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When you walk into a store or browse online for PC components, the sheer number of models, series, and specifications can be overwhelming. Names like “RTX 4080 Ti,” “Core i7-13700K,” or “Ryzen 9 7900X” might sound impressive, but they often leave us scratching our heads.
So why can’t companies use simple naming conventions?
Too Many Technical Specifications to Highlight
One of the main reasons PC hardware names are so confusing is the sheer number of technical specifications that manufacturers want to highlight. Modern CPUs, GPUs, and other components are packed with features like core counts, clock speeds, cache sizes, and thermal designs, to name just a few. Manufacturers attempt to convey all this in a name, but there’s only so much room.
For example, take AMD’s “Ryzen 5 7640U”. The “Ryzen 5” denotes its place in AMD’s CPU tier. After that, the first digit, “7,” represents the portfolio model year. Then, a “6” for the market segment, a “4” for architecture, a “0” for feature isolation, and then a “U” to indicate the TDP of the specific CPU. Each part of the name tells you something, but unless you’re familiar with the coding system, it’s easy to get lost.
This attempt to cram in information often results in names that look like random strings of letters and numbers. While enthusiasts might appreciate the detail, casual buyers may find it more confusing than helpful.
Trying to Match Competition
Competition in the PC hardware industry is fierce, and manufacturers often tweak their naming schemes to match or outdo their rivals.
For example, NVIDIA and AMD are the two biggest players in the graphics card market. When NVIDIA releases a new “RTX” series card, AMD often responds with a new “Radeon RX” card. Each company uses its own naming conventions, which can be quite different from one another. However, in their quest to one-up each other, they sometimes end up creating names that are more about marketing than clarity.
To make matters worse, both companies might release products with seemingly similar numbers, like the “RTX 3080” and the “Radeon RX 6800 XT”, leading most folks to wonder how these products compare. The need to stay competitive sometimes drives companies to adopt naming schemes prioritizing market positioning over customer clarity.
Poor Scaling in Legacy Naming Schemes
Another factor contributing to the confusion is how legacy naming schemes scale—or rather, how they don’t. When companies like Intel or AMD release new generations of products, they often try to maintain some consistency with previous naming conventions. However, as technology evolves, these older systems can start to break down.
Take the example of Intel’s CPUs again. Years ago, the “Core” series started with simple names like “i3,” “i5,” and “i7,” which were fairly easy to understand. Over time, as new generations were released, the names became more complex, adding digits, letters, and suffixes to indicate things like generation, power efficiency, and overclocking capability.
As a result, what started as a straightforward naming scheme has morphed into a mess of codes that can be hard to navigate, especially if you’re not keeping up with every generation’s changes.
Product Separation/Differentiation
Manufacturers also use naming schemes to create clear lines of separation between different products. They want you to know, at a glance, which product is budget-friendly, mid-range, or high-end. However, in trying to create these distinctions, they can sometimes overcomplicate things.
Let’s consider the example of AMD’s Ryzen CPUs. AMD uses a four-tier system to differentiate between its Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7, and Ryzen 9 CPUs. This seems simple enough, but then AMD also adds in “X” and “XT” to indicate higher clock speeds and “X3D” to show that it featuresAMD’s 3D V-Cache. On top of that, we also have the “G” series, which comes with integrated graphics.
All of these distinctions are important for understanding the capabilities of the CPU, but there’s also no clear and easy way to know which product is better. Looking at the naming, a Ryzen 5 would logically be a better processor than a Ryzen 3. However, this isn’t always the case. Unless you take time to do some research, they may never know if they actually got the better-performing product.
Easier to Sell Rebadged Products
Sometimes, companies use confusing naming schemes to make older or rebadged products seem new. This tactic is common when a manufacturer wants to move inventory or re-release a slightly updated version of a previous product.
For example, AMD took the Ryzen 7 6800HS from 2022 and released it with the “newer” Ryzen 7 7735HS in 2023. If you look at both model’s technical specifications, you can see that they use the same technology and arguably provide the same level of performance.
AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS
AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS
Architecture
Cores / Threads
8 Cores / 16 Threads
Clock Speed
3.2 GHz - 4.7 GHz
3.2 GHz - 4.75 GHz
Integrated Graphics
AMD Radeon 680M (RDNA2)
TDP (Thermal Design Power)
The Ryzen 7 7735HS is basically the same as the Ryzen 7 6800HS, but sinceAMD updated its naming scheme in 2023, the Ryzen 7 7735HS now seems like an entirely new product.
To Invoke a Sense of Superiority
Another reason for complex naming schemes is marketing. Companies want their products to sound powerful, advanced, and worth the price. By using complex names with lots of numbers and letters, they can make a product sound more technical and impressive.
Take the NVIDIA “RTX 4090 Ti” as an example. The “4090” suggests it’s part of a new generation (GeForce 40 series), while the “Ti” suffix typically means it’s a higher-end version of the base model. The long, detailed name might not be easy to understand at first, but it certainly sounds powerful and cutting-edge.
This kind of naming is designed to create a sense of superiority and justify a higher price point. The downside is that it can leave consumers feeling like they need a degree in computer science just to understand what they’re buying.
Evolving Technology Standards
Finally, as new standards, features, and technologies emerge, companies must find ways to incorporate them into their product names.
Technology has changed throughout the years. For example, we’ve moved from traditional hard drives (HDDs) to solid-state drives (SSDs) and now to NVMe drives that offer even faster speeds. Each of these new innovations requires a new naming scheme to distinguish the latest and greatest from older models.
Similarly, with the rise of AI and machine learning, new terms and technologies like “Tensor Cores” and “RT Cores” are being integrated into processors. These advancements must be reflected in the product names, further complicating the naming schemes.
PC hardware naming schemes are a product of many factors, from the need to convey technical details to the pressures of competition and selling more products. While enthusiasts might appreciate the nuances, these complex names can overwhelm and confuse others. Unfortunately, this isn’t likely to change anytime soon. As technology continues to evolve and as companies keep pushing for market dominance, naming schemes will probably become even more intricate in the future.
