Processors in budget laptops: what to choose?
At the moment, up to ten generations of different platforms coexist peacefully on the market, which even pros can get entangled in. Who is faster: Apollo Lake or Stoney Ridge? What is the difference between some Celeron, Pentium and Atom models made on chips with the same architecture?
And if we take into account that, in addition to the processor, the overall performance depends on the number of memory channels, its type and frequency, the availability of the Turbo mode, as well as the speed of the graphics core, then the specialist will sometimes not be able to give the right advice.
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We suggest you look at budget laptops in the range of 10-30 thousand rubles and get acquainted with the full range of their “hearts”.
Initial level - processors for embedded systems, smartphones and tablets reign here.
Yes, we were not mistaken, it turns out that all kinds of "Atoms" are quite suitable for the role of the processor in the most affordable laptops. The trouble is that there were many Atoms, as well as names for them, and it is often difficult to understand what changes have taken place in them. But this is not the main task, because Far from the whole list of Atom processors falls into laptops. We reviewed all the proposed configurations and selected only those that are officially shipped to Russia and are available for sale.
Let's start with the Bay Trail platform. It was announced in the third quarter of 2013 and was a highly integrated system (SoC). It is based on 22nm tri-gate technology. All processors are divided into 3 groups:
In affordable laptops worth up to 15,000 rubles, processors based on the Bay Trail (2013) platform are the most common, in particular, the Intel Atom Z3735G and Intel Atom Z3735F, which are twins, but, alas, are far from being identical. The fact is that the last letter means the number of memory channels. The manufacturer’s website provides dry numbers and facts from the specification:
By the way, the preposition “before” does not always reflect reality. For example, the Intel Atom Z3735G only supports 1 GB of memory with a maximum bandwidth of 5.3 GB / s, and the Intel Atom Z3735F already has 2 GB of memory, respectively, increasing the bandwidth to 10.6 GB / s and capacity. Intel Atom Z3735G contains four cores and handles four threads. Recommended price is $ 17. The base clock frequency of the processor is 1.33 GHz, the maximum frequency is 1.83 GHz, the cache memory is 2 MB, the maximum rated power is 2.2 W. The Intel Atom Z3735F is priced at $ 18.
A step above is the platform Cherry Trail (2015). It is the successor to the Bay Trail, but from a wide range of products there are only laptops with Intel Atom x5-Z8300 processors. According to the description of Intel, the improvements have touched many parts of the processor, the main ones are listed below.
Unfortunately, the Intel Atom x5-Z8300 is the youngest model with reduced capabilities, so it lacks support for dual-channel memory and has a limit on its size of 2 GB. In essence, after changing the platform, the processor received an increase in frequency (base 1.44 MHz in turbo mode to 1.84 GHz) and price up to $ 21.
In addition to "Atoms", there are Celeron processors with the numbers N2840, N3050, N3060 and N3350. Model N2840 belongs to the Bay Trail platform and contains two cores. The frequency of operation is from 2.15 to 2.58 GHz. The maximum power consumption is 4.5-7.5 W, depending on the type of tasks. The chip supports two channels of DDR3L 1333 memory with a maximum capacity of 8 GB. In general, a normal entry-level processor for a laptop.
N3050 and N3060 processors from another family - Braswell. And the N3350 refers to Apollo Lake. Too many code names of platforms should not confuse you, because upon closer examination, the changes from 2013 did not happen much. It is easier to compare these processors with each other according to the following characteristics: the number of cores is the same, the frequencies of operation vary (N2840 - 2.15 ... 2.58 GHz, N3050 - 1.60 ... 2.16 GHz, N3060 - 1.60 ... 2, 48 GHz, N3350 - 1.10 ... 2.40 GHz), increasing the amount of cache memory - from 1MB in N2840 to 2 MB in other processors, reducing power consumption - from 4.5-7.5 W in N2840 to 4.0 -6.0 W in the rest, increasing the frequency of the supported memory - DDR3 from 1333 MHz in the N2840 to 1600 MHz in the N3050 and N3060, and then altogether 1866 MHz in the N3350, which also got LPDDR4 compatibility up to 2400 MHz. In other words, there is progress, but not as significant as I would like to see. And you have to choose between 4-core Atom processors for tablets with a meager amount of RAM and 2-core processors with a normal frequency and memory support up to 8 GB, but too low performance in general. Nobody offers alternatives.
Laptops in the category up to 15,000 rubles are more like typewriters for surfing the Internet - cheap matrixes and affordable prices. Perhaps someone may be interested in AMD processors, because they can also be easily found in the available models. As usual, we see a short list consisting of three models: AMD E1-2500, AMD E1-6010, AMD E1-7010.
Kabini is focused on netbooks, ultra-thin laptops and all-in-one computer systems. The processors include two cores each and have a second-level cache memory of 2 MB. For their production used 28-nm technological standards. Traditionally, AMD calls its processors with Radeon graphics - APU in order to separate their products from the competitor, denoting a new niche. AMD claims high graphics performance of its chips, but this does not apply to low-end models, as the memory bandwidth remains the narrow link in the system. After all, DDR3 memory with a maximum frequency of up to 1333 MHz and one channel will not allow the graphics core to reveal its potential. Therefore, the choice of AMD APU actually ends without starting.
