While AMD is making inroads, Intel is by far the number one choice in computer processors. Core processors are great chips for a desktop or laptop, but what’s the difference between Core i3, i5, i7, i9, and X?
What’s a Core Processor?
Intel Core processors first came to the desktop in mid-2006, replacing the Pentium line that had previously comprised Intel’s high-end processors.
The Core “i” names are primarily “high level” categorizations that help differentiate processors within a given generation. A specific Core “i” name doesn’t mean the processor has a certain number of cores, nor does it guarantee features, like Hyper-Threading, which allows the CPU to process instructions faster.
Feature specifics can change between generations. As technology advances, it becomes cheaper to create higher-performing, low-end parts. It also means that features once found in parts like a Core i3 can disappear from the class entirely.
General performance in similar CPUs also changes between generations. Low-level improvements to how CPUs process information result in generally better performance, sometimes, at lower clock speeds than previous families of CPUs.
Therefore, the differences between Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 designations matter most within its respective generation. For example, a seventh-generation “Kaby Lake” Core i7, and a third-generation “Ivy Bridge” Core i7 might run at similar speeds with similar core counts. This is generally meaningless, though, as the newer part is still going to perform better—check out this comparison at UserBenchmark as an example.
With that in mind, there are a few guideposts you can use to understand what all the different parts mean.
Core i3: The Low End
Intel Core i3 processors are where the Core lineup starts for each generation. In general, Core i3 processors have lower core counts than higher-grade CPUs. This used to mean that Core i3’s started with dual-core processors, but for recent generations, that core count has gone up to four on the desktop.
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