Best processors for laptops: intel core i9, intel core i7 or ryzen

We know that buying a laptop is a somewhat complicated decision, in some cases. You may get lost among so many terminologies or doubt about the performance that a laptop can offer. Therefore, we have decided to compare several of the processors that we find in the laptop market. So, let's take a look at the Intel Core i7, Core i5, Core i9, and AMD Ryzen.

Define your needs and priorities

Before we start comparing processors or ranges, what you should be clear about is the type of use you are going to give the laptop. Depending on how you use it, you may need an inferior or superior equipment. Processors are usually an indication that determines the range of notebooks.

Therefore, it is not the same to look for a professional use laptop, than a university laptop whose use will be 100% office automation. Laptops are often used to:

Gaming .Video / photo editing, compressions, programming, music production. Office automation, navigation, multimedia uses. Tasks with a lot of load, etc.

On the other hand, the priorities that buyers usually weigh are the following:

Weight or size. Screen resolution and technology. Backlit keyboard, numeric keypad availability, Spanish layout, etc. Trackpad, fingerprint sensor… Processor: generation, power, range… Graphics card. Autonomy. RAM size and technology. Hard disk: SSD, NVMe… Speakers, it is a topic that looks more than you think. Possibilities of expanding RAM memory and hard drives in the future. Brand and price.

Also, define your priorities to further refine your search. Some people prefer to have more power and less space, so they can access more powerful equipment, but without a large hard drive. Define what is your priority.

With this guide, our goal is to help you find the laptop you need. In the event that you care about making the most of every euro you invest in your purchase, you have to read and learn certain useful technicalities to know how to choose correctly.

Manufacturers: Intel Vs AMD

In portable products, Intel has reigned for many years, being the only manufacturer that offered great performance in the sector. Since 2017, AMD resurfaced again with the release of Ryzen, quite good laptop processors that performed similarly to Intel.

In the case of Intel, we find processors for all ranges, ranging from Intel Atom to Intel i9 H. We are going to focus on the ones we have put in the title because they are the ones that create the most controversy and doubt.

If we go to AMD, we will see few Ryzen processors on the market. The brand that has most bet on these chips is Lenovo, so if you do not like this brand… you will have trouble finding Ryzen CPUs. On the other hand, we see teams from Acer and HP that also equip these chips. In summary, we can see several Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 3, there are " PRO " versions in Ryzen 5 and 7.

We have to say that in the medium-low ranges, the differences between laptops equipped with i5-i7 or Ryzen 5-7 are minimal, so we advise you to buy the cheapest laptop possible.

Differences between nomenclatures

You already know that there are two brands of processors and that there are different ranges of laptops, but how do we differentiate them? Very simple: its nomenclature. Precisely, we have to look at the final letter of the processor model, which is the one that indicates the range of the same, as its characteristics.

To detect the processor you want, you have to pay attention to its nomenclature because it reveals what type of processor it is. We could classify processors like this:

Spectrum	Intel	AMD	Examples
Gaming or Workstation	Core i5, i7 and i9 terminated in H	Ryzen 7 and 5 ended in H	i9-8950HK, i7-8750H or Ryzen 5 3550H, Ryzen 3750H
Productivity	Core i7 and i5.	Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 finished in PRO	i7-8705G, i7-8550U or Ryzen 7-3700U
Standard / Low consumption	Core i5 U-terminated	Ryzen 5	Ryzen 5-3500U or i5-8265U
Ultra slim laptops	Core M or Intel Core i5 or i7 terminated in Y		Core M3 GY30
Low performance	Core i3	Ryzen 3	i3-8145U or Ryzen 3-3200U
Basics	Atom, Celeron and Pentium	A9 and A4	Intel Atom X5-E8000 or AMD A9-9425

Each range has its pros and cons. As a highlight, high-performance processors are not efficient, which means that we will not have a good autonomy, enjoying little portability. However, from the standard range downwards the laptops have a greater autonomy, but a "normal" or "poor" performance, in the case of the lower ranges.

In the standard range, we recommend that you buy equipment that has the same characteristics and is cheaper, with almost no difference between manufacturers.

Processor Specifications

It will not help us to know the range or the examples of the models of each range. We have to know what is important about processors, so here we will emphasize what you have to look for when you see a processor that you like.

