Intel N50 Processor, competing for the slowest 2023 CPU
Earlier this year, Intel unveiled its new Alder Lake-N series, catering specifically to the entry-level segment with a focus on low-power embedded computing. This series boasts a maximum of 8 cores, all designed with Efficient/Atom architecture.
Comprising a total of seven models, the Alder Lake-N series offers configurations with 2, 4, and 8 cores. Notably, these processors differ from the Core Alder Lake CPUs as they lack Performance cores entirely, prioritizing power efficiency instead. The top SKU in this series has a TDP of just 15W.
Recently, Geekbench revealed a performance test featuring the N50 processor. This processor represents the lowest tier in the Alder Lake-N CPUs and is one of Intel’s slower releases this year. Equipped with 2 cores and without hyper-threading support, the CPU operates at a base clock of 997 MHz, which can boost up to 3.4 GHz.
Intel Alder Lake-N SKUs:
- Core i3-N305 Processor: CPU 8C/8T, GPU 32EU, up to 3.8 GHz, 9W-15W TDP
- Core i3-N300 Processor: CPU 8C/8T, GPU 32EU, up to 3.8 GHz, 7W TDP
- Processor N200: CPU 4C/4T, GPU 32EU, up to 3.7 GHz, 6W TDP
- Processor N100: CPU 4C/4T, GPU 24EU, up to 3.4 GHz, 6W TDP
- Processor N97: CPU 4C/4T, GPU 24EU, up to 3.6 GHz, 12W TDP
- Processor N95: CPU 4C/4T, GPU 16EU, up to 3.4 GHz, 15W TDP
- Processor N50: CPU 2C/2T, GPU 16EU, up to 3.4 GHz, 6W TDP
Intel N50 CPU, Source: Geekbench
Surprisingly, despite its low 6W TDP, this processor still comes with built-in graphics, albeit limited to 16 Execution Units. In comparison, the top-tier configurations boast 32 Execution Units.
In terms of single-core performance, the CPU achieves a score of 1054 points, comparable to Intel’s older 4th Gen Core mobile series with Haswell architecture or the first generation Ryzen CPUs, which were not particularly fast on Geekbench. However, the multi-core performance tells a different story, as it is more in line with Intel Core 2/AMD FX series. It is essential to consider the 6W TDP though, explaining how this CPU can deliver performance similar to CPUs from a decade ago, but at significantly lower power consumption.
Source: Geekbench via @Benchleaks