The E1-2500, E1-6010 and E1-7010 processors have some physical differences in the frequency (E1-2500 - 1.4 GHz, E1-6010 - 1.35 GHz, E1-7010 - 1.5 GHz), in power consumption ( E1-2500 - 15 W, E1-6010 and E1-7010 - 10 W), but in general, their performance is close to medium-sized tablets. In addition, like the Intel processors in the available laptops, AMD APUs are made in the BGA version and cannot be replaced. True, it should be said that they support a good set of technologies, among which there are instructions AES, F16C and AVX. Thus, there are no obvious flaws in them, but in terms of the number of cores and the frequency they are inferior to Intel processors. On the other hand, the graphics core AMD wins from them in performance.
Usually as the cost of laptops increases, manufacturers try to put the CPU from the model range higher. It turns out that in the real world this is not entirely true, and last year’s models coexist quite peacefully with notebooks of the model range of the current year. Therefore, once again let us warn inattentive customers: even in the more expensive segment there are models with previously described processors. And new ones are added to them, which are not always faster and better than old ones.
Opens the list of three Intel Pentium processors with numbers N3540, N3700 and N3710. The first relates to the Bay Trail platform (2013), the rest to Braswell (2015).
It makes sense to stop at Braswell only if you want to get a processor made with 14 nm technology with lower power consumption (4-6 W instead of 4.5-7.5 W). As a result, the heating and noise levels of the cooling system are reduced. Talking about the striking superiority of one over the other is not necessary because of too close characteristics. All have four cores, 2 MB of cache memory, and the frequencies vary in the 2.16 - 2.66 GHz range for the N3540, 1.60 - 2.40 for the N3700 and 1.60 - 2.56 for the N3710. Braswell processors support 1600 MHz DDR3 memory, while the Bay Trail is limited to 1333 MHz. And the first significant difference is dual-channel memory of all described processors.
Among the Pentium there are CPUs with the U index in the title - these are Intel Pentium 3558U and Intel Celeron 2957U. Both processors came from the world of Haswell desktop systems. Despite the difference in the names of Celeron and Pentium, in fact, both of them have only two processing cores, 2 MB of cache memory and 15 W power consumption. The difference between them is only in the frequency of work. Intel Celeron 2957U operates at 1.40 GHz without turbo mode, Intel Pentium 3558U - 1.70 GHz without boost. Depending on the desire of the laptop manufacturer, the system with these processors can have up to 16 GB of normal DDR3 1600 MHz SoDimm memory with dual channel mode. It turns out that these processors are the closest to desktop systems and assume the maximum potential for improving the characteristics of a laptop.
In the range between 15 and 20 thousand rubles falls a large list of APU from AMD, ranging from affordable and primitive CPU AMD E1-6015 and ending with a decent model AMD A6-9210. And the full list includes as many as six APU AMD models: A6-9210, A6-7310, A4-7210, A4-6210, E2-7110, E1-6015.
E1-6015 is a slightly overclocked version of the APU E1-6010. Frequency increased from 1.35 GHz to 1.40 GHz.
E2-7110 is the same E1-6015, but with a frequency of 1.80 GHz, four processing cores and 2 MB cache memory instead of 1 MB. Naturally, the increase in the number of cores should have affected power consumption, but the improved technologies implemented in the APU allowed to stay in the range from 12 to 15 watts. Alas, the single-channel memory controller still holds back the integrated Radeon R2 graphics.
A4-6210, A4-7210 and A6-7310 twin processors. Close nominal frequencies (A4-6210 -1.8 GHz, A4-7210 - 1.8 ... 2.2 GHz, A6-7310 - 2.0 ... 2.4 GHz), 2 MB of cache memory each, 15 W power consumption, single-channel DDR3L memory with a frequency of up to 1600 MHz for the first two and up to 1866 MHz for the last APU. By and large, the main difference lies in the graphics core. The A4-6210, A4-7210 is equipped with a Radeon R3 (128 unified processors with a frequency of 600 MHz for the first and 686 MHz for the second APU), and for the A6-7310 Radeon R4 (the R4 index indicates the frequency of the GP 800MHz, and not an increase actuators, however logical it is). However, the problem here is the same - limited memory bandwidth. And in the end, that Radeon R3, that R4, on the screen, the difference is hardly visible with the naked eye.
A6-9210 - seventh generation APU AMD with two Excavator cores. A decrease in quantity and an increase in the number in the title is a favorite method of manufacturers. Although it all depends on which side to look at it. Indeed, the number of cores has decreased, and this has a negative effect on performance. On the other hand, AMD decided to balance the CPU with Radeon R4 advanced graphics (192 stream processors at 600 MHz). Ultimately, the A6-9210 looks more attractive. In addition, the memory type was changed to DDR4 2133 MHz, although the number of memory channels remained equal to one. According to AMD, two cores at a frequency of 2.4 ... 2.8 GHz should cope with the daily work in the office / home and sometimes allow the user to play undemanding games.
Not at all extra five thousand rubles can be spent in different ways. Someone will opt for a medium configuration, preferring a good matrix or compact size. The rest, who care about processor performance, will tell you what to expect from them.
Our list opens with a full-fledged Pentium N4200 from Intel with dual-channel memory from the Apollo Lake family (2016). We already met his younger brother Celeron N3350. The difference between them is in a slightly larger turbo frequency and four cores instead of two. The platform is fresh, though based on 14 nm.
