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Differences Between Intel® Desktop and Mobile Processors

Content Type: Identify My Product   |   Article ID: 000098127   |   Last Reviewed: 12/10/2024

Intel® Desktop Processors:

  • Desktop processors are primarily for desktop form factor, characterized by constant power need and mostly separate display, keyboard and mouse type of peripherals.
  • Available as box and tray.
  • For desktop boxed processors: Sold by retailers for users who want to build their own systems.
  • For desktop tray processors: Available by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
  • Available with locked and unlocked processors for overclocking.
    • Unlocked processors include the “K” or “X” letters in their processor number. Examples: “K”, “KF”, “X”, and “XE”.

Intel® Mobile Processors:

  • Mobile processors also called laptop processors.
  • Mobile processors are primarily for laptop form factor, characterized by built-in battery, screen, keyboard and mouse type of peripherals.
  • Available as tray only.
  • Available by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and sold as laptop computers and 2-in-1 PCs.
  • Available with locked and unlocked processors for overclocking.
    • Unlocked processors include the “K” or “X” letters in their processor number. Examples: “HK”, and “HX”.

Refer to understanding Intel® Core™ Processor suffixes in A Brief Guide to Our Latest Processor and Naming Updates.

How to know if you have desktop or mobile processor

  1. Identify your Intel® Processor, or the processor you need to find the information for.
  2. Go to the Product Specifications page.
  3. Enter the processor number in the Search Intel.com field located upper-right corner. 
  4. Click the processor's link from the search results page.
  5. Once you are on the processor specification page, click Essentials section.
  6. Look up the Vertical Segment.

Here is an example of two processors, one is mobile and one is desktop.

Processor examples

Related Products

This article applies to 88 products.
Intel® Core™ i7 processors (14th gen) 5th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processors Intel® Celeron® Processor 3000 Series 6th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 Processors Intel® Pentium® Silver Processor Series 9th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 Processors 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processors 12th Generation Intel® Core™ i3 Processors Intel® Core™ i5 processors (14th gen) Intel® Celeron® Processor J Series 8th Generation Intel® Core™ m Processors Intel Atom® Processor Z Series Intel® Processor Intel Atom® Processor E Series 9th Generation Intel® Core™ i3 Processors Intel® Pentium® Processor D Series 13th Generation Intel® Core™ i3 Processors Intel® Pentium® Processor 4000 Series Intel Atom® Processor N Series Intel Atom® Processor D Series Intel Atom® Processor X Series Intel® Core™ Processors Intel® Pentium® Processor 2000 Series 13th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processors 9th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processors 7th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processors Intel® Pentium® Processor N Series Intel® Pentium® Processor 3000 Series Intel® Pentium® Processor G Series 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i3 Processors Intel® Celeron® Processor N Series Intel® Pentium® Gold Processor Series 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i3 Processors Intel® Celeron® Processor 1000 Series Intel® Processor for Desktop Intel® Core™ X-series Processors Intel® Core™ processors (Series 1) 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 Processors 12th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processors 12th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 Processors 12th Generation Intel® Core™ i9 Processors 7th Generation Intel® Core™ m Processors Intel® Celeron® Processor 5th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 Processors Intel® Celeron® Processor 2000 Series Intel® Processor N-series 9th Generation Intel® Core™ i9 Processors 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processors 10th Generation Intel® Core™ i9 Processors 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i9 Processors 10th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processors 7th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 Processors 6th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processors Intel® Processor U-series 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processors Intel® Celeron® Processor 5000 Series Intel® Core™ i3 processors (14th gen) Intel® Core™ processors (Series 2) 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i3 Processors 6th Generation Intel® Core™ m Processors Intel® Celeron® Processor G Series 5th Generation Intel® Core™ M Processors Intel® Pentium® Processor J Series 13th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 Processors 13th Generation Intel® Core™ i9 Processors Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors (Series 2) Intel® Core™ i9 processors (14th gen) 10th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 Processors 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i9 Processors Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors (Series 1) Intel® Pentium® Processor 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 Processors 7th Generation Intel® Core™ i3 Processors Intel® Pentium® Processor 1000 Series Intel Atom® Processor C Series Intel Atom® Processor 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 Processors 6th Generation Intel® Core™ i3 Processors 10th Generation Intel® Core™ i3 Processors Intel® Celeron® Processor 4000 Series Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors Intel Atom® Processor S Series Intel® Core™ Processor N-series 5th Generation Intel® Core™ i3 Processors

Discontinued Products

Legacy Intel Atom® Processors Legacy Intel® Pentium® Processor Legacy Intel® Celeron® Processor Legacy Intel® Core™ Processors

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