Intel simplified Core Extremely Collection 3 names—apart from one massive X

With the Core Extremely Collection 3 “Panther Lake” laptop computer chips, Intel says it’s largely eliminating the “alphabet soup” of obtuse product suffixes that solely nerds really loved — with one twist.

Now, the one really bizarre side of Intel’s Core Extremely Collection 3 processor lineup is a brand new “X” designation, in order that what as soon as was a Core Extremely 9 chip is now a “Core Extremely X9” chip. It’s all tied to the precise chip structure that the brand new Panther Lake chips embody, Intel defined.

For years, Intel has hooked up suffixes to its microprocessors that sign totally different attributes: a “Y” chip, for instance, was an especially low-power cell chip, no matter which means. It’s so unhealthy that Intel has even devoted a web page to the chip suffixes, which it’s maintained proper by way of to the top of 2025.

On this new lineup of fourteen cell Intel processors, listed above, Intel has stored simply the “H” suffix (“excessive efficiency optimized for cell”) and eradicated all the pieces else. The vast majority of chips Intel listed lack a suffix altogether.

What stands out are the Core Extremely X9 388H, the Core Extremely X7 368H, and the Core Extremely X7 358H. Look intently on the chip matrix above, although, and so they all share a typical attribute: 12 Xe3 Arc graphics cores. When a dozen Xe3 cores are mixed, Intel calls that the Intel Arc B390. In a single case, it makes use of ten as a substitute: the B370.

Nish Neelalojanan, senior director of product administration, consumer for Intel, stated that retailers requested for the extra descriptor.

“In some retail suggestions, there was sturdy retail suggestions that our 12Xe [chip] is so good that they wanted a simple approach for patrons strolling in to have the ability to determine that…” Neelalojanan stated. “So that’s a straightforward approach to determine that.”

Intel initially broke up Panther Lake in to 8- and 16-core chips, however Intel isn’t really saying which cores are efficiency, effectivity, or low-power effectivity cores. It’s kind of the identical motive why the suffixes have largely disappeared, too; all of those new Core Extremely Collection 3 chips all run on the similar 25W base thermal design energy. The “H”-series chips elevate the max TDP, nevertheless, providing extra efficiency: 65 or 80 watts in some instances.

We nonetheless count on Intel to ship a Core Extremely Collection 3 chip for gaming, nevertheless. That can return the “HX” suffix to the product lineup as soon as once more.