What do the names of Intel and AMD processors mean?

Assembling a PC is not an out-of-this-world task, but some steps are very important so you don't have a headache at the end of assembly. By the way, do you know how to identify the particularities of Intel and AMD processors? Which ones have integrated video and which ones don't? It's the overclock?

With that in mind, we will explain what the nomenclature of Intel and AMD processors means to make your life easier and help you not to buy the wrong thing out there.

AMD

On the AMD side, processors for home use, gaming or corporate use refer to the Ryzen line. Initially launched in 2017 with the architecture Zen, these company's CPUs symbolized a major revolution in the market, as the company still manufactured the outdated FX processors.

A very important detail about AMD Ryzen processors is that up to the 5000 series, the entire product family uses the same motherboard socket. That way, if you had a motherboard that you bought to use with a Ryzen 3000 and now intends to migrate to the line 5000, there is no need to change the board, as the connection between the processor and the mainboard has not been changed. With the upcoming Ryzen 7000 processors, which are expected to hit the market in 2022, there will be a redesign in the socket, so the user will need a new motherboard.

Below you can see a table explaining the main differences in the AMD Ryzen processor lines:

Product Line | Example	Segment
G | Ryzen 5 2400G	Processor with integrated desktop video
X | Ryzen 9 5900X	High-performance desktop processor
H | Ryzen 7 3750H	High-performance processor for laptops
U | Ryzen 7 3700U	Low voltage processor for laptops

Although our explanation below covers the most common cases, it is possible that there are combinations of lines. A processor with end HX, for example, refers to a high-performance notebook processor as well.

for desktop

In a simplified way, we say that these processors with the ending “G” are APUs, as they are good performance processors, but they also have an integrated video card with considerable performance to run games. It is important to note that apart from the G-line and notebook processors, the other Ryzen processor families need a dedicated graphics card for video output.

AMD has already released its latest Ryzen 5000G family with integrated graphics, but the older lines are still hard to find in the market. A good model is the Ryzen 5 5600X, with 6 cores and 8 threads with video card, costing BRL 1.494 at Pichau.

The opposite occurs with the AMD Ryzen processors of the “X” line, the company's real heavyweights for desktop computers. As we have already said, to use these CPUs it is necessary to have a dedicated video card in the PC. Currently, the processor family is divided into the “600","800"and "900".

Generally speaking, an AMD Ryzen 5 processor600 times refers to an intermediate processor. The AMD Ryzen 5800 times equates to a high-end CPU, while the AMD Ryzen 5900 times is one of the most powerful in the company. For comparison purposes, just think of Intel Core i5, i7 and i9 processors and apply the same principle.

The Ryzen 7 5800X has 8 cores, 16 threads, clock of 4.7Ghz and costs BRL 2.189 at TerabyteShop. On the other hand, the Ryzen 9 5900X has clock 3.7 Ghz, 12 cores and 24 threads, costing BRL 3.299 at Kabum.

There is the 3000 line of Ryzen processors, launched in 2019. These models are still marketed in the market at very competitive prices, such as the Ryzen 5 3600X (6 cores and 12 threads), per R$ 1.499 at Amazon, the Ryzen 7 3800X (8 cores and 16 threads) is found by R$2.069, while the Ryzen 9 3900X (12 cores and 24 threads) leaves for R$ 4.796 also on Amazon.

for notebooks

With notebooks, things change, precisely because there is no option to simply change a laptop's Ryzen processor. However, in general, we divide the CPUs by the acronym U, generally used in home or corporate processors where the focus is play or work. A good example is the Acer Aspire, with AMD Ryzen 5 3500U processors, 8 GB of RAM, 2 GB M.256 SSD and a 15-inch screen, costing R$ 4.099 at Amazon.

On the other hand, there are processors with termination H. These models are also aimed at notebooks, but the focus is on high-performance notebooks, especially gamers. Currently, there are not so many gaming notebooks with Ryzen 5000 processor in Brazil, but companies like Dell have already launched some models, such as the Dell G15, with Ryzen 5 5600H, RTX 3050, up to 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD M.2 , that costs R$ 6.598 on Dell's official website.

Intel

In a way, much of what was explained for AMD products also applies to Intel processors. The company is in your 12th Generation, both on laptops and desktops. It's good to keep an eye out as Intel refers to its products by generation (10th, 11th, 12th...), but we can also identify processors by other names. This current generation is called Alder lake, while the 11th Gen was known as Rocket lake.

Just like AMD, the 10th and 11th gen processors have the same socket, so the user can use the same motherboard for either of these CPUs. However, from the 12th Gen onwards, a upgrade of motherboard.

Below you can see a table explaining the main differences in the Intel processor lines:

Product Line | Example	Segment
K | Intel Core i5-12600K	Unlocked processor for overlock and high performance
X | Intel Core i5-7640X	“Extreme Edition” processor with a lot of performance
H | Intel Core i5-10030H	High-performance processor for laptops
G and or/ U | Intel Celeron 10110U	Low voltage processor for laptops
F | Intel Core i3-12100F	Desktop processor without integrated video

Again, there may be variations of processor names, such as an Intel Core i7-11700KF, unlocked for overclock and at the same time it does not have an integrated graphics card.

for desktop

On Intel desktop processors, we need to watch out for the F suffix, which usually ends up being “the most important” so you don't screw up. Therefore, if there is an F in the processor name, this model does not have an integrated graphics card, and you will need to put another part in order for the computer to display the video.

K processors are generally the most powerful and the user may find it most easily. These models are unlocked for overclock and have a slightly higher performance than non-K.

So, for an everyday user, is it worth buying with K or without K? My suggestion is to go without K, because the difference in performance won't be that big, and for the lay public the overclock can be risky and damage the machine.

In a similar way to Ryzen, Intel CPUs are divided into classic families and scale in performance in the correct order. The table below works for both desktops and notebooks. Check out:

Celeron and Pentium	Brand weakest. Designed for super simple tasks.
Core i3	Input template. Indicated for simple tasks, but has more performance and can be used in light games.
Core i5	Intermediary. One of the best options for students, gamers, etc. Good value for money.
Core i7	Very complete processor for heavy tasks. Ideal for enthusiast gamers, publishers, etc.
Core i9	Intel's top of the line. Only suitable for super heavy tasks.

So, when we refer to the Core i3-10100F, we are talking about a processor without integrated video, with 4 cores and 8 threads, entry that costs R$ 569 at Kabum. The Core i5 12600K is a mid-range/high performance processor, with 10 cores and 16 threads, that costs BRL 2.089 at TerabyteShop.

Moving on to the super processors we have the Core i7 11700K, for example, which has 8 cores and 16 threads, costing BRL 2.817 at Pichau. Finally, we cannot fail to mention the i9, such as the i9 12900K, one of the best processors today, with 16 cores and 14 threads, costing BRL 4.289 at Pichau.

for notebook

On notebooks things are basically the same as with AMD. Processors are divided into U for low voltage and H for high performance. The newest addition is for processors ending in P, the middle path between U and H.

In the higher performance models, the Ideapad Gaming 3i with Intel Core i5 10300H processors, 8GB of RAM and GTX 1650 is one of the best in the category, costing R$5.129 on Amazon. As for the most basic, there is the Dell Inspiron 13 5000, with i5 1135G7, 8 GB of RAM and Intel Iris Xe board, found for around R$ 4.299 on the official website of Dell.

See also:

So, what did you think of our article explaining the names of Intel and AMD processors? Enjoy and check the review of the I7-12700K, one of the best processors today for games and complex tasks.