say that the more cores a processor has, the better. If we talk about the price/performance ratio, then dual-core Core i5 chips are market leaders. Therefore, they are found most often in actually used configurations. And in terms of price/performance ratio, Core i5 solutions turn out to be the most optimal.

Step four - decide on the clock frequency

Of course, a processor with a higher clock frequency will be more productive than a chip with a similar architecture. In general, comparisons based on clock speed may lead to incorrect conclusions. After all, in recent years there has been no noticeable increase in clock frequencies, and younger models are catching up with older ones in this parameter. Moreover, the clock Core frequency The i7 may even be smaller than some Celeron. But this does not mean that the second one is more productive. It's all about the number of cores and the amount of cache memory, as well as support for technologies such as Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost. Therefore, the clock speed is, of course, important, but the architecture plays a role first of all!

Decide what series of processor you will buy and only then look at its clock frequency. Within one series of chips, the rule applies: “the higher the clock frequency, the better.” and multimedia systems, it is worth choosing faster processors for office solutions The power of any modern processor is enough.

The importance of RAM and cache memory when choosing a processor for a laptop

Another fundamentally important parameter for assessing performance is the amount of cache memory built into the processor. The fact is that the exchange of information between processor cores and cache memory is much faster than with RAM ( RAM). As a result, the larger the cache size, the faster your processor ends up being. Moreover, in real problems It is a large cache size that is needed more often than additional cores or too high a frequency. However, the larger the cache memory, the more expensive the processor is.. In addition, increasing memory leads to heating of the processor.

If we talk about a specific purchase, then when choosing a processor of the same series and line for multimedia systems and workstations, preference should be given to those with a larger cache memory.

Energy saving

Power consumption depending on the processor. Below are the most greedy processors.

Most laptop processors are designed to be as low power as possible. All modern AMD and Intel chips support a feature such as Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology or AMD Cool’n’Quiet (depending on the manufacturer). When your laptop is not too busy with complex calculations, this feature reduces the processor clock speed and voltage. As a result, it is possible to gain more time battery life, reducing energy consumption and heat generation.

In addition, so that a modern fast chip can be placed in a thin ultrabook case, processor manufacturers began to release their energy-saving models, allowing you to build a quiet, cool system with decent battery life.

It is clear that the less heat generated, the better, but mainly energy is saved by reducing productivity. And if it does not decrease, then the price increases significantly.

As a result, it turned out that while an energy-saving processor is exactly what you need for office and mobile use, it is not very suitable for games or video processing.

Intel Haswell - a series of the most popular mobile processors

Currently, the leading mobile processor line is the fourth generation Intel Core series of chips – Haswell.

As in previous generations, the Haswell series produces three processor lines:

• Intel Core i5;
• Intel Core i7.

At the same time, in Core line i7 has both dual- and quad-core models.

The series includes mobile and ultramobile processors that were also produced in previous generations. Besides, in Haswell line For the first time, ultra-ultramobile chips were made. You can determine which specific processor the manufacturer installed in your laptop by the letter index located after the four-digit numeric index of the chip.

Intel has adopted the following designations (suffix for this line):

• Y - processor with extremely low power consumption; 11.5 W
• U - ultra-mobile processor, with low energy consumption; 15-28 W
• M - mobile processor; 37-57 W
• Q - quad-core processor;
• X - extreme processor; top solution
• H - processor made specifically for high-performance graphics

The Extreme Processor does not pose a danger to users, despite its name. This line provides processors with maximum performance.

In general, if you decide to choose a specific type of processor for a laptop, then for productive systems we can recommend i5 and i7 “4ХХХ M” chips. As an option - i7 “4ХХХ U”, and for those for whom the autonomy of the laptop is more important, you should consider the option with “4ХХХ Y” chips. But you must be prepared for the fact that the performance of such systems leaves much to be desired.

A way to improve productivity

Intel processors use Turbo Boost technology, which automatically increases the frequency of the cores. Intel uses it in chips starting with Core i5 and i7.

The operating principle of the technology is simple: if not all cores are loaded during operation, the clock frequency automatically increases. U dual core processor the frequency of one core increases, for quad-cores - one or two. This gives a serious performance boost in applications optimized for the use of multi-core systems: mathematical data processing programs, audio and video editors, and a number of games. We strongly recommend choosing a processor equipped with this technology. There are other ways.