Processors with the letter “U” at the end belong to three generations at once (Haswell, Broadwell, SkyLake). The oldest, so to speak, is the Intel Pentium 3556U with Haswell architecture. It does not have the lowest frequency of operation - 1.7 GHz without turbo mode, but it is made according to the 22 nm process technology and is adjacent to DDR3 memory, more precisely, its energy efficient version LDDR3, operating at 1.35 V.
Step above are processors based on the Broadwell architecture. Here you have both the advanced 14 nm process technology, and the presence in some instances of the Hyper Threading function. Thanks to it, the number of executable threads in the system grows from two to four, although physically the processors are still endowed with two cores.
The lower Intel Celeron 3215U and Intel Celeron 3205U CPUs differ in operating frequency (1.7 GHz versus 1.5 GHz), and the other characteristics are exactly the same: two cores each, 2 MB of cache memory, power consumption up to 15 W and support for LDDR3 memory frequency up to 1600 MHz. Again, returning to the importance not of the amount of memory, but of its channel, in all enumerated processors two memory channels are used. This is a physical capability of the processors, but not all manufacturers use this feature, often giving laptops four or eight gigabytes of RAM on one channel.
Intel Pentium 3825U and 3805U are also very similar except for one important fact that the 3825U has Hyper Threading support, 3805U does not. Both operate at 1.9 GHz without turbo modes with memory up to 1600 MHz.
And finally, the last representative of the Broadwell processors is the Intel Core i3-5005U. Despite being part of the i3 series, it has little difference from the Pentium 3825U. First, the frequency has risen to 2 GHz. Secondly, the amount of cache memory is increased from 2 to 3 MB and ... everything. Is it worth overpaying for this, obviously not? Because there are a couple of SkyLake processors in the neighborhood.
Intel Pentium 4405U in its characteristics is close to the Pentium 3825U, but it operates at a frequency of 2.1 GHz. However, the frequency is not particularly important here, because It is worth paying attention to what aspect: SkyLake received a new controller that is compatible with two types of memory at once - DDR4 and LPDDR3. Depending on the integrity of the manufacturer, in a laptop can stand both one type and the other. Naturally, with DDR4 performance will be slightly higher, and it is worth considering. But with LDDR3, SkyLake has an advantage over Broadwell due to the higher operating frequency - 1866 MHz instead of 1600 MHz.
Intel Core i3-6006U should formally be better than the Pentium 4405U, but upon closer inspection, its frequency is lower by 100 MHz. Albeit with an increased amount of porridge, he is not able to compete with the Pentium 4405U. Again, the type of memory used will be the deciding factor.
In response to the dynamic sector of budget notebooks, AMD, like Intel, has some ambitions to bite off a piece of cake. Its APU is graphically ahead of the competitor, which is not the computing power of the main processor cores. Although, running ahead, a pair of APUs are quite decent against the background of Intel processors. On the other hand, it is in this segment that the outdated APUs, which do not fit into the modern reality, somehow come across. But we will begin with really interesting samples.
AMD A9-9410 has only two cores with a dynamic range of work from 2.9 to 3.5 GHz. A small amount of cache memory (1 MB) is compensated by supporting DDR4 memory up to 8 GB and a frequency of up to 2133 MHz operating in dual channel mode. This is the only processor with Excavator cores on the Stoney Ridge platform. Its graphics core, subject to the presence of a large amount of RAM in a laptop, is able to compete with the most simple discrete graphics cards.
All of the following four-core APUs are obsolete processors, but they may well satisfy the needs of an undemanding customer. For example, AMD A8-7410 with a frequency of 2.2-2.5 GHz or AMD A6-6310, operating at 1.8-2.4 GHz, and even the AMD E2-6110 with its 1.5 GHz is capable of something . However, they all support only one memory channel and cannot fully unleash the potential of the integrated graphics core of the Radeon. And the last APU AMD Brazos QC-4000 is like a dinosaur at all: not only does it have a very modest frequency potential of 1.3 GHz, and it is more focused on tablets rather than laptops.
The last group of laptops in question is really interesting in a few things. For the first time in this category, we will come across the latest processors and nimble APU models with decent graphics. To continue the conversation, we will sort everything out. First, we say that all systems support dual-channel memory, and most processors are provided with support for faster DDR4 memory.
: Haswell Kaby Lake.
Intel Kaby-Lake. : pcworld.co.nz
, Intel Core i3-4030U CPU , , 1,9 , 3 -, Hyper Threading, DDR3L/LPDDR3 16 1600 .
Skylake .
Core i3-6100U 2,3 , 32 : DDR3L 1600 , LPDDR3 1866 , DDR4 2133 . , . DDR4 , . Core i5-6200U 2,3 2,8 , Core i3-6100U.
Core i5-7200U Kaby Lake. . , , .
For the red camp stands several APU with attractive features. AMD knows what to do, if the rest of the parameters of the APU is not so hot. Of course, the buyer should be lured by the presence of four cores, which the company does. Although such methods will not force the picky buyer to change their choice, the “signboard” will work on people who are not advanced in iron. We do not beg AMD merits, because in reality, some of the presented APUs have very good potential for undemanding games.
, AMD A10-9600P — APU AMD . Excavator, Bristol Ridge. , .. APU Zen. A10-9600P 2- DDR4 . , 8 .
AMD A10-8700P , 1,8 .
Stoney Ridge A9-9400 . , , . .
, , AMD A8-5550M. - APU AMD Trinity. , , A9-9400.
