I just lately reviewed the Alienware 16X Aurora (with its Arrow Lake-based processor) and the Alienware 16 Aurora (with its Raptor Lake-based processor), and each have been branded as “Series 2” chips—neither have been Lunar Lake! That began me down a rabbit gap: What precisely does Intel’s “Series 2” CPU branding imply nowadays?
Turns out, not a complete lot.
When Intel unveiled easy branding for its “Series 1” CPUs, it was clear what we have been getting. With “Series 2” and the launch of Lunar Lake, I thought Intel Core Ultra Series 2 CPUs have been going to be AI PCs with long battery life and NPUs able to running Copilot+ PC features… however that’s not true anymore. It’s extra complicated than that.
Intel’s “Series 2” branding doesn’t let you know a lot. You have to dig into mannequin numbers and CPU structure particulars to know what’s occurring—identical to within the days earlier than Intel simplified its CPU branding.
The promise of Intel’s “Series 1” naming scheme, defined
In 2023, Intel shook up its branding and aimed to simplify every thing. On the cell facet—that is going to be sophisticated sufficient with out dragging in desktop processors—you had “Intel Core (Series 1)” chips and “Intel Core Ultra (Series 1)” chips.
Intel Core Ultra chips have been Meteor Lake chips, early “AI PC” {hardware} with neural processing items and higher energy effectivity. The structure by no means totally delivered on its grand guarantees, although: battery life improvements weren’t as huge as we’d hoped for, and the NPUs weren’t highly effective sufficient to fulfill Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC necessities. They could possibly be branded Intel Core Ultra 3, 5, 7, or 9.
Meanwhile, Intel additionally had Raptor Lake chips—the earlier structure—which have been branded Intel Core 3, 5, and 7 (no 9). These chips delivered increased efficiency for gaming PCs and workstations at the price of increased energy utilization. In brief, avid gamers searching for increased CPU efficiency wanted to keep away from the “Ultra” branding in Series 1 chips.
While using “Ultra” to imply “a swanky new AI PC and not a top-performance CPU” was a little bit odd, the general naming scheme principally made sense. You might see “Series 1” and have a look at “Core Ultra 5” or “Core 7” and perceive what you have been getting.
Then, it began getting muddled once more. As we get into the weeds, it’s essential to keep in mind that Intel’s CEO left at the end of 2024, which matches the timeline of when the corporate’s advertising technique shifted away from its unique simplified branding.
The Core i9-14900HX confirmed holes within the Series 1 naming technique
In early 2024, Intel launched the Intel Core i9-14900HX processor. This was a efficiency monster—the quickest cell CPU we ever examined on the time at PCWorld! But the naming was a bit complicated since Intel had dropped the “i” from its Meteor Lake CPUs, but now it was again. That’s as a result of this HX processor was from the Raptor Lake Refresh structure, an up to date model of a earlier structure.
Wait. Didn’t Series 1 already embody some Raptor Lake chips? Yes… however Intel had gotten rid of the “9” from the Core line, and Intel couldn’t name it a Core “Ultra” as a result of that was reserved for Meteor Lake chips with NPUs. And I guess that the “Core i9” branding seemed higher for a high-performance gaming-focused CPU than mere “Core 7” branding.
Gamers searching for high-end efficiency would virtually definitely search for branding markers like “Ultra” and “9,” however Intel had reserved them for its AI PC chips that prioritized energy effectivity and NPU acceleration over top-end efficiency.
Intel’s “Series 2” branding was speculated to be Lunar Lake, proper?
Intel began utilizing the “Series 2” naming scheme when it launched Lunar Lake chips in September 2024.
There was loads of hype round these “Lunar Lake” chips or “Core Ultra Series 2” processors, as they have been what the Series 1 chips should have been. The NPU for AI options apart, additionally they delivered lengthy battery life that went toe-to-toe with Qualcomm’s Arm-based Snapdragon X chips.
I noticed a lot protection of Series 2, and a lot of that protection tied the Series 2 branding to Lunar Lake and its battery life and NPU targets. Did I misunderstand Intel’s advertising? Maybe! But in that case, I wasn’t the one one who was confused—and that’s my level. It’s gotten messy once more.
Intel’s Series 2 now consists of Raptor Lake and Arrow Lake CPUs
All of this brings us again to the laptops I discussed firstly of this text: the Alienware 16 Aurora and Alienware 16X Aurora.
The Alienware 16 Aurora had an Intel Core 7 240H, which was branded an “Intel Core (Series 2)” processor. However, it’s based mostly on the older Raptor Lake structure, which was already a previous-generation structure when the Series 1 assortment launched with Meteor Lake on the “Ultra” tier. Despite all of the AI PC discuss, this Series 2-powered laptop computer had no NPU—you couldn’t even use Windows Studio Effects for webcam results. A giant strike for Series 2 confusion.
Meanwhile, the higher-end Alienware 16X Aurora had an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX chip, which was branded an “Intel Core Ultra (Series 2)” chip, identical to the latest Lunar Lake chips. However, this one wasn’t Lunar Lake—it was a higher-end gaming chip with higher efficiency, type of like that Core i9-14900HX that was launched in the course of the Series 1 period however wasn’t slapped with Series 1 branding. To be honest, it’s an important chip for gaming and it does have an NPU, however the NPU doesn’t meet the bar for Copilot+ PC options and it lacks Lunar Lake’s battery effectivity.
So, what does all of this imply? Right now, an “Intel Core Ultra (Series 2)” processor can both be a high-end Arrow Lake gaming CPU with out the chops to run Copilot+ PC options or a power-efficient Lunar Lake CPU that does meet Microsoft’s Copilot+ necessities.
As all the time, the CPU’s mannequin quantity and structure stay key
The fundmental level I’m making an attempt to make is that “Series 2” doesn’t let you know a lot. Even “Core Ultra” doesn’t let you know a lot!
Intel’s web site manufacturers these naming schemes as “product collections,” however you really want to have a look at a CPU’s mannequin title and processor quantity to know what you’re getting. “HX” means a robust Arrow Lake CPU whereas “V” means a power-efficient Lunar Lake chip, for instance. But I believed the simplified branding was meant to put off that.
If Series 2 can embody so many alternative chips with so many alternative traits, I’m undecided what a “product collection” is apart from merely “a collection of CPUs released during a certain era”—and on the finish of the day, how useful is that for customers? Not very.
Shiny new branding, usual confusion
Tech journalists have been criticizing complicated CPU and GPU branding for a few years, and Intel has all the time been on the heart of that.
If Intel had stayed the course with its earlier branding, none of this is able to be stunning—however Intel went out of its strategy to simplify issues, and that simplified branding has already turn into advanced in only a yr. That, to me, makes it a failure that misses the mark.
Intel as soon as slammed AMD’s Ryzen naming scheme for being “snake oil” that marketed dated architectures as a part of fashionable processor households. As Intel’s personal presentation put it again in 2023, speaking about AMD’s Ryzen branding: “Can I trust that this is the latest?” “No!”
Well, that’s the way it feels with Series 2. I wrestle to comply with all these twists and turns, and I’m knowledgeable tech journalist who evaluations laptops! I shouldn’t want an e mail from Intel PR to understand what the heck “Series 2” really means, and neither do you have to.