When buying or upgrading a laptop, knowing how to choose a CPU (Central Processing Unit) is crucial as it significantly influences the overall system’s performance. Whether you are a gamer or need a robust system for your work to handle daily tasks for everyday activities at the office or home, the CPU is the key.
The CPU handles all the operations, executes, and processes instructions to keep your system running smoothly. This guide is designed to help you consider significant factors that balance performance, cost, and compatibility and understand the technical terms used when selecting a CPU with an objectively good value-to-performance ratio.
Understand CPU Specifications
Make sure you know your CPU specs to get the maximum performance out of your laptop or PC. Knowing some basic terms, for example, clock speeds, cache/core counts, and threads will help set up the best possible specs without spending unnecessary money.
Here are the analyses of the main CPU specifications:
Clock Speed
Clock speed of a processor indicates the number of cycles a CPU executes in one second and is usually measured in gigahertz (GHz). Typically, the higher the clock speed, the better the performance. In most cases, processors come with base and boost clock speeds, whereby the boost clock speed will offer better performance, specifically in demanding tasks. However, clock speed is only one part that contributes to the definition of how effective a CPU is. This could be due to efficiency or architectural differences that affect the speed or effectiveness of a CPU. For example, one CPU might have a higher clock speed than another, but a newer architecture could outperform an older, higher-clocked CPU in terms of efficiency.
Cache – L1, L2 and L3
Cache memory is a small, high-speed memory location inside the CPU that stores the most frequently used data for fast access. There are three levels of cache:
- L1 Cache: The smallest and fastest, located closest to the CPU cores.
- L2 Cache: Larger than L1 but slower. It serves as a middle layer of cache.
- L3 Cache: The largest and slowest, shared across cores to store data that isn’t as frequently accessed but still benefits from faster access than main memory.
Cores
Cores are individual processing units within a CPU. Modern CPUs feature multiple cores, enabling them to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. Multi-threaded applications perform better with more cores like video editing, 3D rendering, and software development. For example, a quad-core CPU can process four tasks simultaneously, providing a smoother performance compared to a dual-core CPU in multitasking environments. However, hardware & software compatibility does matter. The benefit of additional cores depends on the software’s ability to utilize them efficiently. If an application is not optimized for multiple cores, you may not see a significant performance boost from additional cores.
Threads
Threads represent the smallest sequence of programmed instructions that a scheduler can handle independently. Modern CPUs with simultaneous multithreading (SMT), such as Intel’s Hyper-Threading or AMD’s SMT, can handle multiple threads per core. It enables each core to process more than one task at any time, consequently increasing the performance using multi-threaded applications.
For example, a quad-core CPU with Hyper-Threading can handle eight threads simultaneously, enhancing performance in heavily multi-threaded applications like virtual machines, servers, and complex simulations.
How to choose a CPU suitable for you
The CPU is the brain of your computer, and choosing the right one will determine how fast and efficiently your computer will perform its computations. When selecting a CPU, it is more practical to consider the CPU model series rather than specific model numbers. This approach provides better adaptability and more options when choosing a laptop or desktop that fits your needs.
Home Users
For those needing a processor for everyday activities like browsing the web, streaming videos, and managing basic productivity tasks, the Intel Core i3 series is a great choice. These processors provide ample power for general purposes without being too costly.
Business Users
Intel Core i5 series processors are Ideal for multitasking, running office applications, and handling more demanding workloads. A Core i5 CPU provides a good balance of performance and pricing, making it suitable for professional environments.
Gaming Users
We recommend the Intel Core i7 series or higher for high-performance tasks such as gaming, video VR applications, content creation, editing, and other resource-intensive applications. These CPUs deliver superior performance, ensuring smooth and efficient operation of complex software and games for the power users.
Understanding GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)
A Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), also known as a video graphics card, specializes in rendering images and videos on your computer. In a way, while the Central Processing Unit (CPU) manages a wide range of general computing tasks, GPU focuses specifically on graphics-related functions. This dedicated GPU performs certain tasks much more efficiently than CPUs, particularly those involving complex visual calculations. NVIDIA, AMD, INTEL, ASUS and Gigabytes are known for their innovative and high-performance graphic solutions.
Basic Usage
Integrated graphics will be enough for general usage, web browsing and office programs. They are integrated into most CPUs and work pretty well for common uses without a dedicated graphics card.
Professional Usage
Professionals designing graphics, editing videos, or creating 3D models need a dedicated graphics card. All these tasks require a great deal of graphical processing to render complex images and videos.
Gaming
Gamers require solid, dedicated, high-performance GPUs to ensure they play their games with fluidity and get high frame rates, as well as being able to handle the latest games at high settings. The GPU plays a significant role in highly detailed game graphics and responsive gaming experience.
Advanced Applications
The areas in which GPUs play a formidable role are machine learning and scientific computing. This is because they have processed lots of data quickly and effectively, blending perfectly with the requirements involved in training models in machine learning and complex simulations.
Intel Or AMD?
When choosing a CPU for a laptop or desktop, your choices most likely would land on one of two competitors: Intel or AMD. Each has a wide product range in the category where the lowest-end processors can handle the most basic computing tasks. At the same time, the top offers precisely what you would expect from high-end gaming or professional needs. As discussed in our guide on choosing the best laptop for non-technical users, opting for the most powerful CPU isn’t always necessary. Knowing how to choose a CPU ultimately depends on your specific requirements and use case.
