Intel Desktop CPU Buyers Guide

Moving down the range to Core Ultra 7, these processors still provide high-end performance and features. Compared to the more powerful Core Ultra 9 CPUs, Core Ultra 7s have the same eight P-cores, but have 12 E-cores so aren’t quite as capable for content creation workloads or when multitasking. They also include a dedicated NPU for accelerating AI applications.

Earlier high-end Intel desktop CPUs were known as Core i7 and lack hardware accelerated AI.

To learn more about compatible motherboards for Intel Core Ultra 7 CPUs, read our INTEL MOTHERBOARDS BUYERS GUIDE.

Core Ultra 5 is Intel’s brand for its mid-range processors. Core Ultra 5s have six P-cores, two less than a Core Ultra 7 and eight E-cores, four less than a Core Ultra 7. While Core Ultra 5s are significantly slower than Core Ultra 5 7 for multithreaded tasks they are a great choice for a mid-range gaming PC. They also include a dedicated NPU for accelerating AI applications.

Earlier mid-range Intel desktop CPUs were known as Core i5 and lack hardware accelerated AI.

To learn more about compatible motherboards for Intel Core Ultra 5 CPUs, read our INTEL MOTHERBOARDS BUYERS GUIDE.

Core i3 is Intel’s brand for its highest spec entry-level processors. The latest 13th generation Core i3s have the same P-cores as Core i5, but only four of them. They also lack E-cores, so are significantly slower for intensive tasks such as content creation and multitasking. However, Core i3 CPUs are still a good choice for an entry-level gaming PC.

To learn more about compatible motherboards for Intel Core i3 CPUs, read our INTEL MOTHERBOARDS BUYERS GUIDE.

Pentium is Intel’s brand for one its entry-level processors. The latest 12th generation Pentiums have the same P-cores as Core i3, but only two of them. Like, Core i3s, Pentiums also lack E-cores, so are not optimal for intensive tasks such as gaming, content creation and multitasking. However, Pentium CPUs are still a good choice for every day office applications.

To learn more about compatible motherboards for Intel Pentium CPUs, read our INTEL MOTHERBOARDS BUYERS GUIDE.

Celeron is Intel’s other brand for its entry-level processors. The latest 12th generation Celerons have the same P-cores as Pentium, but do not support HyperThreading so only really suited for basic office applications.

To learn more about compatible motherboards for Intel Celeron CPUs, read our INTEL MOTHERBOARDS BUYERS GUIDE.

Intel Xeon W-2500 processors are designed for high-end single-socket workstations, having fewer cores, less memory capacity and bandwidth and fewer PCIe lanes that the Xeon W-2500 series. These processors are designed for multithreaded, I/O-intensive workloads across architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC), media and entertainment (M&E), artificial intelligence (AI), oil & gas, and data sciences. Xeon W-2500 CPUs provide up to 26 cores and 52 threads, support for up to 2TB of 4-channel DDR5 ECC Registered memory and 64 lanes of PCIe 5.0 lanes for add-in cards and NVMe SSDs. The range comprises W3, W5 and W7 models, progressively adding in more cores as you go up the product stack.

To learn more about compatible motherboards for Intel Xeon W CPUs, read our INTEL MOTHERBOARDS BUYERS GUIDE.

Designed for mid-range workstations, Intel Xeon W processors provide thoroughbred performance with the built-in platform security features and reliability that professional users demand. A step up from desktop PC Core processors Xeon W processors support ECC memory technology to improve data integrity and system uptime.

The Xeon W-1200 family features up to 10 cores and 20 threads, support for up to 128GB of DDR4 ECC memory and 16 PCI-E 3.0 lanes for add-in cards and NVMe SSDs.

To learn more about compatible motherboards for Intel Xeon W CPUs, read our INTEL MOTHERBOARDS BUYERS GUIDE.