{"id":407592,"date":"2022-02-18T21:00:33","date_gmt":"2022-02-18T18:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/what-are-p-cores-and-e-cores-on-an-intel-cpu\/"},"modified":"2022-02-18T21:00:33","modified_gmt":"2022-02-18T18:00:33","slug":"what-are-p-cores-and-e-cores-on-an-intel-cpu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-are-p-cores-and-e-cores-on-an-intel-cpu\/","title":{"rendered":"#What Are P-Cores and E-Cores on an Intel CPU?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a42b2a8daef3\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a42b2a8daef3\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-are-p-cores-and-e-cores-on-an-intel-cpu\/#Symmetrical_vs_Asymmetrical_CPU_Design\" >Symmetrical vs. Asymmetrical CPU Design<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-are-p-cores-and-e-cores-on-an-intel-cpu\/#Asymmetrical_Design_on_PC\" >Asymmetrical Design on PC<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-are-p-cores-and-e-cores-on-an-intel-cpu\/#The_Benefits_of_E-_and_P-_Cores\" >The Benefits of E- and P- Cores<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-are-p-cores-and-e-cores-on-an-intel-cpu\/#Early-Adopter_Problems\" >Early-Adopter Problems<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-are-p-cores-and-e-cores-on-an-intel-cpu\/#How_to_Mind_Your_Ps_and_Es\" >How to Mind Your P\u2019s and E\u2019s<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#What Are P-Cores and E-Cores on an Intel CPU?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-783310\" data-pagespeed-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/intel-cpu-display.jpg?width=398&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 400w, https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/intel-cpu-display.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 400w, 1200w\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/intel-cpu-display.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"An Intel-branded display case showing off 12th generation desktop processor lineup.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/santa-clara-calif-december-17-2021-2092501780\">Tester128\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The world of CPUs is undergoing a shift. Not only do we now have many CPU cores in our laptop and desktop PCs, but there\u2019s also now a mix of different core types: the P- and E-cores are here.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Symmetrical_vs_Asymmetrical_CPU_Design\"><\/span>Symmetrical vs. Asymmetrical CPU Design<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In a traditional multi-core CPU, every CPU core is identical. They all have the same performance rating and use the same amount of power. The problem with this is that when your CPU is idling or doing simple tasks, there\u2019s a minimum level of power usage you cannot drop below without switching the CPU off entirely. This isn\u2019t the end of the world when it comes to devices that draw their power from the wall, but if you\u2019re running on battery power, every watt counts!<\/p>\n<p>Smartphones quickly adopted a solution where you\u2019d have some power-hungry cores that provided high-end performance and a number of efficient cores that sip power but perform well enough to run background system tasks or run basic <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lications such as email, <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a>, or web browsing.<\/p>\n<p>The high-performance cores automatically kick in when you fire up a video <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> or in short bursts when a more basic app needs better performance to do a specific task, before falling back on the power-efficient cores.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Asymmetrical_Design_on_PC\"><\/span>Asymmetrical Design on PC<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-782265 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Intel-Alder-Lake-Presentation-e1643225578119.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Intel Alder Lake Presentation\" width=\"650\" height=\"217\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/redirect.viglink.com\/?key=204a528a336ede4177fff0d84a044482&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fdownload.intel.com%2Fnewsroom%2F2021%2Fclient-computing%2Fintel-architecture-day-2021-presentation.pdf\" data-credittext=\"Intel\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/redirect.viglink.com\/?key=204a528a336ede4177fff0d84a044482&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fdownload.intel.com%2Fnewsroom%2F2021%2Fclient-computing%2Fintel-architecture-day-2021-presentation.pdf\">Intel<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While the idea of having mixed CPU core types in a single package isn\u2019t new,\u00a0 it\u2019s not something that\u2019s found in mainstream PCs. At least, that was true up to the release of Intel\u2019s 12th-generation Alder Lake CPUs. These are Intel\u2019s first mainstream CPUs to feature a mixture of different cores.<\/p>\n<p>Within each model of 12th-generation Intel CPU, you\u2019ll find E-cores (Efficiency) and P-cores (Performance) in the CPU package. The relative numbers between these two types of core can vary, but the full Alder Lake CPU die has eight P- and eight E- cores, which is found in the i9 CPU models. The i7 and i5 models have an 8\/4 and 6\/4 design for P- and E- cores respectively.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Benefits_of_E-_and_P-_Cores\"><\/span>The Benefits of E- and P- Cores<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There are many benefits to having this hybrid architecture approach in a CPU. Laptop users are going to benefit the most since the majority of daily tasks are not performance intensive. If all you need is the power of your E-cores, you\u2019ll enjoy a cooler and quieter computer with longer battery life.