Intel Core I5 Laptops - Know The Difference

With so many laptops on the market, with all kind of processors, one of the wisest decisions you may take is to settle down on an Intel Core i5 laptop. But before choosing a laptop powered by an Intel Core i5 mobile CPU, you have to be familiar with the i5 CPU series, as Intel recently released the 3rd generation of i5 processors. Knowing the CPU model numbers will help you differentiate between the 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation, and not to choose a laptop with an outdated CPU.

The 1st generation of Intel Core i5 mobile CPUs has been introduced to the public for the first time late in 2009, under the name of "Arrandale", as a mainstream variant of the earlier high-end performance Core i7. Arrandale i5 processors have integrated graphics but only two processor cores.

Arrandale Dual Core i5 mobile CPUs:

Core i5-5xxMCore i5-4xxMCore i5-5xxUMCore i5-4xxUM

The 2nd generation of Intel Core i5 mobile CPUs, aka "Sandy Bridge", made its appearance in early 2011. These processors are, also, dual-core chips like the previous series and share most the features with that product line. The benchmarking tests have shown an average performance increase by 11%, according to benchmarking sites, compared to the 1st Generation.

Sandy Bridge Dual Core i5 mobile CPUs:

The 3rd generation of Intel Core i5 mobile CPUs, aka "Ivy Bridge", is the latest series released by Intel. The benchmarking tests have shown 5% to 15% increase in CPU performance and 20% to 50% increase in integrated GPU performance compared to Sandy Bridge.

Ivy Bridge Dual Core i5 Mobile CPUs:

Now that you are familiar with all the i5 processors, and you can differentiate between the i5 series, all you have to do is to find a notebook that uses one of the above processors. The easy way to do find an Intel i5 laptop is to go to your favorite online store and filter the notebooks by the type of processor they use. Make sure to check the processor model number to see if it's a 1st, 2nd or 3rd generation i5 CPU.

One thing that I need to mention is that all the above processors have an integrated GPU, which means that not all laptops will be configured with a discrete graphics card. So if you need more GPU power for video transcoding applications, 3D design and gaming at ultra high settings, make sure to choose a notebook with discrete graphics.

Hope I made myself useful with this article, and if you need more information on i5 laptops I invite you to browse this list I made with intel core i5 laptops.

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Intel Core I7 Laptops - Know The Difference

Laptops which are powered by an Intel Core i7 CPU are some of the best laptops available today on the market. Top laptop brands have already started to take advantage of the Intel i7 CPU power and they have released some of the most powerful notebooks, suitable for those who require a lot of computing power for high demanding applications and need portability on their side.

Intel is currently at the 3rd generation of Intel Core i7 mobile and desktop processors, also known as Ivy Bridge CPUs. So before rushing into buying an Intel core i7 laptop, it is good to make yourself familiar with all the i7 CPU series to avoid any confusion you may have.

The first generation of Intel Core i7 mobile CPUs, aka "Clarksfield" and "Arrandale", have been introduced to the public back in September 2009, a year later after the first desktop CPU based on the same microarchitecture, Nehalem.

"Clarksfield" Quad Core i7 mobile CPUs:

Core i7-9xxXM Extreme EditionCore i7-8xxQMCore i7-7xxQM

"Arrandale" Dual Core i7 mobile CPUs:

Core i7-6xxMCore i7-6xxLMCore i7-6xxUM

The second generation of Intel Core i7 mobile CPUs, aka "Sandy Bridge" have been introduced in early 2011. These processors have been some of the best CPUs at the time, with great success to the public.

Sandy Bridge Quad Core i7 mobile CPUs:

Core i7-2xxxXMCore i7-2xxxQMCore i7-2xxxQE

Sandy Bridge Dual Core i7 mobile CPUs:

Core i7-2xx0MCore i7-2xx9MCore i7-2xx7M

The third generation of Intel Core i7 mobile CPUs, aka "Ivy Bridge" made its appearance on April 2012, and brings a few improvements over the Sandy Bridge, which includes less power consumption, higher clock speeds and better integrated graphics.

Ivy Bridge Quad Core i7 mobile CPUs:

Core i7-3xx0QM, i7-3xx0QECore i7-3xx2QM, i7-3xx2QECore i7-3xxxXM

Now that you are familiar with all the i7 processors, all you have to do is to find a notebook that uses one of these. And the easy way to do this is to go to your favorite online store and filter the available laptops by the type of processor. Make sure to check the processor model number to see if it's a 1st, 2nd or 3rd generation i7 CPU.

A few things that I need to mention:

Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge CPUs have an integrated GPU, and a discrete graphic card may not be present in the laptop configuration. If your main tasks don't implies video transcoding, 3D graphic design and hardcore gaming you'll be fine with the integrated graphics, otherwise you should look for a laptop that has a discrete graphics card.

To take full advantage of the i7 power, also make sure the laptop has at least 4GB DDRAM, though most of them have at least 8GB.

For fast booting, a 64GB or 128GB solid state drive (SSD) is required.

The rest of features like HD webcam, 3D display, blu-ray drive and so on, are up to you to decide what you need and what you don't.

Hope I made myself useful with this article, and if you need more information on i7 laptops I invite you to browse this list I made with intel core i7 laptops, all with a configuration worthy of a desktop replacement laptop.

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