Summary or approximate sequence for choosing a processor type

Now that you have an idea of ​​the features of mobile processors, finally, we’ll give you some tips on choosing specific model. First of all, decide how much money you are willing to spend on a laptop; for this, we have a special unique calculator. Next, you need to decide what the laptop will be used for. An office laptop, essentially used as a typewriter, can make do with chips with the U and Y indices.

In machines purchased for working with video and graphics, multimedia systems, there should only be a processor with the M index and no less than Core i5. Haswell processor is highly recommended. For office use, you can limit yourself to Core i3. For example, if your purchase budget is limited and you only have enough money for an i5 Haswell with the U index or an i5 Ivy Bridge with the M index, it is better to choose the latter, as it has better performance characteristics.

We hope these tips will help you choose a laptop with a processor that provides optimal performance within your budget.

Good luck and successful shopping!

Most recently, Intel updated its line of processors. They have become a little faster due to increased clock speeds and optimization of video processing. If you haven't bought an ultrabook for several years, you can easily get confused about new chip models. We will tell you what to expect from new products and which processor to choose depending on your needs.

For gaming laptop

If you've definitely decided that you don't want a compact and lightweight laptop, but a truly powerful device capable of running all modern games, then Intel has processors just for that. In fact, of course, not specifically for games, but for any resource-intensive tasks. In this case, during 2017 you can safely choose among the following names:

• Intel Core i7-7700HQ
• Intel Core i7-7820HQ
• Intel Core i7-7820HK
• Intel Core i7-7920HQ.

They all have four cores and process eight threads. All except the Intel Core i7-7700HQ come with 8MB of cache. The top model, Intel Core i7-7920HQ, operates at frequencies from 3.1 to 4.1 GHz. But the most preferable choice is, of course, the Intel Core i7-7820HK, which has an unlocked multiplier. Just don’t forget that the laptop must have overclocking support at the BIOS level, software for Windows, or even a special button for overclocking, like, for example, Lenovo IdeaPad Y910().

Also keep in mind that such processors are not very well suited for long battery life and are rarely found in compact laptops.

For a powerful ultrabook

Though gaming laptop, but everything is mobile; sometimes you still need a laptop to take it with you to meetings or classes every day. Such a laptop should be light and compact, but if you want it to work smoothly not only in mail client, but also in professional applications, you also need to take a closer look at the processor model. Although many ultrabooks look the same, under the “hood” they can have completely different fillings.

To ensure that a brand new ultrabook does not lose its initial agility after just a year, it must have one of the following new processors:

• Intel Core i7-7600U
• Intel Core i7-7660U
• Intel Core i7-7500U
• Intel Core i7-7560U.

They are already at least half as productive as their older counterparts listed above, but at the same time they are three times colder. This allows them to be installed even in the thinnest ultrabooks such as ASUS ZenBook 3 ().

The main reason for the lower performance of ultrabook processors is that they only have two cores and four threads. Plus, clock speeds Although they are stated at levels up to 4 GHz, in reality this is just a peak frequency, and in a thin case, due to constantly high temperatures, such processors often operate at the nominal or even lower frequency.

But at the same time, ultrabooks with these processors, especially when paired with solid state drives, can easily replace top-end computers from the late 2000s, while also offering long battery life.

For a simple ultrabook

If an ultrabook for you is a toy that is excessive in functionality and speed, you can always pay attention to processors Intel series Y. It is best if it is Intel Core i5-7Y54 or Intel Core i7-7Y75. Starting with the seventh generation, the microchip manufacturing giant decided to further confuse consumers with non-obvious series names. Now processors, the heat dissipation of which is 10 times less than that of the older models, also have names starting with i5 and i7. Thank God, for now the letter Y remains in their names, reminding that even for ultrabooks these chips are not fire.

They are best suited for the most compact laptop models: weighing barely more than a kilogram, small 11-inch displays, as well as for convertibles and Windows tablets. With Y-series chips, you will still feel like a human, you just won’t be able to load the laptop with anything serious. And you will be able to go to the outlet less often.