Intel Processor Names Explained: N150, Core i5, Core 5 and Core Ultra in 2026

Mini PC listings in 2026 use four different kinds of Intel names at once: the “Intel Processor” N-series that replaced Celeron, the classic Core i3, i5 and i7, the newer Core 3, 5 and 7 without the “i”, and Core Ultra. Some of the newest-looking names hide chips designed in 2022 or 2023, and “Core 3” now covers two unrelated designs. This guide shows how to read each name and find the real architecture before you buy.

By StéphanePublished Nov 9, 202612 min read

The four Intel name families you’ll see on mini PC listings

Entry boxes use the N-series (N100, N150, Core 3 N355). Mainstream boxes use Core i5 or i7 from the 12th to 14th generations, or the renamed Core 5 and Core 7. Premium boxes use Core Ultra. Each family follows its own rules.

N100, N150, Core 3 N355: the same 2023 cores under three names

Intel retired the Celeron and Pentium names in 2023 and replaced them with “Intel Processor” N-series chips. The 2025 “Twin Lake” chips (N150, N250, Core 3 N350 and N355) are, in Notebookcheck’s words, mostly identical to the 2023 Alder Lake-N chips they replaced.

In September 2022, Intel announced it would retire the Pentium and Celeron brands from the first quarter of 2023 (PC Gamer). Their successors arrived in January 2023: the Intel Processor N100 and N200 and the Core i3-N300 and i3-N305, all built only from Gracemont efficiency cores, the small cores of Intel’s 12th-generation hybrids (CNX Software). In 2025, Intel launched “Twin Lake”: the N150 and N250, and the Core 3 N350 and N355, which replace the i3-N300 and i3-N305. Notebookcheck describes Twin Lake as “mostly identical to Alder Lake-N”; the main change is clock speed.

The scores agree. PassMark averages the N150 at 5,334 points and the N100 at 5,306, a 0.5% gap. The eight-core Core 3 N355 averages 10,492 against 9,341 for the i3-N305, about 12% more. All of these chips share the same limits: single-channel memory and SSD speeds capped by PCIe 3.0 (Notebookcheck). They remain good choices for office work, video and home servers, as our N150 vs N100 vs N97 comparison explains.

Core i3, i5, i7: reading the old scheme (12th to 14th gen)

In a name like Core i5-12450H, “12” is the generation, “450” the model and “H” the power class. But the 13th and 14th generations both use Raptor Lake, and Notebookcheck rates the 14th-gen HX chips only slightly above their 13th-gen equivalents.

The classic Intel scheme, used until 2023 for new families.

• 12th generation, Alder Lake (2022): Intel’s first hybrid laptop chips, with performance and efficient cores. The Core i5-12450H was introduced in January 2022 (Notebookcheck); you’ll find it in the Minisforum NAB6 Lite, and the i5-12600H in the KAMRUI Pinova P2.
• 13th generation, Raptor Lake (2023): Notebookcheck describes the H chips as based on the Alder Lake architecture, with higher clocks. The Core i7-13620H powers boxes such as the GEEKOM IT13.
• 14th generation HX, Raptor Lake Refresh (2024): the Core i7-14650HX should be “slightly above” the older Core i7-13700HX at the same power and cooling (Notebookcheck). It sits in the KAMRUI Hyper H2; the i5-14500HX in the ACEMAGIC M5.

Sources: Corsair (Intel suffix table), Notebookcheck. Mini PC makers set their own power limits, so the same chip can perform differently from one box to another.

Alder Lake, upgradable

KAMRUI Pinova P2 (Core i5-12600H)

12 cores and 16 threads with two SO-DIMM slots, two M.2 slots and three 4K outputs.

Check current price on Amazon

CPUCore i5-12600H · 12 cores / 16 threads

GraphicsIntel Iris Xe (80 EU, dual-channel memory)

Memory16GB DDR4 · 2× SO-DIMM, up to 64GB

Storage512GB NVMe + 2nd M.2 slot, up to 4TB

Read our KAMRUI Pinova P2 (i5-12600H) review

Pros

• Memory up to 64GB
• Two M.2 slots
• Three 4K60 screens

Cons

• 2022 design
• Iris Xe needs two memory sticks
• Not for modern games

Core 3, 5, 7 without “Ultra”: mostly renamed Raptor Lake

When Intel dropped the “i” in 2023, it split its range into Core Ultra for its most advanced chips and Core for mainstream ones. Core 5 and Core 7 chips numbered 1xx and 2xx are Raptor Lake refreshes; only the 2026 Core 3xx chips (Wildcat Lake) are a new design.

