Help me understand Intel naming schemes

thready · 10 Aug 2014

I'm an AMD guy and I am moving to Intel now. I have been building PCs for about 5 years so I understand the basics of Intel but I don't understand some of the naming schemes. I know the numbers in the individual CPU names so I'm good on that. But the names of the CPUs get confusing.

For example, what is Devil's Canyon. All I know is that it uses a different thermal dissipation process than previous generations. So is Devil's Canyon a new generation of CPUs?

Also, is Haswell, Ivy Bridge, and Sandy Bridge all different generations or do those names mean something different? Is Devil's Canyon the successor to Haswell?

Another thing that bugs me is all of the different LGA configurations out there. Do the different configurations come with all of the CPUs? Like does the 4770k have an 1150 and a 2011 version? If not, what determines whether a part is 1150 or 2011?

As for the chipsets, does Z87 and Z97 work with all CPUs? With AMD the chipsets worked with every CPU as long as the form factor of the CPU and the board was the same, but I have heard that not all Intel chipsets work with all Intel CPUs. On Intel's information page of the Z97 chipset, it emphasized gaming in its advertising. So what does this mean? Is Z97 made with gamers in mind?

AddRAM · 10 Aug 2014

Sandy Bridge is a 2nd gen, Ivy Bridge is a 3rd, Haswell is a 4th etc

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/proce...-devils-canyon

http://wccftech.com/review/intel-cor...cessor-review/

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8227/d...k-and-i5-4690k

It depends on the socket of the motherboard, a Haswell uses a LGA 1150 socket, a Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge uses an LGA 1155 socket

thready · 10 Aug 2014

what uses 2011?

AddRAM · 10 Aug 2014

Sandy and Ivy Bridge Extreme series use LGA 2011

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ame=LGA%202011

Right after the Pentium 4 the naming got quite silly.

Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Extreme, i3, i5, i7 etc.

Layback Bear · 10 Aug 2014

The basic.

The socket of the motherboard and the socket of the cpu chip must match.

This maybe some help understanding.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_2011

Physical design and socket generations

Intel CPU sockets use the so-called Independent Loading Mechanism (ILM) retention device that holds the CPU in place while applying an exact amount of force required for a CPU to be properly seated. As part of their design, ILMs have differently placed protrusions which are intended to mate with cutouts in CPU packagings. These protrusions, also known as ILM keying, have the purpose of preventing installation of incompatible CPUs into otherwise physically compatible sockets, and preventing ILMs to be mounted with a 180-degree rotation relative to the CPU socket.[5]

Different variants (or generations) of the LGA 2011 socket and associated CPUs come with different ILM keying, which makes it possible to install CPUs only into generation-matching sockets. CPUs that are intended to be mounted into LGA 2011-0 or LGA 2011-3 sockets are all mechanically compatible regarding their dimensions and ball pattern pitches, but the designations of contacts are different between generations of the LGA 2011 socket and CPUs, thus making them electrically and logically incompatible.[6]

AddRAM · 10 Aug 2014

All the code names Intel uses on their cpu`s don`t mean squat.

It`s all about us, the consumer, buying the latest cpu. Intel just keeps manufacturing new products.

Layback Bear · 10 Aug 2014

Intel had some problems a long time ago with copyright infringement of their names when they only used numbers.
So now they use numbers and names. I believe they couldn't copyright a number but could a number and a name.

The name really means nothing.

Example: i860

AddRAM · 10 Aug 2014

AnandTech | Short Bytes: Intel's Devil's Canyon

Layback Bear · 10 Aug 2014

Plus when you update your cpu socket you get the joy of buying a new motherboard. Maybe this time a different color to match the color of the walls in the computer room.
Intel doesn't stick with a socket very long.

ignatzatsonic · 10 Aug 2014

thready said:

Is Z97 made with gamers in mind?

The primary attraction of Z97 for the enthusiast is overclocking capabilities, which also requires a K series processor. Overclocking is severely limited on non-K processors. If you are buying a non-K processor, there's generally no reason to get a Z97 board unless it happened to have a feature unrelated to overclocking that wasn't found on an H97 board. Check the chipset features of Z97 versus H97.

Gamers tend to go with i5 rather than i7, and spend the saved money instead on video card upgrades. Unless they have a high budget.