Central Processing Unit (CPU) Architectures

Notes on CPU architectures, technologies, and common terminology.

CPU Feature Flags

Viewing CPU flags in Linux: cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep flags.

• AES (AES-NI): Advanced Encryption Standard Instruction Set. Speeds up encryption/decryption.
• AVX / AVX2 / AVX-512: Advanced Vector Extensions. SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data) instructions for parallel processing.
• VT-x (vmx) / AMD-V (svm): Hardware virtualization support.
• SSBD / STIBP / SPECTRE / MELTDOWN: Security-related flags and mitigations.
• Detailed explanation of CPU flags (Unix StackExchange)

Processor Series Suffixes (x86)

Common suffixes found in Intel and AMD processor names:

Laptop / Mobile

• U: Ultra Low Power (e.g., Core i7-1355U). Balanced performance for thin laptops.
• Y: Extremely Low Power. Often found in fanless tablets.
• H / HK / HX: High Performance Graphics/Power. Used in gaming laptops and mobile workstations.
• P: Performance for thin and light laptops (Intel 12th gen onwards).

Desktop

• K: Unlocked. Allows for overclocking (e.g., Core i9-13900K).
• F: No integrated graphics. Requires a dedicated GPU (e.g., i5-13400F).
• T: Power-optimized. Lower TDP for compact desktop builds.
• X / XE: Extreme Edition. High core counts for HEDT (High-End Desktop).

AMD Specific

• G: Includes integrated Radeon graphics (e.g., Ryzen 5 5600G).
• X: Higher clock speeds / performance variant.
• X3D: Includes 3D V-Cache for gaming performance (e.g., Ryzen 7 7800X3D).

Architectures

MIPS (Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipeline Stages)

• Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) ISA.
• Heavily used in enterprise networking (Cisco), older game consoles (N64, PS1), and low-end IoT.
• MIPS Architecture (Wikipedia)

ARM (Advanced RISC Machines)

• Dominant in mobile and embedded. Moving into server space.
• Highly power-efficient RISC architecture.

RISC-V

• Open-source ISA. Gaining rapid adoption in specialized and embedded hardware.

Resources

• MIPS vs ARM Architectures
• Intel Processor Numbers & Suffixes
• AMD Ryzen Model Numbers