New N-series processors from Intel only have E-cores

Intel today announced a new generation of its cheapest laptop processors. As the manufacturer announced earlier, they are no longer called Celeron and Pentium, but simply ‘Intel Processor’.

The four new processors use the Gracemont cores, which we already know as the E-cores in the Alder Lake and Raptor Lake processors. In the models introduced today, they are therefore not combined with P-cores. The versions with eight cores are called Core i3 N305 and N300, the versions with four cores go through life under the new series name: Intel Processor N200 and N100.

The Intel 7 production process used is not new for this segment, but the Gracemont architecture does contain the necessary improvements compared to its predecessor Tremont. The processors have an integrated GPU with a maximum of 32 execution units, including an AV1 decoder. They can be combined with Lpddr5, DDR5 or DDR4 memory and storage in the form of UFS 2.1, eMMC or a regular SSD. The tdps are between 6 and 15W.

Especially entry-level laptops and desktops that use laptop hardware, such as cheap mini PCs and all-in-ones, will use the new chips. For the time being, no ‘real’ desktop processors with only E-cores will be available.