Intel’s June 2023 brand update introduced “Core Ultra” for “the most advanced client processors” and kept “Core” for mainstream ones, with tiers 3, 5, 7 and 9 instead of i3 to i9. Generation numbers also left the marketing: they only survive inside the model number (Intel). Here is what that produced in practice:

• Core Series 1 (January 2024): Core 3 100U, Core 5 120U, Core 7 150U. Notebookcheck classes them as Raptor Lake-U Refresh, based on the Alder Lake architecture, and TechPowerUp noted they lack the NPU of Core Ultra chips. PassMark puts the Core 5 120U about 8% ahead of the 13th-gen Core i5-1335U (14,848 vs 13,739). The MSI Cubi NUC 1M mini PC uses a Core 7 150U.
• Core Series 2, H chips (late 2024): Core 5 210H and 220H, Core 7 240H and 250H, Core 9 270H. Notebookcheck classes them as Raptor Lake-H Refresh and calls the Core 7 240H a refresh of the i7-13620H with a higher boost clock and DDR5-5600 support. ACEMAGIC sells an M5 version with the Core 5 220H.
• Core Series 3 (2026): models such as the Core 3 304, Core 5 315, 320 and 330, and Core 7 350 and 360. This is Wildcat Lake, a new design made on Intel 18A with up to two Cougar Cove performance cores, four Darkmont low-power cores, Xe3 graphics and an NPU (Tom’s Hardware). It borrows these building blocks from Panther Lake (Guru3D). PassMark averages the Core 5 320 at 4,011 points in single-thread, more than twice an N150, and 15,481 in multi-core. You’ll find it in the ACEMAGIC K5 and Wildcat Lake boxes such as the Minisforum M2 Slim.

New 2026 design

ACEMAGIC K5 (Intel Core 5 320)

Wildcat Lake with 6 cores, 16GB of LPDDR5-6400, 2.5GbE, a 20Gbps USB-C port that can power it, and three 4K outputs.

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CPUCore 5 320 (Wildcat Lake) · 6 cores / 6 threads

GraphicsIntel Xe (2 Xe cores)

Memory16GB LPDDR5-6400 (soldered)

Storage512GB NVMe + free M.2 2280 slot (PCIe 4.0 x2)

Read our ACEMAGIC K5 (Intel Core 5 320) review

Pros

• About 3x an N150 in multi-core
• Over 2x an N150 in single-thread
• 16 TOPS NPU

Cons

• Basic graphics
• 16GB soldered
• Slower bundled SSD

Our ACEMAGIC K5 review compares this Intel version with the Ryzen one.

Core Ultra: how to read Series 1, 2 and 3

In Core Ultra 7 155H, “7” is the tier, the first digit of the number (“1”) is the series, “55” the model and “H” the power class. Series 1 is Meteor Lake (late 2023), Series 2 is Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake (2024 to 2025), and Series 3 is Panther Lake (2026).

The Core Ultra scheme in use since December 2023.

• Series 1, Meteor Lake (December 2023): Core Ultra 5 125H, 7 155H, 9 185H. Notebookcheck notes they replaced 13th-generation Core chips, and Intel presented Meteor Lake as its first client processor with a dedicated AI engine (NPU). Mini PCs include the ASUS NUC 14 Pro and GEEKOM GT1 Mega. PassMark averages the Ultra 5 125H at 19,960.
• Series 2, Arrow Lake-H (2025): Core Ultra 5 225H, 7 265H, 9 285H, with Lion Cove performance cores and Skymont efficient cores. Notebookcheck calls Arrow Lake-H the “true successor to Meteor Lake”. The GEEKOM GT2 Mega uses the Ultra 9 285H. The V-suffix Lunar Lake chips of the same series are mostly found in laptops.
• Series 3, Panther Lake (2026): made on Intel’s 18A process, like Wildcat Lake. The X7 and X9 models carry the Arc B390 graphics with 12 Xe3 cores, which Notebookcheck measured at nearly twice a Radeon 890M in the Khadas Mind Pro. Models without the X have much smaller graphics: the Core Ultra 7 356H in the ASUS NUC 16 Pro lacks the B390.

