Last-gen ultralight laptops are nearly as fast as new models – and much cheaper

Published

2 years ago

April 11, 2023

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Testing — Last-gen ultralight laptops are nearly as fast as new modelsand much cheaper Would you pay 42 percent more for a 7.8 percent productivity boost?

Scharon Harding – Apr 10, 2023 11:30 am UTC EnlargeGetty reader comments 99 with Share this story Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit

If youre looking for a new thin-and-light Windows PC this year, the latest and greatest processors may not be all that necessary. Unlike with previous mobile chip releases, the 2023 options for ultralights from Intel and AMD are mostly similar to their predecessors. In the case of premium ultralights and 2-in-1s relying on integrated graphics, the gains are small enough that budget shoppers should consider a last-gen model, assuming all other things are equal, and save hundreds with a negligible loss in performance.

When Intel announced its 13th Gen mobile lineup in January, we called the chip mildly improved. The new chips are pretty boring compared to the 12th Gen release, when Intel brought its hybrid Alder Lake architectures to laptops and introduced the P-series. 13th Gen brings such minimal changes, as our testing will illustrate, that ultralights featuring 12th Gen systems are still worth serious consideration comparatively. And a specs comparison suggests a similar story with AMD Ryzen 6000 versus 7000.

As Ars’ Andrew Cunningham wrote upon Intel’s announcement of 13th Gen mobile, the lineup is “mostly identical to the 12th Generation CPUs they’re replacing.” 13th Gen brings notable updates to HX chips, including more E-cores than before and, with some of the chips, support for speedier RAM. But when it comes to the chips you’ll likely find employed in thin-and-light laptopsthe P and U seriesthere’s far less of that “new and shiny” feel.

With the new U- and P-series chips (as well as the more powerful H-series), Intel limited gen-over-gen improvements to support faster RAM (up to DDR5-4800/LPDDR5-5200 versus DDR5-5200/LPDDR5-6400) and small clock speed increases. Just how small? Here’s a quick overview of how the 13th Gen U and P series compare to 12th Gen. CPU Performance cores Efficient cores Threads L3 Cache Processor graphics Max graphics frequency Processor base power Max turbo power i7-1280P 6x @ 1.8-4.8 GHz 8x @ 1.3-3.6 GHz 20 24MB 96EU 1.45 GHz 28 W 64 W i7-1370P 6x @ 1.9-5.2 8x @ 1.4-3.9 20 24MB 96EU 1.5 GHz 28 W 64 W i7-1270P 4x @ 2.2-4.8 GHz 8x @ 1.6-3.5 GHz 16 18MB 96EU 1.4 GHz 28 W 64 W i7-1360P 4x @ 2.2-5 GHz 8x @ 1.6-3.7 GHz 16 18MB 96EU 1.5 GHz 28 W 64 W i7-1260P 4x @ 2.1-4.7 GHz 8x @ 1.5-3.4 GHz 16 18MB 96EU 1.4 GHz 28 W 64 W i5-1350P 4x @ 1.9-4.7 GHz 8x @ 1.4-3.5 GHz 16 12MB 80EU 1.5 GHz 28 W 64 W i5-1250P 4x @ 1.7-4.4 GHz 8x @ 1.2-3.3 GHz 16 12MB 80EU 1.4 GHz 28 W 64 W i5-1340P 4x @ 1.9-4.6 GHz 8x @ 1.4-3.4 GHz 16 12MB 80EU 1.45 GHz 28 W 64 W i5-1240P 4x @ 1.7-4.4 GHz 8x @ 1.2-3.3 GHz 16 12MB 80EU 1.3 GHz 28 W 64 W i3-1220P 2x @ 1.5-4.4 GHz 8x @ 1.1-3.3 GHz 12 12MB 64EU 1.1 GHz 28 W 64 W

The U series is supposed to be slightly less powerful and more efficient than the P-series, and it shows similarly minimal differences between the 12th and 13th Gens (We’ve used Intel’s charts, as the series has more processors). When U series graduated from 11th to 12th Gen, it replaced two big cores with four to eight small cores, but there are no such changes with 13th Gen. Advertisement Intel Intel Intel

As we wrote in January, “these refreshes mostly tread water, and you shouldn’t hold out for a 13th Gen laptop if you can find an otherwise identical 12th Gen laptop for cheaper.” In a moment, I’ll show some benchmarks supporting that thesis.

