Processors
Talkin’ ’bout my generation
What makes the latest processors better than last year’s? Darien Graham-Smith digs into some generational trauma to find out
W
hen you’re buying or building a new computer, you’ll invariably be encouraged to choose the latest generation of processor. That applies whether you’re looking for an AMD-powered gaming system, an Intel workstation or an ultra-efficient Apple laptop. But does it really make a difference? Is this year’s silicon really so much better than what’s gone before?
The truth is, there’s no simple answer. A lot can change between different processor generations – or the difference from one year to the next may be minimal. Here we’ll look at why the big chip brands keep on rolling out generation after generation of processors, and what might change from one iteration to the next. Next month we’ll take a closer look at what specifically differentiates the most recent generations of Intel, AMD and Arm-based processors.
Perpetual evolution
You might wonder why we need so many successive versions of the same thing. Are the latest Ryzen processors really – as their model numbers imply – nine times as powerful as the originals? And what was so wrong with the original Core i7 processor that it required 14 different revisions over its lifetime, before finally being replaced with the suspiciously similar-sounding Core Ultra 7?
Truthfully, a lot of it comes down to marketing. It’s easier to sell a new computer if you can advertise that it’s built on the latest technology, and foster the impression that existing systems are outdated. It’s no accident that new processor generations tend to come out every year, to hit the big annual sales periods of “back-toschool” and Christmas.
At the same time, while the big manufacturers always want to have something fresh on the market, they don’t want to write off all the time and money they’ve spent establishing recognisable brands like Ryzen 5 or Core i7. Marketing a new generation of chips under the same branding sends an enticing message: this is the processor you know and trust, now in a new and improved form.