Two things to remember. The “X” is about graphics, not about being newer (PCWorld). And “Ultra” is not a performance promise in itself: an older Core Ultra 5 125H scores below a Core i7-13620H in PassMark’s multi-core test (19,960 vs 23,151). For Cinebench and 3DMark results of these chips, see our best mini PC processor guide; for what the NPU does and doesn’t do, what an NPU really does.

Every Intel chip you’ll find in a mini PC: name, real architecture, year

The table matches the names on current mini PC listings with the silicon inside. When “design first sold” is years older than “name launched”, you are buying a renamed or refreshed chip.

Shaded rows: names launched at least a year after the design first shipped. Sources: Intel, Notebookcheck, Tom’s Hardware, CNX Software. “Seen in” lists examples from reviews and listings, not every model.

What the gap means in practice: PassMark scores

Across the Intel chips sold in mini PCs, PassMark multi-core averages range from about 5,300 (N100, N150) to 33,300 (i7-14650HX). Single-thread scores show the generational jump better: the 2026 Core 5 320 scores 4,011, more than twice an N150.

PassMark averages read between Oct 12 and Nov 3, 2026. They mix laptops and mini PCs running at different power limits; H and HX chips score higher partly because they are allowed far more power than U and N chips. The Core 5 220H average rests on only 26 results. Shaded rows: renamed or refreshed designs.

Two lessons stand out. First, a renamed chip performs like its older twin: the N150 sits within 1% of the N100, and the Core 5 120U within 10% of the i5-1335U. Second, multi-core and single-thread tell different stories: the 16-core i7-14650HX leads in multi-core, but the 2026 Core 5 320 and Core Ultra 5 225H respond faster to single tasks, which is what you notice when opening apps.

How to check any Intel listing in two minutes

Copy the exact model number with its letters, look it up on Intel’s ARK database and on Notebookcheck, and compare the codename and launch date with the name. “Core 5” alone tells you nothing: the 120U, 220H and 320 are three different chips.

1. Find the full model, such as “Core 5 220H” or “N150”. Watch for “Ultra” and for an “N” before the number: they change the family completely.
2. Search the model on Intel’s ARK site (ark.intel.com) and read the code name it lists (“Products formerly Raptor Lake”, for example) and the launch date.
3. Check Notebookcheck’s page for the codename, the series and benchmark averages. For Raptor Lake chips, it often names the 13th-gen chip they refresh.
4. Compare on PassMark with a chip you know (N150 for budget boxes, i5-12450H or i7-13620H for mid-range ones) and check the sample count.
5. For Core Ultra Series 3, check the graphics: only X7 and X9 models have the Arc B390.
6. After delivery, check the processor name in Windows (Settings, System, About) or with CPU-Z, which also shows the codename, and keep an eye on the return window listed in our warranty and return policies by brand.

Our mini PC buyer’s checklist puts this check together with memory, storage and ports. Looking at a Ryzen box instead? Our companion guide, AMD Ryzen names explained, shows how chips like the Ryzen 5 3501U hide a 2019 design behind a 2026 name.

Which Intel chip to choose in 2026

For basic use, an N150 or Core 3 N355 is fine and frugal. A Raptor Lake chip (i5-12600H, Core 5 220H, i7-14650HX) is good value when it is priced as the 2022 or 2023 design it really is. The Core 5 320 is the modern entry choice, and Core Ultra brings stronger graphics and an NPU.

• Office, school, home server: N150 or Core 3 N355; Core 5 320 if you want snappier single-thread speed at low power.
• Heavy multitasking, coding, exports: i5-12600H or Core 5 220H for the money; i5-14500HX or i7-14650HX for the most cores. Their graphics are basic.
• Graphics, Copilot+, longer life: Core Ultra Series 2 or 3; for gaming on integrated graphics, a Core Ultra X7 or X9.

Our KAMRUI H2 vs ACEMAGIC M5 comparison covers the two HX boxes in detail.

More options in today’s mini PC deals.

Complete your setup

Every chip in this guide drives at least two 4K screens, and a 27-inch monitor with a VESA mount lets you hide the mini PC behind it.

More options, from budget screens to 4K USB-C models, in our best monitor for a mini PC guide.

FAQ

Related

• AMD Ryzen names explained: how to spot an old chip
• Best mini PC processor in 2026
• Intel N150 vs N100 vs N97
• KAMRUI H2 vs ACEMAGIC M5
• Mini PC buyer’s checklist