. . , Intel Pentium 3825U Intel Pentium 3805U? APU AMD? ?
10-15 . , , , . , . Intel Celeron N3350, LPDDR4 .
15 20 . Intel Pentium N3710, Intel Pentium 3558U , , AMD A6-9210.
Intel Core i3-6006U, Intel Pentium 4405U . , . AMD APU A9-9410.
Our review ends on the once most popular group of laptops with prices ranging from 25 to 30 thousand rubles. A few years ago for this amount one could find a good configuration with an IPS matrix, an energy efficient processor and the possibility of transformation. Now at best, you get a mediocre system. Although I must say that even the latest Intel Core i5-7200U processor managed to get here. We recommend that you search for it, since there is such an opportunity. And for AMD stands the last representative of the era of the nucleus Excavator - A10-9600P.
Enjoy the shopping!
And if we take into account that, in addition to the processor, the overall performance depends on the number of memory channels, its type and frequency, the availability of the Turbo mode, as well as the speed of the graphics core, then the specialist will sometimes not be able to give the right advice.
')
We suggest you look at budget laptops in the range of 10-30 thousand rubles and get acquainted with the full range of their “hearts”.
Laptops cost from 10 to 15 thousand rubles
Initial level - processors for embedded systems, smartphones and tablets reign here.
Intel
Yes, we were not mistaken, it turns out that all kinds of "Atoms" are quite suitable for the role of the processor in the most affordable laptops. The trouble is that there were many Atoms, as well as names for them, and it is often difficult to understand what changes have taken place in them. But this is not the main task, because Far from the whole list of Atom processors falls into laptops. We reviewed all the proposed configurations and selected only those that are officially shipped to Russia and are available for sale.
Let's start with the Bay Trail platform. It was announced in the third quarter of 2013 and was a highly integrated system (SoC). It is based on 22nm tri-gate technology. All processors are divided into 3 groups:
- N - designed for laptops and come in the N3000 - this is the Pentium, or the N2000 is the Celeron;
- J - for desktop PCs (J1xxx - Celeron, J2xxx - Pentium);
- Z - for tablets (Z37xx - quad-core models, Z36xx - dual-core models).
In affordable laptops worth up to 15,000 rubles, processors based on the Bay Trail (2013) platform are the most common, in particular, the Intel Atom Z3735G and Intel Atom Z3735F, which are twins, but, alas, are far from being identical. The fact is that the last letter means the number of memory channels. The manufacturer’s website provides dry numbers and facts from the specification:
- 4 cores / 4 threads, 2 MB L2 cache;
- Intel Burst;
- Support for 64-bit OS;
- SSE4.1 Vector Instructions;
- Support single-channel LPDDR3-1067 memory (up to a maximum of 4 GB);
- Intel HD Graphics Graphics Core - 4 execution units (8 threads each);
- Dynamic frequency of the graphics core, hardware accelerated encoding / decoding;
- Virtualization and security technologies.
By the way, the preposition “before” does not always reflect reality. For example, the Intel Atom Z3735G only supports 1 GB of memory with a maximum bandwidth of 5.3 GB / s, and the Intel Atom Z3735F already has 2 GB of memory, respectively, increasing the bandwidth to 10.6 GB / s and capacity. Intel Atom Z3735G contains four cores and handles four threads. Recommended price is $ 17. The base clock frequency of the processor is 1.33 GHz, the maximum frequency is 1.83 GHz, the cache memory is 2 MB, the maximum rated power is 2.2 W. The Intel Atom Z3735F is priced at $ 18.
A step above is the platform Cherry Trail (2015). It is the successor to the Bay Trail, but from a wide range of products there are only laptops with Intel Atom x5-Z8300 processors. According to the description of Intel, the improvements have touched many parts of the processor, the main ones are listed below.
- 14nm tri-gate technology;
- Optimization of electricity consumption;
- Memory support DDR3L-RS 1600 MHz;
- Two-fold increase in integrated graphics performance.
Unfortunately, the Intel Atom x5-Z8300 is the youngest model with reduced capabilities, so it lacks support for dual-channel memory and has a limit on its size of 2 GB. In essence, after changing the platform, the processor received an increase in frequency (base 1.44 MHz in turbo mode to 1.84 GHz) and price up to $ 21.
In addition to "Atoms", there are Celeron processors with the numbers N2840, N3050, N3060 and N3350. Model N2840 belongs to the Bay Trail platform and contains two cores. The frequency of operation is from 2.15 to 2.58 GHz. The maximum power consumption is 4.5-7.5 W, depending on the type of tasks. The chip supports two channels of DDR3L 1333 memory with a maximum capacity of 8 GB. In general, a normal entry-level processor for a laptop.
N3050 and N3060 processors from another family - Braswell. And the N3350 refers to Apollo Lake. Too many code names of platforms should not confuse you, because upon closer examination, the changes from 2013 did not happen much. It is easier to compare these processors with each other according to the following characteristics: the number of cores is the same, the frequencies of operation vary (N2840 - 2.15 ... 2.58 GHz, N3050 - 1.60 ... 2.16 GHz, N3060 - 1.60 ... 2, 48 GHz, N3350 - 1.10 ... 2.40 GHz), increasing the amount of cache memory - from 1MB in N2840 to 2 MB in other processors, reducing power consumption - from 4.5-7.5 W in N2840 to 4.0 -6.0 W in the rest, increasing the frequency of the supported memory - DDR3 from 1333 MHz in the N2840 to 1600 MHz in the N3050 and N3060, and then altogether 1866 MHz in the N3350, which also got LPDDR4 compatibility up to 2400 MHz. In other words, there is progress, but not as significant as I would like to see. And you have to choose between 4-core Atom processors for tablets with a meager amount of RAM and 2-core processors with a normal frequency and memory support up to 8 GB, but too low performance in general. Nobody offers alternatives.
