When Intel&#x27;s iX series was first released, the numbering scheme they had is almost exactly what you described.<p>i7-720: &quot;7&quot; was the performance tier, &quot;20&quot; the generation<p>So an i7-820 was the same generation, but a higher performance tier, and the i7-940 was yet another higher performance tier and a later generation.<p>They&#x27;ve later switched to a 4 digit numbering scheme which is decipherable, but not nearly as clear as the 3 digit scheme. The introduction of quadcore i5s and dual core i7s really muddled the waters.