What do the numbers in the CPU stand for? Like i7-9700 vs the i7-8700 vs the i5-8600/9600?
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i3/5/7 loosely corellates to cores/threads. Early i3s had 2 cores, later 2 cores and 4 threads, currently 4 cores. i5s have had 4 cores/threads up until recently where they bumped up to 6 cores/threads. i7s have been more of a mixed bag, but generally have had two threads per core relative to i5s.
Cores are the number of workers that can perform a given task at a given point in time. Threads are a particular job that a worker can work on, given that he’s got downtime between tasks.
The a in ix-abcd also correlates to generation (at least in desktop models). An i3-5600 is a 5th generation processor. New generations typically impart a smaller manufacturing process which means more transistors on the chip, so more computing power and/or lower power requirements for a given performance factor.
They are Intel model numbers. Basically it means whatever the marketing department at Intel wants them to mean. Generally bigger numbers is better, or at least more expensive. It could be because the parts are newer, have more cores or cache, or better quality, but that may not always bet the case. In general i3 is the brand used for low end CPUs, i5 for normal desktop CPUs, i7 for businesses and high end consumers and i9 for top of the line CPUs. The rest of the numbers can mean anything the marketing department wants however the first digit is generally the generation number of the Intel Core architecture.
The numbers after a cpu tell you what generation your CPU is, for example a cpu with a 9 number after will be 9th gen, while a cpu with a 7 number after it will be 7th gen. This is important because motherboards do not support every generation of cpu, if you’re looking for an upgrade you need to purchase a cpu in accordance to the cpu generations your motherboard supports
All I know is that I stands for Intel. I’m pretty sure that I7 is faster then i5. Basically the computer chip can process a fuck shit load more data then an i5. I think I had one somewhere. The numbers after that just correspond to diverent versions of the same power. I7 8700 is more powerful then i5 9600.
It explains the generation and tier.
So i5 is the intermediary
8600 means it’s from the 8th generation, 600 means is the best from the i5s (you also have the i5 8400, same generation but a bit weaker). The 9600 is the next generation.
i7 is high class (though there’s also the i9), and the rest is the same, 9 is because is generation number 9, 700 because is the stronger.
You also have letters sometimes at the end. K means you can overclock, F it means that doesn’t have integrated graphics (meaning you need a GPU for the PC to work).
Whatever the manufacturer wants, really.
For Intel, the general idea is i3 = budget, i5 = good, i7 = high end, i9 = top of the line. The bigger the number after that, the more powerful.
They’ve been around for a long time so it’s hard to deduce anything specific from the number, like the number of cores. and i7 will definitely have more than an i3, but now many exactly varies.
Also different uses have different trade-offs. Less cores in some cases might actually better. In other cases, the more cores, the better. If you’re concerned about performance you should really find benchmarks of whatever you’re interested in — games, 3D rendering, etc, and deciding based on that.
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