--- title: Making sense of Intel and AMD CPUs naming date: 2021-12-29 tags: - amd - intel - cpu --- ## Intel ### Core The line up for the core family is i3, i5, i7 and i9. As of December 2021, the current generation is Alder Lake (12th generation). The brand modifiers are: - **i3**: laptops/low-end desktop - **i5**: mainstream users - **i7**: high-end users - **i9**: enthusiast users How to read a SKU ? Let's use the [i7-12700K](https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/134594/intel-core-i712700k-processor-25m-cache-up-to-5-00-ghz.html) processor: - **i7**: high end users - **12**: 12th generation - **700**: SKU digits, usually assigned in the order the processors are developed - **K**: unlocked List of suffixes: | suffix | meaning | |--------|----------------------------------------| | G.. | integrated graphics | | E | embedded | | F | require discrete graphic card | | H | high performance for mobile | | HK | high performance for mobile / unlocked | | K | unlocked | | S | special edition | | T | power optimized lifestyle | | U | mobile power efficient | | Y | mobile low power | | X/XE | unlocked, high end | > **Unlocked,** what does that means ? A processor with the **K** suffix > is made with the an unlocked clock multiplier. When used with some > specific chipset, it's possible to overclock the processor. #### Sockets/Chipsets For the Alder Lake generation, the supported socket is the [LGA1700](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_1700). For now only supported chipset for Alder Lake are: | feature | [z690](https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/218833/intel-z690-chipset.html) | [h670](https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/218831/intel-h670-chipset/specifications.html) | [b660](https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/218832/intel-b660-chipset.html) | [h610](https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/218829/intel-h610-chipset/specifications.html) | |-----------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | P and E cores over clocking | yes | no | no | no | | memory over clocking | yes | yes | yes | no | | DMI 4 lanes | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | | chipset PCIe 4.0 lanes | up to 12 | up to 12 | up to 6 | none | | chipset PCIe 3.0 lanes | up to 16 | up to 12 | up to 8 | 8 | | SATA 3.0 ports | up to 8 | up to 8 | 4 | 4 | ### Alder Lake (12th generation) | model | p-cores | e-cores | GHz (base) | GHz (boosted) | TDP | |------------|---------|---------|------------|---------------|------| | i9-12900K | 8 (16) | 8 | 3.2/2.4 | 5.1/3.9 | 241W | | i9-12900KF | 8 (16) | 8 | 3.2/2.4 | 5.1/3.9 | 241W | | i7-12700K | 8 (16) | 4 | 3.6/2.7 | 4.9/3.8 | 190W | | i7-12700KF | 8 (16) | 4 | 3.6/2.7 | 4.9/3.8 | 190W | | i5-12600K | 6 (12) | 4 | 3.7/2.8 | 4.9/3.6 | 150W | | i5-12600KF | 6 (12) | 4 | 3.7/2.8 | 4.9/3.6 | 150W | - support DDR4 and DDR5 (up to DDR5-4800) - support PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 (16 PCIe 5.0 and 4 PCIe 4.0) The socket used is the [LGA 1700](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_1700). Alder lake is an hybrid architecture, featuring both P-cores (performance cores) and E-cores (efficient cores). P-cores are based on the [Golden Cove](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Cove) architecture, while the E-cores are based on the [Gracemont](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gracemont_(microarchitecture)) architecture. This is a [good article](https://www.anandtech.com/show/16881/a-deep-dive-into-intels-alder-lake-microarchitectures/2) to read about this model. Inside the processor there's a microcontroller that monitors what each thread is doing. This can be used by the OS scheduler to hint on which core a thread should be scheduled on (between performance or efficiency). As of December 2021 this is not yet properly supported by the Linux kernel. ### Xeon Xeon is the brand of Intel processor designed for non-consumer servers and workstations. The most recent generations are: - Skylake (2017) - Cascade lake (2019) - Cooper lake (2020) The following brand identifiers are used: - platinium - gold - silver - bronze ## AMD ### Ryzen There are multiple generation for this brand of processors. They are based on the [zen micro architecture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_(microarchitecture)). The current (as of December 2021) generation is Ryzen 5000. The brand modifiers are: - ryzen 3: entry level - ryzen 5: mainstream - ryzen 9: high end performance - ryzen 9:enthusiast List of suffixes: | suffix | meaning | |--------|--------------------------------------------| | X | high performance | | G | integrated graphics | | T | power optimized lifecycle | | S | low power desktop with integrated graphics | | H | high performance mobile | | U | standard mobile | | M | low power mobile | ### EPYC EPYC is the AMD brand of processors for the server market, based on the zen architecture. They use the [SP3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_SP3) socket. The EPYC processor is chipset free. ### Threadripper The threadripper is for high performance desktop. It uses the [TR4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_TR4) socket. At the moment there's only one chipset that supports this process, the [X399](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_chipsets#TR4_chipsets). The threadripper based on zen3 architecture is not yet released, but it's expected to hit the market in the first half of Q1 2022. ### Sockets/Chipsets The majority of these processors use the [AM4 socket](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_AM4). The threadripper line uses different sockets. There are multiple [chipset](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_AM4#Chipsets) for the AM4 socket. The more advanced ones are the B550 and the X570. The threadripper processors use the TR4, sTRX4 and sWRX8 sockets. ### Zen 3 Zen 3 was released in November 2020. | model | cores | GHz (base) | GHz (boosted) | PCIe lanes | TDP | |---------------|---------|------------|---------------|------------|------| | ryzen 5 5600x | 6 (12) | 3.7 | 4.6 | 24 | 65W | | ryzen 7 5800 | 8 (16) | 3.4 | 4.6 | 24 | 65W | | ryzen 7 5800x | 8 (16) | 3.8 | 4.7 | 24 | 105W | | ryzen 9 5900 | 12 (24) | 3.0 | 4.7 | 24 | 65W | | ryzen 9 5900x | 12 (24) | 3.7 | 4.8 | 24 | 105W | | ryzen 9 5950x | 16 (32) | 3.4 | 4.9 | 24 | 105W | - support PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0 (except for the G series) - only support DDR4 (up to DDR4-3200)