While this article focuses mainly on Intel testing, there’s a similar story with AMD’s latest laptop processors. Beyond the new Ryzen 7040 series, a new Zen 4 and RDNA 3-based chip, the thin-and-lights likely to adopt Ryzen 7000 chips will probably stick to the Ryzen 7035 series, which we dubbed “Ryzen 6000 with a new name.” As of this writing, there are no ultralights with a Ryzen 7035-series processor readily available online in the US, but you can look at the table below for a specs comparison between this generation and the series’ predecessor. AMD’s Ryzen 7000 chips targeting ultralight PCs. AMD AMD’s Ryzen 6000 mobile lineup. AMD

To test the idea that 13th Gen isn’t worth holding out for if you can find what you need with a last-gen processor for cheaper, I tested a current-gen Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 8). A high-priced option from Lenovos 2-in-1 Yoga line, Gen 8 is virtually the same as the Yoga 9i Gen 7 I looked at last year. From the chassis to the 28801800 90 Hz OLED screen option, 75 Wh battery, and RAM speed, its essentially the same machine. The real difference is the processor, and as you can see, the 13th Gen chip brings a small bump in productivity and graphical performance. Page: 1 2 3 Next → reader comments 99 with Share this story Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Scharon Harding Scharon is Ars Technicas Senior Product Reviewer and writes news, reviews, and features on consumer technology, including laptops, PC peripherals, and lifestyle gadgets. Shes based in Brooklyn. Email scharon.harding@arstechnica.com Advertisement Channel Ars Technica ← Previous story Next story → Related Stories Today on Ars

Sports

Ted Williams’ 1946 MVP award sells for over $500K

Published

3 hours ago

November 17, 2024

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Ted Williams' 1946 MVP award sells for over 0K

Associated Press

Nov 17, 2024, 06:55 PM ET

A rare souvenir postcard picturing Hank Aaron as a rookie with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro Leagues sold for nearly $200,000 at a baseball memorabilia auction that also included Ted Williams’ 1946 AL MVP award, which went for $528,750.

The Aaron postcard from the scrapbook of scout Ed Scott, who discovered Aaron, went for $199,750 following a bidding war that soared past the pre-sale estimate of $5,000-$10,000, Hunt Auctions said.

The auction included 280 items from Williams’ personal collection that had been held by his daughter, Claudia, who died last year. Among the other items were a silver bat awarded for his 1958 batting title, which sold for more than $270,000, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom presented to him by fellow naval aviator George H.W. Bush, which went for $141,000.

The sale also included items from the collection of Rutherford Hayes Jones, the business manager of the Washington Giants, one of the earliest Black baseball teams. The trove was discovered in 2001 in a suitcase, where it had been unseen for 40 years.

A first batch of items from Claudia Williams’ collection went up for auction in 2012 at Fenway Park and garnered more than $5 million.

World

It’s a stunning shift in US policy – but Biden’s announcement will trigger fury and fresh threats from Moscow

Published

5 hours ago

November 17, 2024

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It's a stunning shift in US policy - but Biden's announcement will trigger fury and fresh threats from Moscow

Joe Biden’s belated decision to allow Ukraine to use US-supplied, long-range missiles inside Russia will be cheered by Kyiv and will almost certainly prompt the UK to follow suit.

But the stunning shift in US policy – just weeks before Donald Trump takes over as US president – will also trigger fury and fresh threats from Moscow at a time of increasing uncertainty about the future course of its war.

President Vladimir Putin has warned the West they would be playing with fire if they allowed Ukrainian forces to launch Western-supplied cruise and ballistic missiles at Russia, saying it could even trigger a global conflict.

British and US officials, though, have repeatedly advised their respective capitals not to be intimidated by Moscow’s sabre rattling.

Ukraine war latest: Biden lifts ban on Russia strikes

Yet there has been hesitancy, particularly in Washington, over the unleashing of US Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) ballistic missiles beyond the borders of Ukraine.

However, it seems that a move by North Korea to send thousands of its troops to fight with Russia has changed US calculations.

The New York Times, which was among the US media organisations to break news of the Biden administration’s decision on long-range missiles, reported that the first time the American weapons will be used inside Russia will likely be against Russian and North Korean troops battling a Ukrainian incursion in the Russian region of Kursk.

While a significant step up in support for Ukraine, the ability to use American long-range missiles inside Russia is not a war-winning development.

But it does expand Kyiv’s capacity to hit important military targets deliberately positioned by Russian commanders far back from the frontline. This includes stockpiles of missiles, drones and other ammunition used to strike Ukraine.

Just as important as the military impact, though, is the political signal that the US decision sends to the Kremlin about Washington’s willingness to defy Russian warnings about dire consequences should Mr Biden dare to grant Ukraine the permission it’s so long been seeking.

The dramatic move by the United States comes after months of lobbying by Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

A key thing to watch now will be how Mr Putin reacts the first time an American missile kills Russian soldiers on Russian soil.

Moscow does not want a direct war with the United States and NATO – nuclear-armed forces with far greater combined firepower – but the Kremlin could well ramp up an already heightened campaign of sabotage and other forms of hybrid warfare across Europe.

Another important reaction to track will be how Mr Trump responds to Mr Biden’s move and whether he continues to allow Ukraine this permission once he takes over as the US commander-in-chief.

The president-elect has vowed to end Russia’s war in Ukraine quickly but he has not said how. Yet he has voiced fierce opposition to the continued gifting of vast quantities of American weapons to the Ukrainian military.