Laptops that are powered by an Intel Core i7 CPU are some of the best laptops available on the market today. The major laptop brands have already started to harness the power of the Intel i7 CPU and have released some of the most powerful laptops, suitable for those who require a lot of computing power for demanding applications and need portability on their side.

Intel is currently on the 3rd generation Intel Core i7 desktop and mobile processors, also known as Ivy Bridge CPUs. So before rushing out to buy an Intel core i7 laptop, it’s good to familiarize yourself with the entire i7 CPU series to avoid any confusion you might have.

The first generation Intel Core i7 mobile CPUs, also known as “Clarksfield” and “Arrandale”, were introduced to the public in September 2009, a year after the first desktop CPU based on the same microarchitecture, Nehalem.

“Clarksfield” Quad Core i7 Mobile CPUs:

• Core i7-9xxXM Extreme Edition
• Core i7-8xxQM
• Core i7-7xxQM

“Arrandale” Dual-core i7 mobile CPUs:

• Core i7-6xxM
• Core i7-6xxLM
• Core i7-6xxUM

The second generation Intel Core i7 mobile CPUs, also known as “Sandy Bridge”, were introduced in early 2011. These processors have been some of the best CPUs at the time, with great success with the public.

Sandy Bridge Quad Core i7 Mobile CPUs:

• Core i7-2xxxXM
• Core i7-2xxxQM
• Core i7-2xxxQE

Sandy Bridge Dual-core i7 mobile CPUs:

• Core i7-2xx0M
• Core i7-2xx9M
• Core i7-2xx7M

The third generation Intel Core i7 mobile CPUs, also known as “Ivy Bridge,” made its appearance in April 2012, and it brings some improvements over Sandy Bridge, including less power consumption, higher clock speeds, and better integrated graphics.

Ivy Bridge Quad Core i7 Mobile CPUs:

• Core i7-3xx0QM, i7-3xx0QE
• Core i7-3xx2QM, i7-3xx2QE
• Core i7-3xxxXM

Now that you are familiar with all i7 processors, all you have to do is find a laptop that uses one of these. And the easiest way to do that is to go to your favorite online store and filter the available laptops by processor type. Be sure to check the processor model number to see if it is a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd gen i7 CPU.

Some things I need to mention:

The Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge CPUs have an integrated GPU and there may not be a discrete graphics card in the laptop configuration. If your main tasks don’t involve video transcoding, 3D graphic design, and intense gaming, you’ll be fine with integrated graphics; otherwise, you should look for a laptop that has a discrete graphics card.

To get the most out of the i7’s power, also make sure the laptop has at least 4GB of DDRAM, although most of them are at least 8GB.

For fast boot, a 64GB or 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD) is required.

All other features such as HD webcam, 3D display, blu-ray drive, etc. are up to you to decide what you need and what you don’t.