Why is it Core Ultra 7 now instead of Core i7?

Intel retired the i-prefix when it moved to the Core Ultra naming, so the tiers now read Core Ultra 5, Core Ultra 7 and Core Ultra 9, with plain Core 5 and Core 7 below them for mainstream machines. It is a branding change rather than a technical one. Listings that still say i5 or i9 are earlier-generation parts on the older socket, and they remain perfectly usable.

What changed in the Core Ultra 200S Plus refresh?

The refresh arrived in March 2026 on the same LGA1851 socket, raising boost clocks and, on some models, adding Efficient cores over the original 200S parts. The flagship reaches 5.8 GHz across a 24-core layout. Existing 800-series boards generally need only a BIOS update, so it is a drop-in step rather than a new platform.

Will my LGA1851 board take Intel's next desktop chip?

No. Intel's next desktop generation moves to a new socket, so LGA1851 boards top out at the Core Ultra 200S family and its refresh. Cooler mounting is expected to carry over, which protects that part of the spend. Buy the board for the processor you want now rather than for a future drop-in.

Does a Core Ultra desktop chip need a graphics card?

For display output and video decode, no: the standard models carry a small integrated graphics tile that is enough for desktop work, media playback and getting a new build to POST. For gaming at any serious resolution you still need a discrete card. F-suffix models drop the integrated graphics entirely and cost less, so only pick one if a card is already in the budget.

What does the NPU in a Core Ultra laptop actually do?

It runs small, always-on AI workloads at very low power: background blur, noise suppression, live captions, Windows Studio Effects and lightweight local models. Intel rates the newest one at up to 50 TOPS, above Microsoft's 40 TOPS bar for Copilot+ machines. It will not speed up games or large renders, which still fall to the GPU and CPU.

Does Intel still manufacture its own processors?

Yes, and it is the only one of the big three x86 and GPU designers that does. The 18A process behind the Core Ultra 300 generation runs in Intel's own fabrication plants. AMD and NVIDIA design their chips and contract the manufacturing out, which is why Intel leans on process ownership as a differentiator.

How much cooling does an unlocked Intel chip need?

Enough to absorb a boost window that can push well past the rated base power for tens of seconds at a time. A well-reviewed dual-tower air cooler suits mid-tier unlocked parts; a 24-core flagship rendering or compiling for hours benefits from a 240mm or larger liquid cooler. Confirm the cooler ships with an LGA1851 bracket, as older kits may not include one.

►Shop By Brand

►Specials

►

Intel

Designed and manufactured in-house

Own Fabs.
Own Silicon.

Desktop Core Ultra chips on the LGA1851 socket, Core Ultra 300 laptop silicon built on the 18A process, and Arc graphics that ship both inside the processor and as a separate card. The Intel range at Evetech covers all three.

1971

First Microprocessor Shipped

18A

Intel's Own Process Node

24C

Cores On The Desktop Flagship

3yr

Boxed Processor Warranty

Where the hybrid design earns its keep

Two Core Types, One Chip

Every modern Intel processor splits work between fast Performance cores and compact Efficient cores. What that split buys you depends entirely on the job in front of it.

Frame Rates Come From P-Cores

Games lean on a handful of threads, so the P-core clock ceiling matters far more than the total core count. Thread Director tells Windows which cores are the fast ones, keeping the game engine on P-cores while voice chat, capture software and browser tabs sit on E-cores instead of stealing time from the render thread.

Thread DirectorHigh ClocksP-Core Priority

Encode Work Runs On Fixed Silicon

Quick Sync and the Arc media engine handle H.264, HEVC and AV1 in dedicated hardware, so an export finishes without pinning every core. That matters most on timeline scrubbing and proxy generation, where the media block does the work and the cores stay free for effects and colour.

AV1 EncodeQuick SyncMedia Engine

The NPU Handles The Background Jobs

Intel's fifth-generation NPU is rated at up to 50 TOPS in the Core Ultra 300 laptop range, comfortably past the 40 TOPS threshold Microsoft set for Copilot+ features. It exists to run camera effects, live captions and small local models at low wattage, not to speed up the things a GPU already does well.

