Warehouse Deal | Apple MacBook Pro 16″ – M5 Max – 18-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 48GB RAM, 2TB SSD

Demystifying New Intel CPUs: What IT Teams Need to Know

Demystifying New Intel CPUs: What IT Teams Need to Know

Intel’s new CPU names can look intimidating. This guide breaks down the processor naming system without the jargon.

Introduction: Why do Intel CPU names look like a password?

If you’ve looked at a laptop or spec sheet recently and thought:

“What on earth does Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 155H or Intel® Core™ 5 150U even mean?”

You’re not alone.

Intel has changed its processor naming system, retired the familiar i5 / i7 format, and introduced Core, Core Ultra, and new generation indicators — all at once.

This means faster chips, better battery life, built‑in AI… and a lot of confused buyers.

The good news is that once you understand the pattern, these Intel CPU names actually tell you a lot.

Let’s decode them step by step.

Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors

Think of these as Intel’s “new‑era” CPUs.

Intel Core Ultra processors are the most modern and premium processors in Intel’s lineup. They’re built for how people actually work today — multitasking, video calls, creative apps, and increasingly, AI‑powered tools.

Example: Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 155H

Intel® – Corporate brand – This simply tells you who makes the processor.
Core™ Ultra – Product brand – This is the processor family.
7 – Performance tier.
- This replaces the old i5 / i7 / i9 naming system.
- Intel Core Ultra processors come in these performance tiers:
  - Ultra 5
  - Ultra 7
  - Ultra 9
  - Higher‑end variants like Core Ultra X7 and X9 – higher numbers indicate higher overall performance within the Core Ultra range.
  - These are the chips you’ll find inside the latest Series 3 (Panther Lake) business laptops in our range. Core Ultra X7 powers the new Surface Laptop (Series 3), the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro in 14″ and 16″, and the HP EliteBook 8 family (including the 14″ 2-in-1). At the top of the stack, the Lenovo ThinkPad X9-15 steps up to the even more capable Core Ultra X9.
155 – SKU and generation indicator – This is where Intel now hides what used to be the “generation” label.
- The first digit (1) indicates the Core Ultra generation.
- 1 = first generation of Core Ultra processors.
- The remaining digits (55) are the SKU, which position the processor within the Ultra 7 tier.
- These numbers only make sense within the same processor family and tier. Bigger numbers don’t automatically mean better if you’re comparing across ranges.
H – Suffix – The final letter tells you how the processor is designed to behave.
- H = a high‑performance laptop processor.

Best for: Power users, developers, engineers, creatives, leadership laptops.

V‑Suffix Core™ Processors (Copilot+ PCs)

You may also see some Intel Core Ultra processors ending in a V.

The V suffix is important because it identifies Intel’s most AI‑focused mobile processors — and these are the chips powering Copilot+ PCs today.

Example: Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 268V

In plain English, this is:

A high‑end, power‑efficient mobile processor
Designed for thin‑and‑light laptops and tablets
Part of Intel’s Lunar Lake platform
Built specifically to handle AI workloads on‑device
Equipped with a 48‑TOPS NPU and built‑in memory for efficiency

Intel® Core™ Processors

The sensible, reliable middle ground.

Intel Core processors are the mainstream option. They use the same logic as Core Ultra, just with a shorter, simpler name.

Example: Intel® Core™ 5 Processor 120U

Intel® – Corporate brand.
Core – Mainstream family. Intel Core sits below Core Ultra
5 – This replaces the old Core i5 label.
- Intel Core processors come in:
  - Core 3
  - Core 5 = mid‑range performance
  - Core 7
120 – Processor number – Intel Core processors use a three‑digit processor number.
- The first digit (1) indicates the processor series. The remaining digits position it within the Core 5 range.
- You don’t need to overthink this — higher numbers generally sit higher within the same tier, but comparisons should stay within the Core family.
U – Suffix (what it’s built for) U = power‑efficient laptop processor.

Best for: The majority of office users — finance, HR, sales, operations, admin.

Intel® Core™ Processors N‑Series

Designed to sip power, not sprint.

The N‑Series is Intel’s efficiency‑first Core range, aimed at simple, well‑defined workloads.

These processors prioritise:

Low power usage
Quiet operation
Affordable devices

Example: Intel® Core™ 3 Processor N355

3 – Entry‑level performance tier within the Core family.
N – Identifies the processor as part of the N‑Series (efficiency‑focused, entry‑level Core).
355 – SKU that positions the processor within the N‑Series
- Higher numbers generally sit higher within the N‑Series only.

Best for: Kiosk machines, education, front‑of‑house systems, shared or task‑specific devices.

Suffixes for Intel Core Ultra and Intel Core Processors

If there’s one thing to pay attention to in an Intel CPU name, it’s the letter at the end.

