What is Intel P Core and E Core?

Introduction

Intel is a world-leading semiconductor company. They are one of the biggest players in the CPU market and recently started selling chips for laptops and desktops. Intel has been around for a long time, but it wasn’t until 2005 that they began manufacturing processors based on their own architecture instead of using designs licensed from third-parties like AMD and VIA Technologies Inc. Today, you can get an Intel processor inside most new computers, including gaming laptops, ultrabooks (no pun intended), desktops and even servers!

Core in CPUs, which is the heart of any computer, has advanced starting from single core CPU to multi-core processors like dual-core, quad-core, octa-core and more. All these multi-core architectures used to have identical cores in terms of clock speed and capacity. This type of design gives faster performance by spreading the multiple tasks across the multi-core.

Intel’s 12th generation core processor has redefined this performance architecture by using the ideology of multi-tasking performed by different types of cores, creating hybrid architecture.

Intel hybrid architecture

This type of architecture tried to perform different tasks by different kinds of cores. If a particular task does not need the high power provided by previous architecture based cores then it can be handled by less performance needed cores to give efficiency to the processor.

Intel’s hybrid architecture, which combines the company’s Performance core (P core) and Efficient Core (E core) processors, is designed to provide users with the best of both worlds: performance and efficiency.

The two sets of cores are used to perform different tasks based on the size like heavier tasks will be handled by performance oriented cores and the lighter jobs will be carried by efficient focused cores. As not all tasks will be performed by the P-Cores which will consume more power, this will reduce the power consumption and increase the efficiency of the chip. Most of the background jobs will be carried out by E-cores leaving the P-cores free for the heavier tasks to handle.

The P core is optimized for gaming and other intensive tasks like content creation or editing videos. Meanwhile, Intel’s E-core chips are made specifically to handle office work such as word processing or spreadsheets efficiently without sacrificing performance too much.

This type of architecture is proven efficient and much likely be adopted by other manufactures like AMD to have their upcoming CPUs with similar technology.

Intel P Core

Intel P Core is a performance core. It’s designed for high performance and efficiency, which means it can run more tasks than other processors in its class. These are the cores in a chip that will consume most of its energy, run at the highest clock speeds, and generally handle more difficult tasks. In the hybrid architecture these P-Cores can be considered as the main cores as all the heavier tasks will be handled by these cores.

The P core is optimized for gaming and other intensive tasks like content creation or editing videos. As earlier said these will handle the heavier tasks similar to the earlier architecture where all the cores will be identical and share the tasks among the available cores. Along with handling the high workload jobs P-Cores can perform with two processing threads managing the load better.

Intel E Core

Intel E Core is a low-power, low-performance core that is used in laptops and tablets. It’s not as powerful as the Intel P Core, but it can still handle most day-to-day tasks and the background running tasks.

It’s important to note that while an Intel E Core might be slower than an Intel P Core processor, they are the real essence of the hybrid architecture by saving power consumption. Similar to the P-Core these will also perform multi-core tasks like lesser workload and background jobs. As they can perform and load balance the less heavier jobs the P-Core will be available to perform high load tasks.

E-Cores can process the tasks using very low power and run at very low clock speeds. In combination with P-Cores they will enhance the overall performance of the CPU.

How Many Intel P cores and E cores in Intel i3,i5, i7 and i9?

We will look at the comparison of cores in 12th Gen Intel core desktop processor

	Total Cores	P Cores	E Cores
Intel i3	4	4	0
Intel i5	10	6	4
Intel i5	6	6	0
Intel i7	12	8	4
Intel i9	16	8	8

The above details mentioned and further details are listed on the Intel’s Company Website.

You can read comprehensive details and comparision between quad-core and octa-core Here

What’s more important in gaming? CPU or GPU?

In gaming, the CPU is more important than the GPU. That’s because it’s responsible for processing all of your commands and instructions. It also handles AI, physics and other calculations that keep the game running smoothly.

The GPU is only used when you’re playing at high resolutions with lots of detail–for example 4K or 8K resolution with high settings on modern AAA games like Battlefield V or Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

The hybrid architecture CPUs of Intel can also be good for gaming by supporting the efficient multi-core task handling.

Conclusion

Intel’s hybrid architecture using two different cores P Core and E Core is a futuristic upgrade from the regular one kind of core. We can see this technology in future with different manufactures like AMD will sooner come up with the similar concept of hybrid cores in there CPUs competing Intel. Combined together Intel’s P and E Cores provides both high performance processors that offer improved performance than their predecessors.