I 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 had been branded as “Series 2” chips—neither had been Lunar Lake! That began me down a rabbit gap: What precisely does Intel’s “Series 2” CPU branding imply as of late?
Turns out, not an entire lot.
When Intel unveiled easy branding for its “Series 1” CPUs, it was clear what we had been getting. With “Series 2” and the launch of Lunar Lake, I thought Intel Core Ultra Series 2 CPUs had 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 inform you a lot. You have to dig into mannequin numbers and CPU structure particulars to know what’s occurring—similar 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 all the things. On the cellular facet—that is going to be difficult 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 had been Meteor Lake chips, early “AI PC” {hardware} with neural processing items and higher energy effectivity. The structure by no means absolutely delivered on its grand guarantees, although: battery life improvements weren’t as large as we’d hoped for, and the NPUs weren’t highly effective sufficient to satisfy Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC necessities. They might be branded Intel Core Ultra 3, 5, 7, or 9.
Meanwhile, Intel additionally had Raptor Lake chips—the earlier structure—which had 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 quick, players in search of 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 somewhat odd, the general naming scheme principally made sense. You may see “Series 1” and have a look at “Core Ultra 5” or “Core 7” and perceive what you had been getting.
Then, it began getting muddled once more. As we get into the weeds, it’s essential to do not forget 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 cellular 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 wager that the “Core i9” branding regarded higher for a high-performance gaming-focused CPU than mere “Core 7” branding.
Gamers looking 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 had 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 objectives. Did I misunderstand Intel’s advertising? Maybe! But if that’s the 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 contains Raptor Lake and Arrow Lake CPUs
All of this brings us again to the laptops I discussed at first 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 speak, 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, similar to the most recent 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 throughout 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 at all times, the CPU’s mannequin quantity and structure stay key
The fundmental level I’m attempting to make is that “Series 2” doesn’t inform you a lot. Even “Core Ultra” doesn’t inform you 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 identify 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 assumed the simplified branding was meant to cast off that.
If Series 2 can embrace so many various chips with so many various traits, I’m undecided what a “product collection” is except for merely “a collection of CPUs released during a certain era”—and on the finish of the day, how useful is that for shoppers? Not very.
Shiny new branding, standard confusion
Tech journalists have been criticizing complicated CPU and GPU branding for a few years, and Intel has at all times been on the heart of that.
If Intel had stayed the course with its earlier branding, none of this might be shocking—however Intel went out of its technique to simplify issues, and that simplified branding has already change 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 trendy 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 battle to comply with all these twists and turns, and I’m knowledgeable tech journalist who critiques laptops! I shouldn’t want an e-mail from Intel PR to know what the heck “Series 2” truly means, and neither must you.