[bluedino]

Here's my question. Why are there SO MANY PROCESSOR SKUs?

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/platforms/d...

I lost count at 75 SKUs for Cascade Lake. Do we need 2-core increments? Do we need 0.2 GHz increments? Is this just part of the binning process? Wouldn't it make it easier for everyone if they had 1/4 the amount?

I'm trying to think of the amount of manhours wasted in meetings where IT staff debate 16-core vs 18-core and 20-core, alonge with 2.1GHz vs 2.3Ghz and 2.5GHz, when all the CPU's are within $100 of each other.

I think back to the Pentium days when you'd only have a handful of clockspeeds and then something new (like MMX), or a new socket would come out and then you'd get a couple more chips.

[MichaelZuo]

You answered the question already. Binning.

[NBJack]

It does raise an interesting question: is the 'spectrum' bigger because marketing wanted to capitalize, or is it a bigger range of outcomes on chips due to the progression of shrinking fab sizes?

[MichaelZuo]

> a bigger range of outcomes on chips due to the progression of shrinking fab sizes

You don't even need me to answer.

[corbulo]

Could it be a result of the manufacturing process? To my layman understanding, not all silicon is created equal.