Prices, specifications, availability and terms of offers may change without notice. For instance, the “XE” at the end of an Intel Core processor’s name denotes a max-performance desktop chip. Product line: The product line suffix at the end of each Intel processor name lets you know what each processor is generally meant for.But you can’t compare model numbers from one brand to another, such as Core vs Xeon.

Generally, a higher model number means a more full-featured processor. SKU: This is a more specific model number within each brand and generation.Generation indicator: After the brand and modifier, you’ll find a generation indicator like 9, 10, or 11, closely followed by an SKU number sequence.(The Xeon, Pentium, and Celeron brand names don’t have these modifiers.) Higher modifier numbers generally mean better performance and more features. Brand modifier: In the Core brand of Intel chips (and only there), you’ll find a brand modifier such as i3, i5, i7, or i9 after the “Core” name.Brand: The overall product line, such as Core, Xeon, Pentium, or Celeron.Let’s take a look: The parts of an Intel processor name: Once you know what each of those mean, you can identify each processor at a glance. Each processor name has a brand, brand modifier, generation, SKU, and product line. To sift out the differences between the unique Intel CPUs, you have to know the parts of each name.

Intel processors ranked by performance