"Has an NPU" is showing up on more and more laptop spec sheets, but CPU, GPU and NPU aren't three rungs on one ladder of speed. They're different designs for different kinds of work:
- CPU: the generalist. It runs the operating system and apps and handles varied, branchy work that doesn't split neatly into parallel pieces.
- GPU: built for many operations at once. Graphics, but also any workload that can be divided across lots of units. Integrated or discrete, its real capability depends on the specific design and its power limits.
- NPU: dedicated to operations that are common in certain AI models, aiming to run them efficiently.
The catch for developers: the hardware only helps if the software uses it. Drivers, the programming model and supported libraries decide which unit a task lands on, and one app may use more than one at the same time.
So before choosing a machine for local AI or GPU-heavy work, check what your actual tools support, not just what the chip lists.
The full guide on BytePreview goes through each processor and what to check before buying: CPU, GPU and NPU: what each processor does and when it matters
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