NPU 5Copilot+Low Wattage

Compile Times Scale With E-Cores

A build is embarrassingly parallel, so the E-cores that do nothing for frame rates are exactly what shortens a compile. A 24-core desktop part gives you 24 threads for make jobs, containers and test runners at once, on the same x86-64 instruction set your production servers run.

x86-64ContainersParallel Builds

Browse by Category

Find Your Intel

Processors, graphics, boards and complete Intel-based systems, grouped the way builders actually shop for them.

Processors

Core Ultra 5 · 7 · 9

Arc Graphics

B-Series · Arc Pro

Mini PCs

Intel-Powered Compact Desktops

Intel Laptops

Core Ultra 300 Series

Motherboards

LGA1851 · 800-Series

Choosing an Intel platform without getting caught out

Intel's desktop and mobile lines now move on different clocks. Desktop sits on LGA1851 with the Core Ultra 200S family and its refresh, while the 18A-built Core Ultra 300 chips launched in laptops first. Knowing which side of that split you are shopping on decides almost every other choice.

LGA1851 carries the Core Ultra 200S range and its 2026 refresh, and a BIOS update is usually all an existing 800-series board needs for the newer chip. Intel's next desktop generation moves to a different socket, so treat an LGA1851 board as a platform for today's parts rather than a guaranteed upgrade path.

Performance cores set your frame rate and application responsiveness. Efficient cores add throughput for rendering, compiling and virtual machines, and soak up background work so it never interrupts the foreground task. A part with more E-cores is a productivity upgrade, not a gaming one.

Desktop Core Ultra chips include a small graphics tile that drives displays and handles media decode, which is genuinely useful for troubleshooting a build without a card fitted. F-suffix models delete it for less money. Neither is a substitute for a gaming graphics card.

LGA1851 is DDR5 only, so a DDR4 kit from a previous build has nowhere to go. The older LGA1700 boards still on sale accept one or the other depending on the specific model. Two sticks in the correct slots will clock higher than four; the board manual names which pair to fill first.

Unlocked K models ship without a cooler and pull well over their base power figure during a boost window. A large tower air cooler handles a mid-tier chip; the 24-core flagship under sustained all-core load is happier on a 240mm or larger liquid cooler. Check the socket bracket is included for LGA1851.

The naming has also changed. The old Core i5 and i7 badges have given way to Core Ultra 5, 7 and 9, with plain Core 5 and Core 7 sitting below them. Older i-series stock still sells and still works; it simply belongs to a previous socket generation.

Own Fabs.Own Silicon.

Two Core Types, One Chip

Frame Rates Come From P-Cores

Encode Work Runs On Fixed Silicon

The NPU Handles The Background Jobs

Compile Times Scale With E-Cores

Find Your Intel

Processors

Arc Graphics

Mini PCs

Intel Laptops

Motherboards

Own Fabs.Own Silicon.

Two Core Types, One Chip

Frame Rates Come From P-Cores

Encode Work Runs On Fixed Silicon

The NPU Handles The Background Jobs

Compile Times Scale With E-Cores

Find Your Intel

Processors

Arc Graphics

Mini PCs

Intel Laptops

Motherboards

Not surewhich Laptop?

App OnlyBest Deals

Don't blink.Deals vanish.

The Case For Team Blue

Clock Ceiling On Desktop

AI Silicon You Can Point At

Arc, Integrated And Discrete

A Third Core Type For Idle Work

SA's Trusted Intel Range

Sealed Retail Boxes

Three-Year Boxed Cover

Delivery From Centurion

Build-Level Advice

Genuine Intel Products

NEW INTEL SILICON LANDS HERE FIRST

The Case For Team Blue

Clock Ceiling On Desktop

AI Silicon You Can Point At

Arc, Integrated And Discrete

A Third Core Type For Idle Work

SA's Trusted Intel Range

Sealed Retail Boxes

Three-Year Boxed Cover

Delivery From Centurion

Build-Level Advice

Genuine Intel Products

NEW INTEL SILICON LANDS HERE FIRST

Choosing an Intel platform without getting caught out

Own Fabs.
Own Silicon.

Own Fabs.
Own Silicon.

Not sure
which Laptop?

App Only
Best Deals

Don't blink.
Deals vanish.