AMD
Laptops in the category up to 15,000 rubles are more like typewriters for surfing the Internet - cheap matrixes and affordable prices. Perhaps someone may be interested in AMD processors, because they can also be easily found in the available models. As usual, we see a short list consisting of three models: AMD E1-2500, AMD E1-6010, AMD E1-7010.
Kabini is focused on netbooks, ultra-thin laptops and all-in-one computer systems. The processors include two cores each and have a second-level cache memory of 2 MB. For their production used 28-nm technological standards. Traditionally, AMD calls its processors with Radeon graphics - APU in order to separate their products from the competitor, denoting a new niche. AMD claims high graphics performance of its chips, but this does not apply to low-end models, as the memory bandwidth remains the narrow link in the system. After all, DDR3 memory with a maximum frequency of up to 1333 MHz and one channel will not allow the graphics core to reveal its potential. Therefore, the choice of AMD APU actually ends without starting.
The E1-2500, E1-6010 and E1-7010 processors have some physical differences in the frequency (E1-2500 - 1.4 GHz, E1-6010 - 1.35 GHz, E1-7010 - 1.5 GHz), in power consumption ( E1-2500 - 15 W, E1-6010 and E1-7010 - 10 W), but in general, their performance is close to medium-sized tablets. In addition, like the Intel processors in the available laptops, AMD APUs are made in the BGA version and cannot be replaced. True, it should be said that they support a good set of technologies, among which there are instructions AES, F16C and AVX. Thus, there are no obvious flaws in them, but in terms of the number of cores and the frequency they are inferior to Intel processors. On the other hand, the graphics core AMD wins from them in performance.
| CPU | Core | Frequency, GHz | Tech., Nm | Energy., W | Memory (volume, frequency, channels) | Architecture | Geekbench 4 (single / multi) results |
| Intel Atom x5-Z8300 | four | 1.44-1.84 | 14 | 2.0 | DDR3L, 2GB, 1600, 1 | Cherry trail | 919/2478 |
| Intel Atom Z3735G | four | 1.33-1.83 | 22 | 2.2 | DDR3L, 1GB, 1333, 1 | Bay trail | 829/2020 |
| Intel Atom Z3735F | four | 1.33-1.83 | 22 | 2.2 | DDR3L, 2GB, 1333, 1 | Bay trail | 860/2035 |
| Intel Celeron N3350 | 2 | 1.10-2.40 | 14 | 4-6 | DDR3L, LPDDR3 LPDDR4, 8GB, 1600 2400, 2 | Apollo lake | 1556/2722 |
| Intel Celeron N2840 | 2 | 2.16-2.58 | 22 | 4.5-7.5 | DDR3L 8GB, 1600,2 | Bay trail | 1230/1980 |
| Intel Celeron N3050 | 2 | 1.60-2.16 | 14 | 4-6 | DDR3L 8GB, 1600,2 | Braswell | 1067/1871 |
| Intel Celeron N3060 | 2 | 1.60-2.48 | 14 | 4-6 | DDR3L 8GB, 1600,2 | Braswell | 1169/2121 |
| AMD E1-7010 | 2 | 1.50 | 28 | ten | DDR3L 8GB, 1333, 1 | Puma + Carrizo-l | 836/1389 |
| AMD E1-6010 | 2 | 1.35 | 28 | ten | DDR3L, 8GB, 1333, 1 | Puma Beema | 816/1308 |
| AMD E1-2500 | 2 | 1.40 | 28 | 15 | DDR3L, 8GB, 1333, 1 | Jaguar Kabini | 818/1351 |
Laptops with prices ranging from 15 to 20 thousand rubles
Usually as the cost of laptops increases, manufacturers try to put the CPU from the model range higher. It turns out that in the real world this is not entirely true, and last year’s models coexist quite peacefully with notebooks of the model range of the current year. Therefore, once again let us warn inattentive customers: even in the more expensive segment there are models with previously described processors. And new ones are added to them, which are not always faster and better than old ones.
Intel
Opens the list of three Intel Pentium processors with numbers N3540, N3700 and N3710. The first relates to the Bay Trail platform (2013), the rest to Braswell (2015).
It makes sense to stop at Braswell only if you want to get a processor made with 14 nm technology with lower power consumption (4-6 W instead of 4.5-7.5 W). As a result, the heating and noise levels of the cooling system are reduced. Talking about the striking superiority of one over the other is not necessary because of too close characteristics. All have four cores, 2 MB of cache memory, and the frequencies vary in the 2.16 - 2.66 GHz range for the N3540, 1.60 - 2.40 for the N3700 and 1.60 - 2.56 for the N3710. Braswell processors support 1600 MHz DDR3 memory, while the Bay Trail is limited to 1333 MHz. And the first significant difference is dual-channel memory of all described processors.
