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
