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Whereas searching for extra particulars about some upcoming laptops, I seen that the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 14 inch pocket book, which helps as much as an Intel Core i7-1355U Raptor Lake processor, can even be one of many first notebooks to assist a few of least highly effective Raptor Lake chips. Entry-level configurations may very well be obtainable with Intel Core i3-1305U or Intel Processor U300 chips.
After which I did slightly extra digging and found that whereas Intel unveiled these chips in January, the corporate didn’t actually clarify that the Intel Processor U300 is form of in a class of its personal.
On paper, the chip is definitely a lot just like the Core i3-1305U. Each are 15 to 55-watt chips based mostly on Thirteenth-gen Intel Core structure and each are 5-core, 6-thread chips which have a single Efficiency core paired with 4 Effectivity cores and Intel UHD graphics.
However the Intel Core i3-1305U processor has slightly extra cache, barely increased prime CPU speeds, and higher graphics (with the next max frequency and 16 extra execution items).
In the meantime the Intel Processor identify was unveiled earlier this 12 months for the corporate’s Alder Lake-N lineup, which incorporates chips just like the Intel Processor N50, N97, N100, and N200 (in addition to the Core i3-305 processor). Intel is utilizing the Intel Processor identify as a alternative for the Celeron and Pentium branding that was used for previous-generation low-cost, low-power chips based mostly on Intel Atom structure (like the corporate’s Jasper Lake, Gemini Lake, and Apollo Lake chips from current years).
Nevertheless it seems that these chips, which characteristic as much as 8 Effectivity cores, however no Efficiency cores, are all grouped within the Intel Processor N-series.
The Intel Processor U300, in the meantime, is a Thirteenth-gen chip that’s certainly one of solely two chips within the Intel Processor U-series (the opposite is the U300E, which is a slight variation designed for embedded functions).
Intel used to divide its low-cost Pentium cellular chips into Pentium Silver (N-series chips based mostly on Atom structure) and Pentium Gold (U-series chips based mostly on Core structure). As the corporate strikes away from its Celeron and Pentium branding, it looks as if Intel is sticking to that technique… however now with the Intel Processor N- and U-series names.
The lineup remains to be slightly complicated, given simply how blurry the strains between Intel Processor and Intel Core may be. For instance, the Intel Core i3-N305 processor is an Alder Lake-N chip with 8 Effectivity cores and 1.25 GHz Intel UHD graphics with 32 execution items. Intel says it earned the Core i3 identify as a result of it affords efficiency that’s much like different Core i3 chips. However solely helps as much as 16GB of RAM.
The Intel Processor U300, in the meantime, is a 1P + 4E chip with 1.1 GHz Intel UHD graphics that includes 48 execution items, assist for as much as 64GB of RAM, and a a lot increased turbo energy restrict. Nevertheless it’s not a Core i3 chip? Beats me.
Right here’s a spec comparability of some funds chips simply to point out how messy Intel’s present lineup may be:
| Chip | Cores | Threads | Max CPU freq | Cache | Max RAM | GPU | Energy | Household |
| Core i3-1305U | 5 (1P + 4E) | 6 | As much as 4.5 GHz (P-core) As much as 3.3 GHz (E-cores) |
10MB | 64GB | Intel UHD (64EU / as much as 1.25 GHz) | 15-55 Wh | Raptor Lake |
| Intel Processor U300 | 5 (1P + 4E) | 6 | As much as 4.4 GHz (P-core) As much as 3.3 GHz (E-core) |
8MB | 64GB | Intel UHD (48EU / as much as 1.1 GHz) | 15-55 Wh | Raptor Lake |
| Core i3-N305 | 8 | 8 | As much as 3.8 GHz | 6MB | 16GB | Intel UHD (32EU / as much as 1.25 GHz) | 15W | Alder Lake-N |
| Core i3-N300 | 8 | 8 | As much as 3.8 GHz | 6MB | 16GB | Intel UHD (32EU / as much as 1.25 GHz) | 7W | Alder Lake-N |
| Intel Processor N200 | 4 | 4 | As much as 3.7 GHz | 6MB | 16GB | Intel UHD (32EU / as much as 750 MHz) | 6W | Alder Lake-N |
| Intel Processor N100 | 4 | 4 | As much as 3.4 GHz | 6MB | 16GB | Intel UHD (24EU / as much as 750 MHz) | 6W | Alder Lake-N |
| Intel Processor N50 | 2 | 2 | As much as 3.4 GHz | 6MB | 16GB | Intel UHD (16EU / as much as 750 MHz) | 6W | Alder Lake-N |
The Raptor Lake chips also can assist as much as DDR5 or LPDDR5x reminiscence with speeds as much as 5200 MT/s, whereas Intel Alder Lake-N chips prime out at 4800 MT/s.
Anyway, on paper the Intel Processor U300 seems to be prefer it ought to extra highly effective than a Core i3-N305 in most respects, though I suppose real-world efficiency might differ relying on the duty. Nevertheless it does make me ponder whether Intel’s choice to rebrand its entry-level chips has really made something simpler to grasp… or tougher.