Intel Processors
For years, the Core series has been Intel’s flagship series. This series includes the i3, i5, i7, and i9 processors. The processors are well known for being superior in single-core performance and providing excellent energy efficiency.
Advantages
- Intel CPUs are known for their exceptional single-threaded performance, which is critical for applications that depend on strong individual core performance, such as gaming and specific professional software.
- These processors generally offer superior power efficiency, which can result in extended battery life for laptops.
- Most Intel processors come equipped with integrated graphics that are good enough for everyday computing tasks and simple games, so a dedicated GPU is unnecessary.
Usage Recommendations
- Basic Users: Intel Core i3 processors are adequate for routine tasks such as web browsing, office applications, and media consumption.
- Professional Users: Intel Core i5 and i7 processors are appropriate for multitasking, media editing, and running complex software suites.
- Gamers/Power Users: The Intel Core i9 processor is designed to deliver the most advanced features, and it is used to handle high-end gaming, top-of-the-line video editing, and other processor-intensive software.
For more in-depth reviews, check out Comparison Chart for Intel Core Laptop Processor Family
AMD Processors
AMD’s Ryzen series is a strong competitor to Intel. These chips come out strong in multi-core performance and are even more competitive. AMD’s new processors are particularly noted for being efficient with multi-threaded workloads.
Advantages
- AMD Ryzen processors excel in multi-threaded applications, such as video editing and 3D rendering. They are particularly effective for tasks that benefit from multiple cores.
- AMD CPUs often offer superior performance per dollar compared to their Intel counterparts. This makes them a compelling choice for both mid-range and high-end markets.
- AMD’s Ryzen APUs (Accelerated Processing Units) combine CPU and GPU functionalities on a single chip. They provide robust performance for both processing and graphics tasks without requiring a separate graphics card.
Usage Recommendations
- Basic Users: AMD Ryzen 3 processors deliver excellent performance for general computing tasks, including browsing, streaming, and office work.
- Professional Users: AMD Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors are ideal for multitasking and more demanding applications. They offer significant performance at a competitive price point.
- Gamers/Power Users: The AMD Ryzen 9 series is designed for intensive gaming and content creation applications. It provides high performance and efficiency.
Explore comprehensive CPU comparisons at AMD product specifications.
Apple CPU: Apple Silicon
When discussing CPUs for laptops and desktops, it’s important to note that Apple operates in a unique space. Unlike most manufacturers that rely on Intel or AMD processors, Apple designs and manufactures its own CPUs for Mac laptops and desktops. Knowing how to choose a CPU is crucial in understanding this shift. It began with the introduction of the Apple M1 chip, marking a significant transition from Intel-based Macs to Apple Silicon.
Apple’s move to its ARM-based architecture, branded as Apple Silicon, has revolutionized the performance and efficiency of Mac computers. The first chip in this lineup, the M1, debuted in late 2020. It has since expanded into more powerful iterations like the M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M1 Ultra. Understanding how to choose a CPU is key to navigating these advancements effectively.
Advantages
Performance: Apple Silicon chips offer exceptional performance, particularly in tasks that benefit from unified memory architecture and integrated graphics. The M1 series chips are known for their impressive single-core and multi-core performance. They often outpace their Intel counterparts in various benchmarks.
Energy Efficiency: One of the standout features of Apple Silicon is its energy efficiency. These chips deliver high performance while maintaining low power consumption, leading to longer battery life in MacBooks and quieter, cooler operation in desktops.
Integrated Graphics: Apple’s chips integrate powerful GPUs directly into the CPU. It provides robust graphics performance suitable for both everyday tasks and more demanding applications like video editing and 3D rendering.
Comparing Apple Silicon Chips
Apple M1
Use Case: With 5nm architecture, up to 8-core CPU and up to 8-core GPU, M1 is suitable for everyday computing, including web browsing, office applications, and light creative work.
Performance: Offers excellent performance for single-core tasks and competitive multi-core performance, making it ideal for most users.
Apple M1 Pro
Use Case: The M1 Pro’s enhanced 5nm architecture, up to 10-core CPU, and up to 16-core GPU provides professional users with more power for tasks such as video editing, software development, and other demanding applications.
Performance: M1 Pro provides up to 70% CPU multi-core performance and 2X faster GPU capabilities compared to the standard M1, supporting more memory and higher bandwidth.
Apple M1 Max
Use Case: With enhanced 5nm architecture, up to 10 core CPU and up to 32 core GPU, M1 Max targets creative professionals and power users requiring top-tier performance for intensive tasks.
Performance: Features even more cores and higher graphics performance, 4X faster GPU performance, making it suitable for heavy-duty video editing, 3D rendering, and complex computational tasks.
Apple M1 Ultra
Use Case: With Dual M1 Max architecture, up to 20-core CPU and up to 64-core GPU, M1 is built for the most demanding workflows, including high-end professional video production, extensive data analysis, and advanced 3D modeling.
Performance: Combines two M1 Max chips to deliver unprecedented performance, offering double the cores and graphical power of the M1 Max.