Among the Pentium there are CPUs with the U index in the title - these are Intel Pentium 3558U and Intel Celeron 2957U. Both processors came from the world of Haswell desktop systems. Despite the difference in the names of Celeron and Pentium, in fact, both of them have only two processing cores, 2 MB of cache memory and 15 W power consumption. The difference between them is only in the frequency of work. Intel Celeron 2957U operates at 1.40 GHz without turbo mode, Intel Pentium 3558U - 1.70 GHz without boost. Depending on the desire of the laptop manufacturer, the system with these processors can have up to 16 GB of normal DDR3 1600 MHz SoDimm memory with dual channel mode. It turns out that these processors are the closest to desktop systems and assume the maximum potential for improving the characteristics of a laptop.
AMD
In the range between 15 and 20 thousand rubles falls a large list of APU from AMD, ranging from affordable and primitive CPU AMD E1-6015 and ending with a decent model AMD A6-9210. And the full list includes as many as six APU AMD models: A6-9210, A6-7310, A4-7210, A4-6210, E2-7110, E1-6015.
E1-6015 is a slightly overclocked version of the APU E1-6010. Frequency increased from 1.35 GHz to 1.40 GHz.
E2-7110 is the same E1-6015, but with a frequency of 1.80 GHz, four processing cores and 2 MB cache memory instead of 1 MB. Naturally, the increase in the number of cores should have affected power consumption, but the improved technologies implemented in the APU allowed to stay in the range from 12 to 15 watts. Alas, the single-channel memory controller still holds back the integrated Radeon R2 graphics.
A4-6210, A4-7210 and A6-7310 twin processors. Close nominal frequencies (A4-6210 -1.8 GHz, A4-7210 - 1.8 ... 2.2 GHz, A6-7310 - 2.0 ... 2.4 GHz), 2 MB of cache memory each, 15 W power consumption, single-channel DDR3L memory with a frequency of up to 1600 MHz for the first two and up to 1866 MHz for the last APU. By and large, the main difference lies in the graphics core. The A4-6210, A4-7210 is equipped with a Radeon R3 (128 unified processors with a frequency of 600 MHz for the first and 686 MHz for the second APU), and for the A6-7310 Radeon R4 (the R4 index indicates the frequency of the GP 800MHz, and not an increase actuators, however logical it is). However, the problem here is the same - limited memory bandwidth. And in the end, that Radeon R3, that R4, on the screen, the difference is hardly visible with the naked eye.
A6-9210 - seventh generation APU AMD with two Excavator cores. A decrease in quantity and an increase in the number in the title is a favorite method of manufacturers. Although it all depends on which side to look at it. Indeed, the number of cores has decreased, and this has a negative effect on performance. On the other hand, AMD decided to balance the CPU with Radeon R4 advanced graphics (192 stream processors at 600 MHz). Ultimately, the A6-9210 looks more attractive. In addition, the memory type was changed to DDR4 2133 MHz, although the number of memory channels remained equal to one. According to AMD, two cores at a frequency of 2.4 ... 2.8 GHz should cope with the daily work in the office / home and sometimes allow the user to play undemanding games.
| CPU | Core | Frequency, GHz | Tech., Nm | Energy., W | Memory (volume, frequency, channels) | Architecture | Geekbench 4 (single / multi) results |
| Intel Pentium N3710 | four | 1.6-2.56 | 14 | 4-6 | DDR3L 8GB, 1600,2 | Braswell | 1223/3606 |
| Intel Pentium N3700 | four | 1.6-2.4 | 14 | 4-6 | DDR3L 8GB, 1600,2 | Braswell | 1154/3353 |
| Intel Pentium N3540 | four | 2.16-2.66 | 22 | 4.5-7.5 | DDR3L 8GB, 1333, 2 | Bay trail | 1285/3637 |
| Intel Pentium 3558U | 2 | 1.7 | 22 | 15 | DDR3L LPDDR3 16GB, 1600, 2 | Haswell | 2023/3347 |
| Intel Celeron 2957U | 2 | 1.4 | 22 | 15 | DDR3L LPDDR3 16GB, 1600, 2 | Haswell | 1707/2895 |
| AMD A6-9210 | 2 | 2.4-2.8 | 28 | 15 | DDR4 8GB, 2133, 1 | Excavator Stoney ridge | 1945/2928 |
| AMD A6-7310 | four | 2.0-2.4 | 28 | 15 | DDR3L 8GB, 1600, 1 | Puma + Carrizo-l | 1313/3370 |
| AMD A4-7210 | four | 1.8-2.2 | 28 | 15 | DDR3L 8GB, 1600, 1 | Puma + Carrizo-l | 1217/3070 |
| AMD E2-7110 | four | 1.8 | 28 | 15 | DDR3L 8GB, 1600, 1 | Puma + Carrizo-l | 1067/2991 |
| AMD A4-6210 | four | 1.8 | 28 | 15 | DDR3L 8GB, 1600, 1 | Puma Beema | 1070/2974 |
| AMD E1-6015 | 2 | 1.4 | 28 | ten | DDR3L 8GB, 1333, 1 | Puma Beema | 820/1331 |
Laptops priced from 20 to 25 thousand rubles
Not at all extra five thousand rubles can be spent in different ways. Someone will opt for a medium configuration, preferring a good matrix or compact size. The rest, who care about processor performance, will tell you what to expect from them.