You have to attend to the following sections:

Cores. One nucleus is responsible for working on a specific task while the other nuclei are working on theirs. Laptops typically have 2 cores per processor, but higher-performance models typically have 4 or more. Obviously, the more cores, the better. Threads. It helps the CPU to manage its tasks, reducing waiting times. The number of threads is associated with the number of tasks that can be done simultaneously. Therefore, the more the merrier. Hyper-Threading: This is a process where the processor divides each core into virtual cores called threads. This technology makes dual-core processors provide 4 threads; those with 4 cores provide 8 threads, etc. Frequency It is measured in GHz and is the number of cycles per second that the processor can execute. The higher it is, the faster the processor will be. Normally, in the specifications we will see the base frequency. Turbo. At Intel it is called " Turbo Boost " and it is the possibility of temporarily increasing the processor base frequency in order to achieve higher performance in a given scenario. TDP: The total watts that a microprocessor consumes. Here you can conclude the following:
- - More watts = better performance, more temperatures, more power consumption, which means less autonomy. Less watts = worse performance, lower temperatures, lower power consumption, which means more autonomy.

This is the basic information that you will need to master to know if the processor is good or… it is not as great as it is painted.

Generations

Although it seems silly, it is a detail that is usually overlooked, but that has its importance. How many times have you seen a laptop powered by a Core i5 or Core i7 whose price was very low? One of the main reasons will be the generation of the processor.

Obviously, we are interested in the latest possible processor. Why? For the support of new technologies, better efficiency or other aspects that are important, such as DDR4 RAM memory support .

How do I know which generation the processor is? Very easy, you just have to enter the processor model in Google and the Intel or AMD website will surely appear in the first results. There you will find what you are looking for.

Intel Core i7, i9 or Ryzen Which one do I choose?

If you ask yourself this question, it's because you want maximum performance, otherwise you'd stick to Core i5 or Core i3 chips in the question. Answering this question, the most powerful devices on the market are characterized by incorporating i9-9980HK, i9-9880H, i7-9750H or i7-8750H (previous generation) processors.

In the case of AMD, the offer of high-performance processors is much smaller, summarizing the Ryzen 7 3750H and the Ryzen 5 3550H. All the processors for laptops that we have exposed you are focused on high performance, such as gaming .

The technical specifications of these processors are as follows:

Processor	Cores	Threads	Frequency	TDP	Memory	Maximum temperature	Release date
Base	Turbo
i9-9980HK	8	16	2.40 GHz	5.00 GHz	45 W	DDR4-2666 LPDDR3-2133	100ºC	Mid 2019
i9-9980H	8	16	2.30 GHz	4.8 GHz	45 W	DDR4-2666 LPDDR3-2133	100ºC	Mid 2019
i7-9750H	6	12	2.60 GHz	4.5 GHz	45 W	DDR4-2666 LPDDR3-2133	100ºC	Mid 2019
i7-8750H	6	12	2.20 GHz	4.1 GHz	45 W	DDR4-2666 LPDDR3-2133	100ºC	Mid 2018
Ryzen 7 3750H	4	8	2.3 GHz	4.0 GHz	35 W	DDR4-2400	105ºC	Early 2019
Ryzen 5 3550H	4	8	2.1 GHz	3.7 GHz	35 W	DDR4-2400	105ºC	Early 2019

At the moment, the performance battle has a winner and it's called Intel.

Conclusions

After having read everything, it is time to draw our own conclusions. You have come here to rule out options and to guide you to the purchase of the perfect laptop. Therefore, the best way to conclude our opinion is as follows:

High performance or workstation. The best in this field is Intel Core i9 and i7, specifically the models finished in H or HK that we have exposed previously. Productivity AMD offers some very interesting Ryzen 7 whose value for money is very attractive. On the other hand, Intel i7 processors with G or U termination are a safe bet. In this sense, the cheapest model is, provided that the other specifications are similar. Standard range. With the same benefits in the other fields, buy the one with the best price. Ultrabooks. We have to say that Intel because AMD does not offer any consistent solution in this field. Poor performance. Normally, the laptops that equip Ryzen 3 are usually cheaper than those that incorporate i3, so I would say Ryzen 3. Basic. In this field, I prefer Intel because they are more contrasted in these ranges. Additionally, AMD has not put much effort into bringing out competitive laptop processors in these ranges.

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Do you prefer AMD or Intel? What is the most important thing in a laptop for you? We want to know your opinion!