How to Check Generation of Laptop Processor

Generation of any hardware indicates how old or new it is. The newer the generation, the better the hardware, usually. Any hardware you use improves over a generation because of improvements in technology, better manufacturing, and various other factors.

But, what is generation in laptop? Every popular laptop model refreshes every year, and the new product is improved over the last one. The newer model will be the “latest” or “new” generation of laptops. Although the improvement over a generation is not always true, in some cases, a new generation of laptops may perform worse than the older generation. Hence, it becomes essential to know how to check laptop generation.

How to Check Processor Generation

In most cases, with a newer generation of laptops, laptop processors used inside are also of a newer generation. You will find a lot a laptops and desktops currently selling the 11th gen processor compared to the 10th gen processor that is found in budget gaming laptops. The following paragraphs will show you how to check processor generation.

Method 1: Via PC properties

This is the simplest way to check the properties of their processor or laptop, including the generation of the processor. If you are running Windows 7 or above, you can use this method to identify the generation of a laptop easily.

Follow these steps to find out the generation of your laptop processor.

Right Click on “My Computer” or “This PC” (On Windows 10 and 11) and click on the “Properties.”
A new window will open where you will see information like your laptop’s processor, RAM installed, and other Windows OS-related information.

Identifying the generation of laptop processors is fairly easy. If you have an Intel processor, it will be something like: Intel Core i7-11600H.

The starting digits denote the generation of your processor after the i7 or i5, or i3. In this case, Core i7-11600H, 11 denotes that the Intel processor is of the 11th generation.

For AMD, your processor will be shown something like: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H. The generation of processor is denoted by the first digit after the Ryzen 7 or 5 or 9 or 3. In this case, Ryzen 7 4800H, 4 denotes the generation of the AMD processors. But in the case of AMD, it is more of 4000 series than 4th gen, but both mean the same in a sense.

Method 2: Via Task Manager

How to Check Processor Generation Via Task Manager

Another method to identify your laptop processor generation is Task Manager’s help. You can access the Task Manager in two ways.

You can right-click on the Taskbar and click on Task Manager in the displayed options.
Another option is to press CTRL + ALT + DELETE. This will open up a window in which you will see Task Manager. Click on that to access the Task Manager window.
On the task manager window, click on ‘performance.’

After clicking on performance, you will find the processor’s details in the top right corner. The details will mention the generation and the clock speed of the processor.

Method 3: Via Command Prompt

Check Processor Generation Via Command Prompt

The third method is a little complicated, but it will show all the details in the form of a log. To identify your laptop processor and its generation, follow these steps.

Search for Command Prompt from the Start tab or search for it in the list of programs.
When you find the Command Prompt, click on it, which will open up the command prompt window.
Type this to get the processor information

wmic cpu get name

Typing this in will display the name of your processor in text format. You can identify the processor generation with the same method given above. It will also mention your processor’s maximum clock speed and the current clock speed.

Conclusion

The above 3 methods can be used to check the generation of your laptop processor. All of them are pretty simple to use and will provide you with the exact processor specifications. If you have any doubts related to the topic, please use the contact form below.

FAQs

Generally speaking, having more cores is better, but there are a lot of factors in play here. Most of the applications in the laptop do not use more than 6 cores. Even in gaming, most modern games can’t use more than 6 cores. Although for heavy applications like Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning, 4k video editing, having more cores is favorable.

Whether more CPU cores is better depends on how well the application uses the cores in the processor. If your application cannot or does not need to use many cores, spending more on the procesor with more clocks will be wasted.

With the introduction of Intel 12th gen, this question has become even more complicated. The 12th gen Intel processors use a combination of Efficient and Performance cores. Also, the number of cores used in laptop processors has also increased dramatically.

But again, the question of “are more cores better” majorly depends on your applications and whether it will utilize all the cores in your processor. As a general rule and today’s processors, 8 cores is more than enough even for relatively heavy workloads.

As a general rule, the higher the clock speed, the faster your processor is but this measure is not accurate in measuring performance. A good CPU clock speed depends on your laptop’s processor. For example, if your laptop is an ultrathin 14-inch laptop, your laptop will not use a processor with a higher power.

It will use a processor with better power efficiency, usually running at a low base CPU clock speed of around 2 to 2.5 GHz. There are two measures of the CPU clock. Base clock speed and maximum clock speed.

If the base clock speed of your laptop processor is more than 3.0 GHz, it can be considered a good clock speed. As of today’s standard, the latest processors in the top-end spectrum can go as high as 5.0 GHz. But, the clock speed is not a reliable measure to understand your performance and judge whether it will be good.

Yes, the generation of the processor is important to know for multiple reasons. The generational improvement of a laptop processor is pretty evident, and it shows whether you are using a processor with a low core count or the top processors.

For example, 12th gen Intel processors have improved significantly compared to the 11th gen Intel processors with some major performance gains. Knowing this, when you buy a laptop, you will know that you have to get a processor with Intel 12th gen.

Intel 10th Gen is outdated at this point, and laptop manufacturers no longer use this processor in their new laptops. However to answer the question, is 10th gen processor good? Generally speaking, the 10th generation had good processors and had good value for the money. Currently, the 10th gen is overshadowed by the 11th and especially the 12th gen. If you choose the 10th generation processor, you will get less performance than the 11th or 12th generation for roughly the same price. (considering all other specifications remain the same)

Ryzen 5000 series was released along with the Intel 11th gen processors. Ryzen 5000 series and 11th gen Intel processors belong to the same generation, and generally speaking, Ryzen 5000 had the edge over Intel 11th Gen processors.

Ryzen 5000 series offered major performance uplift in laptops without spending much on higher-end laptops with powerful processors. In terms of monetary value, Ryzen 500 series is the best and offers the best power efficiency for laptop processors.