That suffix tells you how the processor is tuned and it can make a bigger difference than the tier number.

Common suffixes explained

Suffix	What it really means	Typical use
U	Power‑efficient	Everyday business laptops
P	Balanced	Thin & light professional devices
H	High performance	Power users
HX	Maximum performance	Mobile workstations
V	AI‑optimised, ultra‑efficient (Copilot+ ready)	Thin‑and‑light AI laptops / Copilot+ PCs
K	Unlocked (desktop)	High‑end desktops
T	Power‑optimised (desktop)	Small form factor PCs

A Core Ultra 7 U‑series chip will feel very different to a Core Ultra 7 H‑series chip, even though the name looks similar.

A good example of an H-suffix workhorse is the HP ZBook X mobile workstation, which pairs Core Ultra 9 H-series performance with pro-grade graphics for sustained creative and engineering workloads — exactly where the H suffix earns its keep.

Talk to Our Specialists

Intel® Processor

The basics, and nothing more.

The Intel Processor family sits below Core. These processors are all about keeping costs down while still delivering reliable performance for everyday, lightweight tasks.

Example: Intel® Processor N200

N – Identifies the processor type.
- Intel Processor prefixes typically start with N (or U in some variants).
200 – SKU that positions the processor within the Intel Processor range.

There’s no generation indicator, no performance tiers, and no suffix letters to decode.

Best for: Basic admin tasks, shared devices, very light workloads.

Pentium® Silver and Pentium® Gold Processors

Budget‑friendly, with a bit more headroom.

Pentium processors sit above Intel Processor and below Core. They’re often used where cost control is important, but you still want a bit of responsiveness.

What’s the difference?

Pentium Silver – More efficiency‑focused
Pentium Gold – Slightly higher performance

Example: Intel® Pentium® Gold G7400 Processor

Gold – Higher‑end Pentium
G – Integrated graphics tier

Best for: Education, light business tasks, budget‑conscious deployments.

Intel® Celeron® Processors

The entry‑level of entry‑level.

Celeron processors are Intel’s most basic CPUs. They’re built for very simple computing and nothing more.

Celeron processors use a few different naming formats, depending on the model:

Some include a four‑digit number
Some use a prefix, a suffix, or both

Example: Intel® Celeron® Processor N4500

Straightforward naming
Minimal performance
Efficiency‑first design

Higher numbers within the Celeron family generally indicate incremental improvements, such as:

Slightly higher clock speeds
More cache
Minor platform updates

Best for: Single‑purpose devices and ultra‑light workloads.

Why This Actually Matters for IT Teams

Confusing CPU names don’t just cause headaches, they cause bad decisions.

We regularly see organisations dealing with:

Over‑spec’d laptops that push up lease costs
Under‑powered devices that frustrate users
Mixed estates with inconsistent performance

At HardSoft, we help IT teams cut through the noise by:

Matching processor ranges to actual job roles
Standardising device performance
Offering flexible leasing that lets you refresh, upgrade, or change mid‑term
Supporting the full lifecycle through services like Boomerang

With 40+ years of experience and a 4.9★ Trustpilot rating, our job is to turn specs into sensible decisions.

Customise Your Solution

Choose CPUs without the Guesswork

Intel CPU names don’t need to be intimidating and your refresh strategy doesn’t need to be either.

If you want help choosing the right processors for each role, speak to HardSoft about your next device refresh or lease.

HP Elitedesk 8 mini – CoPilot+PC

How Much RAM Should You Order in Your Next Mac?

Understanding How Much RAM You Need to Order in Your New Mac

A practical guide to choosing the right RAM for your Mac’s performance, lifespan, and productivity.

Why RAM Matters More Than Ever on Modern Macs

Apple Silicon changed how RAM works. On older Intel machines, buying more RAM boosted performance but wasn’t always essential — and it could often be upgraded later. With M‑series Macs, the RAM is built directly into the chip (called Unified Memory).

This means:

You cannot upgrade it later
macOS shares memory across the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, and apps
Low RAM can bottleneck performance even on a fast processor

For business users, this makes the initial decision far more important. If you run multiple apps, use video conferencing all day, or work with large files, your Mac may silently use swap memory, slowing everything down.

This guide will help you understand the right amount for your workflow so you’re not stuck with an underpowered device you can’t change later.

Shop All Apple Desktops

What Different RAM Amounts Are Ideal For

Choosing RAM isn’t about “the biggest number wins” — it’s about matching memory to the tasks you perform. Here’s a breakdown that reflects real‑world usage on M1/M2/M3 Macs:

8GB – The Minimum, Not Always Enough

Suitable for:

Email, browsing, Office apps
Light admin work

Limitations:

Safari with many tabs will push into swap
Video calls + multiple apps can slow the system
Not recommended for creative or technical professionals

Read our guide: See how the MacBook Neo performs with 8GB RAM and whether it’s enough for your day‑to‑day work.