<\/p>\n<p>When you\u2019ve got your laptop plugged into the wall or if you\u2019re using a desktop computer, those E-cores are still important. Let\u2019s say you\u2019re playing a video game that needs all the CPU power you can throw at it. The game can have full access to all performance cores, while your E-cores take care of background processes and applications such as Slack, Skype, downloads, etc.<\/p>\n<p>In the future, intensive applications that are written with hybrid CPUs in mind may even spawn threads that are assigned to both kinds of cores depending on their demands. E-cores are simpler and less expensive to produce, so using them to augment and free up cutting-edge performance cores is a smart idea.<\/p>\n<p>In the case of Alder Lake CPUs at least, the P- and E- cores have been designed in such a way that they don\u2019t interfere with each other so each can do their jobs independently.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, this radical shift in x86 CPU architecture isn\u2019t happening without some teething troubles.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Early-Adopter_Problems\"><\/span>Early-Adopter Problems<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Since mixing different CPUs is a relatively new thing for x86 CPUs, there are some rough edges to be aware of in the early days. Developers of PC software previously haven\u2019t had reason to expect more than one type of CPU in a computer, so their software isn\u2019t aware of the difference between a P- and E- core. In <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>, this isn\u2019t an issue because the operating system assigns software threads to CPUs as needed, but there have been reports of some software (such as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rockpapershotgun.com\/intel-12th-gen-alder-lake-cpus-arent-playing-nice-with-drm-in-some-games\">Denuvo<\/a>) crashing or behaving strangely on these new CPU designs.<\/p>\n<p>Software patches as well as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomshardware.com\/news\/intel-offers-workaround-drm-issues\">motherboard level legacy-mode workarounds<\/a> are sure to come thick and fast. By the time you read this, the worst incompatibility issues may be resolved. If you\u2019re a Windows 10 user looking to upgrade to one of these hybrid CPUs, you may want to either wait or go ahead and upgrade to Windows 11. At the time of writing in January 2022, Windows 11 has a new CPU task scheduler that\u2019s aware of how to assign work to the different types of cores. While Windows 10 will work, it\u2019s not doing so as well as it should and patches to bring it up to speed are still in the works.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Mind_Your_Ps_and_Es\"><\/span>How to Mind Your P\u2019s and E\u2019s<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When you next buy a new CPU, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll have to make a decision on how many P- and E-cores you want. The best advice we can give is to pay attention to the number of P-cores first and foremost. You need enough performance cores to run your most demanding application. Any additional overhead offered by the E-cores is a bonus.<\/p>\n<p>We haven\u2019t yet seen a situation where two CPUs have the same number of P-cores, but different numbers of E-cores. However, when that does become a reality it won\u2019t be something to worry about until a new generation of hybrid-aware software becomes mainstream, and even then it will be a choice mainly aimed at laptop users. To sum it all up, here are the key facts you should know:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hybrid-architecture CPUs have both high-performance and high-efficiency cores.<\/li>\n<li>The efficiency cores save power and free up performance cores to concentrate on the most demanding tasks.<\/li>\n<li>PC software designed for traditional CPUs may get a little confused by hybrid CPUs until software patches arrive.<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019ll need the latest version of Windows to make the most of these CPUs, at least until older operating systems are updated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is an exciting time for CPU <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> and this hybrid generation of chips shows us that it\u2019s not just <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cloudsavvyit.com\/8669\/what-are-arm-cpus-and-are-they-going-to-replace-x86-intel\/\">ARM-based<\/a> mobile CPUs, such as the Apple M1 products, that are experimenting with interesting ideas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>What&#8217;s the Difference Between Apple&#8217;s M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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Not only do we now have many CPU cores in our laptop and desktop PCs, but there\u2019s also now a mix of different core types: the P- and E-cores are here. Symmetrical vs. Asymmetrical CPU Design In&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":407593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/intel-cpu-display.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-407592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=407592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407592\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/407593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=407592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=407592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}