Our list opens with a full-fledged Pentium N4200 from Intel with dual-channel memory from the Apollo Lake family (2016). We already met his younger brother Celeron N3350. The difference between them is in a slightly larger turbo frequency and four cores instead of two. The platform is fresh, though based on 14 nm.
Processors with the letter “U” at the end belong to three generations at once (Haswell, Broadwell, SkyLake). The oldest, so to speak, is the Intel Pentium 3556U with Haswell architecture. It does not have the lowest frequency of operation - 1.7 GHz without turbo mode, but it is made according to the 22 nm process technology and is adjacent to DDR3 memory, more precisely, its energy efficient version LDDR3, operating at 1.35 V.
Step above are processors based on the Broadwell architecture. Here you have both the advanced 14 nm process technology, and the presence in some instances of the Hyper Threading function. Thanks to it, the number of executable threads in the system grows from two to four, although physically the processors are still endowed with two cores.
The lower Intel Celeron 3215U and Intel Celeron 3205U CPUs differ in operating frequency (1.7 GHz versus 1.5 GHz), and the other characteristics are exactly the same: two cores each, 2 MB of cache memory, power consumption up to 15 W and support for LDDR3 memory frequency up to 1600 MHz. Again, returning to the importance not of the amount of memory, but of its channel, in all enumerated processors two memory channels are used. This is a physical capability of the processors, but not all manufacturers use this feature, often giving laptops four or eight gigabytes of RAM on one channel.
Intel Pentium 3825U and 3805U are also very similar except for one important fact that the 3825U has Hyper Threading support, 3805U does not. Both operate at 1.9 GHz without turbo modes with memory up to 1600 MHz.
And finally, the last representative of the Broadwell processors is the Intel Core i3-5005U. Despite being part of the i3 series, it has little difference from the Pentium 3825U. First, the frequency has risen to 2 GHz. Secondly, the amount of cache memory is increased from 2 to 3 MB and ... everything. Is it worth overpaying for this, obviously not? Because there are a couple of SkyLake processors in the neighborhood.
Intel Pentium 4405U in its characteristics is close to the Pentium 3825U, but it operates at a frequency of 2.1 GHz. However, the frequency is not particularly important here, because It is worth paying attention to what aspect: SkyLake received a new controller that is compatible with two types of memory at once - DDR4 and LPDDR3. Depending on the integrity of the manufacturer, in a laptop can stand both one type and the other. Naturally, with DDR4 performance will be slightly higher, and it is worth considering. But with LDDR3, SkyLake has an advantage over Broadwell due to the higher operating frequency - 1866 MHz instead of 1600 MHz.
Intel Core i3-6006U should formally be better than the Pentium 4405U, but upon closer inspection, its frequency is lower by 100 MHz. Albeit with an increased amount of porridge, he is not able to compete with the Pentium 4405U. Again, the type of memory used will be the deciding factor.
AMD
In response to the dynamic sector of budget notebooks, AMD, like Intel, has some ambitions to bite off a piece of cake. Its APU is graphically ahead of the competitor, which is not the computing power of the main processor cores. Although, running ahead, a pair of APUs are quite decent against the background of Intel processors. On the other hand, it is in this segment that the outdated APUs, which do not fit into the modern reality, somehow come across. But we will begin with really interesting samples.
AMD A9-9410 has only two cores with a dynamic range of work from 2.9 to 3.5 GHz. A small amount of cache memory (1 MB) is compensated by supporting DDR4 memory up to 8 GB and a frequency of up to 2133 MHz operating in dual channel mode. This is the only processor with Excavator cores on the Stoney Ridge platform. Its graphics core, subject to the presence of a large amount of RAM in a laptop, is able to compete with the most simple discrete graphics cards.
All of the following four-core APUs are obsolete processors, but they may well satisfy the needs of an undemanding customer. For example, AMD A8-7410 with a frequency of 2.2-2.5 GHz or AMD A6-6310, operating at 1.8-2.4 GHz, and even the AMD E2-6110 with its 1.5 GHz is capable of something . However, they all support only one memory channel and cannot fully unleash the potential of the integrated graphics core of the Radeon. And the last APU AMD Brazos QC-4000 is like a dinosaur at all: not only does it have a very modest frequency potential of 1.3 GHz, and it is more focused on tablets rather than laptops.
