What is the difference between Intel’s E and P-Cores

These CPU cores have been increasing in number and speed for a long time. Intel introduced two new core types to its CPUs recently: P-cores (or E-cores) and E-cores (or both). This is the first time that mainstream computers have ever had a CPU with these dual-core options.

Intel’s new 13th Generation “Raptor Lake” CPUs will be available soon. We think it is a good time to explain what E-cores, P-cores and why they matter.

What is the Difference Between E-Cores & P-Core?

The majority of multi-core Intel CPUs had been made up almost exactly the same cores, until recent years. Each core is usually the same size and has approximately equal capacity clock speed, To speed up the processing of tasks, they are divided and “work” is shared between them.

These are the key differences between Intel’s new CPUs. Two types of cores are available now:

1. Performance Cores (P-cores). These P-cores are larger and more capable, and focus on heavy tasks. They are built on Intel’s Golden Cove core micro-architecture. These cores may also have hyperthreading capability, which allows each core to run two concurrent threads, further improving performance.
2. Efficient Cores (E-cores). E-cores with efficiency focus are designed to run background tasks all day but use less energy. These E-cores are designed to optimize performance for every watt of energy used and are based upon Intel’s Gracemont micro-architecture.

This combination allows processors increase their performance and can take on greater workloads, while also reducing power consumption. Intel’s Thread Director is a technology that allocates different tasks to P- and/or E-cores in an optimized way.

Which CPUs contain P- and/or E-Cores

With the Intel Core i5-L16G7 mobile chips and Intel Core i3–L13G4, the new core design was initiated. Intel was pleased with the results and decided to continue using it in its latest lineup of processors, the Alder Lake CPU series.

These Alder Lake CPUs will be discussed in the next few sections.

Intel Core i9-12900K

These are the features of the 12900K:

1. Core Count: 16 cores with eight P-cores and 8 E-cores. There are also 24 threads.
2. Frequency: Turbo Boost Max 3.0 allows you to create P-cores that have a base frequency of 3.2 GHz, and a peak frequency of 5.2 GHz. E-cores available with 2.4 GHz Base and 3.9 GHz Peak.

Intel Core i7-12700K

These are the features of the 12700K:

1. Core Count: 12 cores with eight P-cores and four E-cores. There are also 20 threads.
2. Frequency: Turbo Boost Max 3.0 allows for P-cores to reach 3.6 GHz base speed and 5.0 GHz peak. E-cores available with a base frequency of 2.7 GHz and peak frequencies at 3.8 GHz.

Intel Core i5-12600K

These are the features of the 12600K:

1. Core Count: 10 cores with six P-cores (with 4 Ecores), and sixteen total threads.
2. Frequency: Turbo Boost Max 3.0 allows you to create P-cores that have a base frequency of 3.7 GHz, and a peak frequency of 4.9 GHz. E-cores available with a base frequency of 2.8 GHz and peak frequencies at 3.6 GHz.

Hybrid Architecture: CPUs are a great choice

Alder Lake’s release was not without its problems. The new, high-performance, and efficient approach to CPU core development caused some problems.

Microsoft was slow to issue an update for cores that could run properly on Windows 10, despite the fact that some software had difficulty adapting. Because the software was intended for use on Windows 10, this was not possible Windows 11 Operating System This provides an entirely new CPU Task Scheduler.

With these hurdles mostly cleared, Intel’s latest hybrid architecture has many benefits for users of PCs, including:

1. Increased speeds. According%20to%20Intel,%20at%20the%20time%20of%20release,%20the%2012th%20generation%20P-cores%20have%2019%%20better%20performance%20than%20the%2011th%20gen%20cores.%20Likewise,%20the%20E-cores%20feature%20a%20massive%2040%%20improvement%20in%20single-core%20efficiency%20over%20Skylake%20chips.
2. Improved battery life. Laptops are the biggest beneficiaries of E-core and P-core architecture. Laptops are the biggest beneficiary of E-core architecture’s increased energy efficiency. Background apps consume less power and thus battery life can be extended.
3. Included support for next-gen technologies. Alder Lake CPUs are more efficient and provide greater performance than the E- and P-cores. They also support innovative tech. PCIe 5.x (with The PCIe version 6.0 is already in productionDDR5 RAM, the successor to DDR4RAM), and DDR5 RAM (the new DDR4 RAM), both surpassing each other AMD Apple and connective technology.

Intel’s Raptor Lake is a new hybrid architecture that builds upon Alder Lake. 13th Gen CPUs are expected to bring new levels of performance, efficiency, compatibility and speed.

The Future of CPUs

It seems that the new hybrid architecture will be the next big thing, especially for gamers and high-spec users, with Intel’s 12th Gen CPU packages taking the title in terms of CPU performance and the 13th Gen on its way. AMD has been rumored as introducing a similar hybrid architecture to its AMD Ryzen 9000 lines in 2023 and early 2024.