Laptop CPUs are becoming increasingly capable each year, and the competition is intensifying among industry leaders such as Intel, AMD, and Apple. At this year’s Indian Gadget Awards 2023, over 35 jury members voted for the best of the best from over 200 nominees across 35 product categories. We have divided the best laptop CPU category into two segments: Mainstream (under Rs 80,000) and Premium (budget no bar). Here are the winners.
Best Laptop CPU of 2023 (Mainstream)
Winner: Intel Core i7-13700H
The Intel Core i7-13700H is a popular mainstream flagship processor that offers 14 cores (6P cores + 8E cores) and promises a peak performance of up to 5GHz. This i7 CPU can be an ideal processor for mainstream gaming laptops as well. Not only mainstream, but the Intel Core i7-13700H also features in some premium laptops, including the productivity-focused HP Pavilion Plus 16 (2023) and gaming-focused MSI Pulse 15.
Best Laptop CPU of 2023 (Premium)
Winner: Apple M3 Max
Apple’s new-gen Apple M3 Max is already making headlines for overpowering Apple’s first-gen M1 SoC, which is still a fantastic processor. The M3 Max also has an enhanced Neural Engine to accelerate powerful machine learning (ML) models. It is built using the 3nm process that allows a host of more efficient capabilities. It features up to 16 CPU cores and up to 40 GPU cores to provide a smooth performance – be it productivity or editing.
Take a look at the rest of the nominees for Best Laptop CPU of 2023 in the Mainstream and Premium categories.
Best Laptop CPU of 2023 (Mainstream) nominees
Intel Core i5-13500H
Intel’s H-series is primarily designed for high-performance-focused Laptops and PCs. The 13th-Gen Intel Core i5-13500H features 12 cores (4P + 8E) with a peak clock speed of 4.7GHz.
AMD Ryzen 5 7530U
The AMD Ryzen 5 7530U is a processor made for thin and light laptops. With a TDP of 15W, the CPU offers a total of 6 cores and 12 threads. It offers a peak clock speed of 4.5GHz.
Intel Core i7-1355U
The Intel Core i7-1355U is a powerful CPU and a great choice for slim laptops. It offers peppy performance with its 2P and 8E cores. The peak clock speed of this CPU is 5GHz.
AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS
The AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS is a Ryzen 7 CPU built on the Zen 3+ (Rembrandt) architecture. The CPU features 8 cores with 16 threads with a max clock speed of 4.75GHz.
AMD Ryzen 7 7735U
AMD’s Ryzen 7 7735U is an octa-core CPU based on a 6nm process that offers a max boost clock speed of up to 4.75GHz. The HP Pavilion Aero 13 was among the laptops to use this CPU.
MediaTek Kompanio 1200
HP’s value-for-money HP Chromebook x360 utilises MediaTek’s Kompanio 1200. This octa-core processor features four Arm Cortex-A78 (up to 2.6GHz) and four Arm Cortex-A55 (up to 2GHz). It also supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats.
AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS
The AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS is built upon the newest Zen 4 architecture. It offers six powerful cores with 12 threads and boasts clock speeds of up to 5.0GHz, thus making it well-suited for gaming and other demanding tasks.
CPU of 2023 nominees (Premium)
Intel Core i9-13980HX
The MSI RAIDER GE78 HX 13V utilises the flagship 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13980HX CPU. It offers a total of 24 cores (8P + 14E) and attains a peak clock speed of 5.6GHz.
Intel Core i9-13950HX
The Intel Core i9-13950HX shares similarities to the Intel Core i9-13980HX with small tweaks. This High-End CPU offers a total of 24 cores and 32 threads, with a peak clock speed of 5.50GHz.
Intel Core i9-13900HX
The Intel Core i9-13900HX is a powerful CPU that features 24 cores with a peak clock speed of 5.4GHz. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is among the laptops to feature this processor.
AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX
Part of the Ryzen 9 lineup, AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX is a flagship CPU that utilises AMD’s Zen 4 (Dragon Range) architecture. It’s an efficient processor featuring 16 cores and 32 threads with a peak clock speed of 5.4GHz.
AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX
The AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX is based on the same 5nm Zen 4 architecture as the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX, but this Ryzen 7 CPU offers 8 cores and 16 threads. The max boost clock speed of this processor is 5.1GHz.
Apple M2 Max
Apple refreshed the M2 and M3 series SoC with Max variants. These power the latest MacBook Pro laptops. The M2 Max features up to 12-core CPU and up to 38 cores GPU.