16GB – The Business Sweet Spot

Ideal for:

Multitasking with Slack, Teams, Chrome, Office
Light creative work (Photoshop, Figma, light video editing)
Running multiple apps without slowdowns

Most business professionals will feel this is the “just right” balance.

Shop Apple Mac Mini

24–32GB – For Creatives & Power Users

Essential for:

Large Excel models
Full‑resolution photo editing
Professional video editing (4K+)
Working with virtual machines
Developers running multiple environments

Future‑proofing: If you expect intensive growth in your workloads, this is the safe long‑term choice.

Get a Quote

How Unified Memory Works — and Why It Changes Everything

Apple’s Unified Memory means the CPU, GPU, and even AI engines all share the same memory pool. This creates large benefits:

Faster access to shared data
Better GPU performance
Improved battery efficiency

However, it also means tasks that use GPU memory now directly consume system RAM. For example:

Editing photos uses RAM for the image and GPU processing
Running Teams or Zoom uses more memory because video encoding shares the pool
Even Safari tabs can allocate GPU memory when rendering complex websites

When RAM fills up, macOS uses swap—compressing memory and writing data to the SSD. Although Apple SSDs are fast, this still causes:

Beachballing
App slowdowns
Higher SSD wear over time

This is why many reviewers and experts strongly advise choosing more RAM on Apple Silicon systems than you may have used previously on Intel.

Shop All Apple MacBooks

Recommendations for Business Buyers

At HardSoft, many of your fellow business owners follow this rule of thumb when ordering Macs:

For General Office Staff

➡️ 16GB RAM
Smooth performance for years, ideal for cloud apps and business software.

For Designers & Creatives

➡️ 32GB RAM
Essential for Photoshop, Illustrator, Premier Pro, Figma, CAD, and 3D tools.

For Developers or Technical Roles

➡️ 24–36GB+ RAM
Running emulators, Docker, large repos, or multiple dev tools needs headroom.

For Video Editors

➡️ Minimum 32GB, ideally 48–64GB on M3 Pro/Max
4K and multicam workflows demand more GPU memory.

Shop Apple Mac Studio

General Rule

If you’re keeping the Mac for 3–5 years, buy more RAM than you think you currently need.
RAM is the one thing you can’t upgrade later—and lack of it is the #1 cause of sluggish Macs.

Talk to Our Apple Specialists

Custom PC

Build Your Custom PC

Lease a PC built to your exact spec — tell us what you need and we’ll handle the rest. From entry‑level setups to high‑performance Intel or AMD workstations, we build and configure everything, including case, cooling, storage and RGB. We can also source specific pre‑built systems if you already have one in mind.

Fast delivery & setup

View PC Desktops Included Silver 360º Support Plan Why choose HardSoft?

Tell us What you Need. We can Build it!

With nearly 40 years of experience, we guarantee premium custom PC builds. Just send us your specs and we’ll create a tailored quote using the best hardware suppliers in the UK.

On-Site Installation & 3-Year Warranty

Leasing this Custom PC includes HardSoft’s Three‑Year No‑Quibble Warranty with on‑site repairs, plus free installation and setup across all London boroughs and the Home Counties.

Comes with Our Silver 360º Support Plan

Your new device will include our Silver Support Plan, with fast response times, loan devices during repairs, a three‑year hardware warranty, unlimited online tech support and more.

A Single Source. No Middle Man.

Cancellation Option. Peace of Mind.

As Flexible as you need. Solutions to Suit.

Support Plans. Warranty, Support & Loan Device.

Loyalty Rewards Programme.

IT Leasing Reinvented

Choose your Solution. Bespoke IT leasing with inclusive Support Plans

Flexi

Switch IT – change to alternative devices at 12 months
End IT – cancel after 12 months
Own IT – at the end for £1
Lifetime Support
Earn Rewards Points

4 Easy Steps

Pure

Switch IT – change to alternative devices at 24 months
End IT – cancel after 24 months
Return IT – refresh at expiry
Lifetime Support
Earn Rewards Points

Explore Other PC's

See what our Customers say about us…

Working with

Lenovo

Experience Lenovo’s Business-Class Devices

Get the performance your team needs with Lenovo’s business range — ThinkBook, ThinkPad, desktops, and more. From equipping individual teams to standardising devices across your organisation, Lenovo offers a practical, cost‑effective solution that keeps your workforce productive and future‑ready. One simple monthly payment, no upfront costs, and the flexibility to upgrade as your business grows.

Create Your Lease Solution Explore Lenovo Guides

Lenovo Product Categories

ThinkBook

ThinkPad E Series

ThinkPad L Series