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---
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 January 2023, the current generation is [Raptor Lake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raptor_Lake) (13th 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.

#### Raptor Lake (13th generation)

Raptor lake is an hybrid architecture, featuring both P-cores (performance cores) and E-cores (efficient cores), similar to Alder lake. P-cores are based on the [Raptor cove](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Cove#Raptor_Cove) architecture, while the E-cores are based on the [Gracemont](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gracemont_(microarchitecture)) architecture (same as for Alder lake).

Available processors:

| model      | p-cores | e-cores | GHz (base) | GHz (boosted) | TDP      |
|------------|---------|---------|------------|---------------|----------|
| i9-13900KS | 8 (16)  | 16      | 3.2/2.4    | 6/4.3         | 150/253W |
| i9-13900K  | 8 (16)  | 16      | 3.0/2.0    | 5.8/4.3       | 125/253W |
| i9-13900KF | 8 (16)  | 16      | 3.0/2.0    | 5.8/4.3       | 125/253W |
| i9-13900   | 8 (16)  | 16      | 2.0/1.5    | 5.2/4.2       | 65/219W  |
| i9-13900F  | 8 (16)  | 16      | 2.0/1.5    | 5.2/4.2       | 65/219W  |
| i9-13900T  | 8 (16)  | 16      | 1.1/0.8    | 5.1/3.9       | 35/219W  |
| i7-13700K  | 8 (16)  | 8       | 3.4/2.5    | 5.4/4.2       | 125/253W |
| i7-13700KF | 8 (16)  | 8       | 3.4/2.5    | 5.4/4.2       | 125/253W |
| i7-13700   | 8 (16)  | 8       | 2.1/1.5    | 5.1/4.1       | 65/219W  |
| i7-13700F  | 8 (16)  | 8       | 2.1/1.5    | 5.1/4.1       | 65/219W  |
| i7-13700T  | 8 (16)  | 8       | 1.4/1.0    | 4.8/3.6       | 35/106W  |
| i5-13600K  | 6 (12)  | 8       | 3.5/2.6    | 5.1/3.9       | 125/181W |
| i5-13600KF | 6 (12)  | 8       | 3.5/2.6    | 5.1/3.9       | 125/181W |

For the Raptor Lake generation, as for the Alder lake generation, the supported socket is the [LGA<sub>1700</sub>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_1700).

List of Raptor lake chipsets:
| feature                     | b760[^7] | h770[^8] | z790[^9] |
|-----------------------------|----------|----------|----------|
| P and E cores over clocking | no       | no       | yes      |
| memory over clocking        | yes      | yes      | yes      |
| DMI 4 lanes                 | 4        | 8        | 8        |
| chipset PCIe 5.0 lanes      |          |          |          |
| chipset PCIe 4.0 lanes      |          |          |          |
| chipset PCIe 3.0 lanes      |          |          |          |
| SATA 3.0 ports              | up to 4  | up to 8  | up to 8  |

#### Alder Lake (12th generation)

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.

Available processors:

| 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)

For the Alder Lake generation, the supported socket is the [LGA<sub>1700</sub>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_1700).

For now only supported chipset for Alder Lake are:

| feature                     | z690[^1] | h670[^2] | b660[^3] | h610[^4] | q670[^6] | w680[^5] |
|-----------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
| P and E cores over clocking | yes      | no       | no       | no       | no       | yes      |
| memory over clocking        | yes      | yes      | yes      | no       | -        | yes      |
| DMI 4 lanes                 | 8        | 8        | 4        | 4        | 8        | 8        |
| 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        | up to 8  | up to 8  |

### Xeon

Xeon is the brand of Intel processor designed for non-consumer servers and workstations. The most recent generations are:

| name            | availability |
|-----------------|--------------|
| Skylake         | 2015         |
| Cascade lake    | 2019         |
| Cooper lake     | 2022         |
| Sapphire rapids | 2023         |

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 January 2023) generation is Ryzen 7000.

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                                                                |
| 3D     | feature [3D V-cache technology](https://www.amd.com/en/technologies/3d-v-cache) |

### 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)

### Zen 4

Zen 4 was released in September 2022.

- only supports DDR 5
- all desktop processors feature 28 (24 + 4) PCIe 5.0 lanes
- all desktop processors feature 2 x 4 lane PCIe interfaces (mostly for M.2 storage devices)

| model           | cores   | GHz (base) | GHz (boosted) | TDP  |
|-----------------|---------|------------|---------------|------|
| ryzen 5 7600x   | 6 (12)  | 4.7        | 5.3           | 105W |
| ryzen 5 7600    | 6 (12)  | 3.8        | 5.1           | 65W  |
| ryzen 7 7800X3D | 8 (16)  |            | 5.0           | 120W |
| ryzen 7 7700X   | 8 (16)  | 4.5        | 5.4           | 105W |
| ryzen 7 7700    | 8 (16)  | 3.8        | 5.3           | 65W  |
| ryzen 9 7900    | 12 (24) | 3.7        | 5.4           | 65W  |
| ryzen 9 7900X   | 12 (24) | 4.7        | 5.6           | 170W |
| ryzen 9 7900X3D | 12 (24) | 4.4        | 5.6           | 120W |
| ryzen 9 7950X   | 16 (32) | 4.5        | 5.7           | 170W |
| ryzen 9 7950X3D | 16 (32) | 4.2        | 5.7           | 120W |


[^1]: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/218833/intel-z690-chipset.html

[^2]: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/218831/intel-h670-chipset/specifications.html

[^3]: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/218832/intel-b660-chipset.html

[^4]: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/218829/intel-h610-chipset/specifications.html

[^5]: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/218834/intel-w680-chipset.html

[^6]: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/218827/intel-q670-chipset.html

[^7]: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/229719/intel-b760-chipset/specifications.html

[^8]: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/229720/intel-h770-chipset.html

[^9]: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/229721/intel-z790-chipset/specifications.html