I have used #Intel processors for most of the time I have used computers. I briefly used an AMD on a laptop back in 2001, but that wasn’t for long.
Since that time the Intel range of processors has got more and more confusing, and in recent years, as part of the explosion of the #ultrabook.
The core processors roughly ran using a i3, i5 or i7 start with it giving you an idea of the number of cores and the amount of cache. All that is now thrown out of the window with some i5 core processors now having two cores instead of the expected four. Does that matter, to be honest, no, not really. Most people wont notice, but it is an important difference.
Next came versions of the processor, with the originals giving you a simple three digit number. The second generation added a number at the front which told you it was generation 2. For example a i7 970 might be come an i7 2850 for a second generation. This also included the new QuickSync technology which was brilliant for people who did video encoding.
The processor continued to improve and numbers representing those processors increase. The issue is that with the latest generation four of these processors they have now added letters after the processor as well. You can buy an i5 4200, 4200U and a 4200Y. Each of them having slightly different meanings. The first is the full fat version. The second is the diet version, which runs at a lower power rate and lower heat which improves battery efficiency. The final is the diet light caffeine free version. It has throttle CPU speed, more throttling when in use as well to reduce heat and all in all isn’t a very fast machine.
I have fallen victim to this subtlety and it would appear that people who spent a load of cash purchasing the #SurfacePro3 #i7 version also have this problem. The chassis can’t cope with the i7 heat and has very heavy firmware throttle in place to stop it getting too hot. This results in very short peak CPU speed, and all round a waste money as it is only slightly faster than the i5!
How annoying…