Intel Core: Generations in the big overview

With the Core-i CPUs, Intel has played a dominant role in the market for years. Due to the many model lines and generations that have appeared over time, we give you an overview.

As of 2018, Intel's Core series comprises a full eight generations - and the continuation follows.

As of 2020, Intel's Core series comprises a full ten generations - and the continuation follows.i3, i5, i7, i9: These three abbreviations have stood for Intel's CPU family for years. But this one has gone through many generations in the meantime, and that means big differences.

Intel Core: Generations listed since 2009

To date, a total of eight generations of Intel Core CPUs have appeared:

• Generation: 2008 - 2010 (example: Core i7-860)
• Generation: 2011 (example: Core i7-2600K
• Generation: 2012 - 2013 (example: Core i7-3370)
• Generation: 2013 - 2014 (example: Core i7-4770)
• Generation: 2015 - 2016 (example: Core i7-5775C)
• Generation: 2015 - 2017 (example: Core i7-6700K)
• Generation: 2016 - 2017 (example: Core i7-7700K)
• Generation: 2017 - 2018 (example: Core i7-8700K)
• Generation: 2018 - 2019 (example: Core i7-9700)
• Generation: 2019 - 2020 (example: Cor i7-10710U)

The next generation is coming for sure! Current generations such as the tenth is also split into several model series. One of the main differences are different chip sizes.If you are looking for a good processor, but do not want to pay the high prices for brand new products, we recommend that you go for one of the previous generations when choosing a CPU. Even a Core i7-8700K is still absolutely competitive for most purposes, but the price has already dropped considerably. The performance increase with new models is present, but not at all dramatic for many users, since the progress is made in relatively small jumps.