| CPU | Cores / Threads | Frequency, GHz | Tech., Nm | Energy., W | Memory (volume, frequency, channels) | Architecture | Geekbench 4 (single / multi) results |
| Intel Pentium N4200 | four | 1.1-2.5 | 14 | 4-6 | DDR3L LPDDR3 LPDDR4 8GB 1600 2400 2 | Apollo lake | 1592/4483 |
| Intel Core i3-6006U | 2/4 | 2.0 | 14 | 15 | DDR4 LPDDR3 DDR3L 32GB 2133 1866 1600 2 | Skylake | 2789/5350 |
| Intel Core i3-5005U | 2/4 | 2.0 | 14 | 15 | DDR3L LPDDR 16GB 1600 2 | Broadwell | 2619/4880 |
| Intel Pentium 4405U | 2/4 | 2.1 | 14 | 15 | DDR4 LPDDR3 32 2133 1866 2 | Skylake | 2536/4997 |
| Intel Pentium 3825U | 2/4 | 1,9 | 14 | 15 | DDR3L LPDDR 16 1600 2 | Broadwell | 2247/4119 |
| Intel Pentium 3805U | 2 | 1,9 | 14 | 15 | DDR3L LPDDR 16 1600 2 | Broadwell | 2205/3619 |
| Intel Pentium 3556U | 2 | 1.7 | 22 | 15 | DDR3L LPDDR3 16 1600 2 | Haswell | 1937/3265 |
| Intel Celeron 3215U | 2 | 1.7 | 14 | 15 | DDR3L LPDDR 16 1600 2 | Broadwell | 1955/3158 |
| Intel Celeron 3205U | 2 | 1.5 | 14 | 15 | DDR3L LPDDR 16 1600 2 | Broadwell | 1811/3014 |
| AMD A9-9410 | 2 | 2,9-3,5 | 28 | 15 | DDR4 8 2133 2 | Excavator Stoney Ridge | 2278/3485 |
| AMD A8-7410 | four | 2,2-2,5 | 28 | 15 | DDR3L 8 1866 one | Puma+ Carrizo-L | 1352/3715 |
| AMD A6-6310 | four | 1,8-2,4 | 28 | 15 | DDR3L 8 1866 one | Puma Beema | 1335/3401 |
| AMD E2-6110 | four | 1.5 | 28 | 15 | DDR3L 8 1600 one | Puma Beema | 911/2505 |
| AMD Brazos QC-4000 | four | 1,3 | 28 | 15 | DDR3L 8 1600 one | Jaguar Kabini | 854/2359 |
25 30
The last group of laptops in question is really interesting in a few things. For the first time in this category, we will come across the latest processors and nimble APU models with decent graphics. To continue the conversation, we will sort everything out. First, we say that all systems support dual-channel memory, and most processors are provided with support for faster DDR4 memory.
Intel
: Haswell Kaby Lake.
Intel Kaby-Lake. : pcworld.co.nz
, Intel Core i3-4030U CPU , , 1,9 , 3 -, Hyper Threading, DDR3L/LPDDR3 16 1600 .
Skylake .
Core i3-6100U 2,3 , 32 : DDR3L 1600 , LPDDR3 1866 , DDR4 2133 . , . DDR4 , . Core i5-6200U 2,3 2,8 , Core i3-6100U.
Core i5-7200U Kaby Lake. . , , .
AMD
For the red camp stands several APU with attractive features. AMD knows what to do, if the rest of the parameters of the APU is not so hot. Of course, the buyer should be lured by the presence of four cores, which the company does. Although such methods will not force the picky buyer to change their choice, the “signboard” will work on people who are not advanced in iron. We do not beg AMD merits, because in reality, some of the presented APUs have very good potential for undemanding games.
, AMD A10-9600P — APU AMD . Excavator, Bristol Ridge. , .. APU Zen. A10-9600P 2- DDR4 . , 8 .
AMD A10-8700P , 1,8 .
Stoney Ridge A9-9400 . , , . .
, , AMD A8-5550M. - APU AMD Trinity. , , A9-9400.
| CPU | / | , | ., | ., | (, , ) | Architecture | Geekbench 4 (single/multi) |
| Intel Core i5-7200U | 2/4 | 2,5-3,1 | 14 | 25 | DDR4 LPDDR3 DDR3L 32, 2133/ 1866/ 1600, 2 | Kaby Lake | 3941/7871 |
| Intel Core i5-6200U | 2/4 | 2,3-2,8 | 14 | 25 | DDR4 LPDDR3 DDR3L 32, 2133/ 1866/ 1600, 2 | Skylake | 3732/7157 |
| Intel Core i3-6100U | 2/4 | 2.3 | 14 | 15 | DDR4 LPDDR3 DDR3L 32, 2133/ 1866/ 1600, 2 | Skylake | 3250/6301 |
| Intel Core i3-4030U | 2/4 | 1,9 | 22 | 15 | DDR3L LPDDR3 16, 1600, 2 | Haswell | 2276/4593 |
| AMD A10-9600P | four | 2,4-3,3 | 28 | 15 | DDR4 8, 1866, 2 | Excavator Bristol Ridge | 2174/4872 |
| AMD A10-8700P | four | 1,8-3,2 | 28 | 35 | DDR3, 2133, 2 | Excavator Carrizo | 2348/6074 |
| AMD A9-9400 | 2 | 2,4-3,2 | 28 | ten | DDR4 8, 2133, 2 | Excavator Stoney Ridge | 2145/3140 |
| AMD A8-5550M | four | 2,1-3,1 | 32 | 35 | DDR3 DDR3L DDR3U, 1600, 2 | Piledriver Trinity | 1947/4569 |
findings
. . , Intel Pentium 3825U Intel Pentium 3805U? APU AMD? ?
10-15 . , , , . , . Intel Celeron N3350, LPDDR4 .
15 20 . Intel Pentium N3710, Intel Pentium 3558U , , AMD A6-9210.
Intel Core i3-6006U, Intel Pentium 4405U . , . AMD APU A9-9410.
Our review ends on the once most popular group of laptops with prices ranging from 25 to 30 thousand rubles. A few years ago for this amount one could find a good configuration with an IPS matrix, an energy efficient processor and the possibility of transformation. Now at best, you get a mediocre system. Although I must say that even the latest Intel Core i5-7200U processor managed to get here. We recommend that you search for it, since there is such an opportunity. And for AMD stands the last representative of the era of the nucleus Excavator - A10-9600P.
Enjoy the shopping!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/403543/
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