The future of the PC according to Intel is a CPU-GPU-NPU trifecta and that definitely includes gaming

HardwareGraphics CardsThe future of the PC according to Intel is a CPU-GPU-NPU trifecta and that definitely includes gamingWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Intel)

Intel�s Lunar Lake Lion Cove cores without Hyper-Threading

The precise benefits of those tricksy new NPUs or neural processing units in the latest PC processors including Intel’s Lunar Lake (shown above) and Arrow Lake chips are currently hard to pin down, despite the whole “AI PC” push. But Intel reckons NPUs are here to stay and will be an equally important part of a trifecta that also includes CPUs and GPUs. And that includes for gaming, people.

Speaking at a round table event with assembled hacks at CES,including our own Jacob, Intel’s Client Business Group general manager Jim Johnson explained how NPUs are here to stay. His general gist was that NPUs will increasingly become an equal third pillar alongside CPUs and GPUs in the PC for everything from productivity and content creation to gaming and as-yet unimagined applications.

“The NPU, the GPU and the CPU are here to stay,” Johnson said, explaining that each element is just going to get “better and better.” Moreover, Johnson reckons what currently feels like a clear distinction in functionality between CPU cores, graphics and neural processing units is going to become increasingly invisible to the end user.

To an extent, as Johnson sees it, all three will be key to enabling the AI-accelerated future of the PC, it’s just the end user won’t be aware of how the workload is being parcelled out, nor really need to worry about that.

“You don’t really know when you’re in the GPU engine, when you’re using the media engine, or using the EUs or when you’re doing something from the CPU, Direct X or the NVIDIA pipeline,” Johnson said.

“A gamer is not only a gamer, they’re also a streamer, and they’re also a video conferencer, and so I absolutely believe AI features in the NP will impact gamers,” he explained.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

Moreover, the impact of AI will be utterly profound in the way it speeds almost everything up and leads to new and as-yet unimagined applications. “The magic is the applications get better faster, do something new you haven’t done before,” Johnson said.

He also thinks NPUs will be important for running background AI tasks efficiently, while GPUs will do the heavy lifting when up-front AI muscle is required. “If you want background, hyper background, highly capable, low power [AI], that’s the NPU. But if you want to do [generative] AI fast and you want to [generate] a beautiful picture, that’s the GPU,” he said.

NPUs will become increasingly important. But for the time being, when it comes to gaming, we’ll make do with an RTX 5090, thanks.(Image credit: Nvidia)

Nvidia’s new RTX 50-series Founders Edition card.

Now, one could argue Johnson isn’t saying very much here, that he’s dealing in the kind of empty generalizations regarding the benefits of AI that have rather plagued PC marketing of late. Can’t someone just tell us exactly how it’s going to benefit gaming?

But perhaps the template here, somewhat ironically, is the GPU. There was a time when evangelists from a certain green-tinged graphics company bigged up the idea of GPUs as the parallel-processing solution to all our computing problems and it all seemed a bit nebulous and hypothetical. Does every PC really need a powerful GPU, even PCs that nobody is going to use for gaming?

Fast forward a decade or three and a half-decent GPU is de rigueur even for a thin-and-light laptop with absolutely no gaming pretensions. Heck, the likes of Apple are making mainstream chips for distinctly non-gaming-orientated MacBooks with much larger GPUs than CPUs. Funnily enough, Apple is also fitting out its chips with ever-larger NPUs.

In other words, the mere fact that at this early stage of the gestation of the NPU, it’s a little tricky to pin down easily definable benefits of and applications for NPUs doesn’t mean that they’re not on the way to become at least as important at CPU cores and GPUs. But we will probably have to wait a little bit longer to see exactly how it all pans out.

In the meantime, GPUs will remain the most important chip for gaming for the foreseeable. So, why not check out Nvidia’s hot newRTX 50 desktop GPUs, and theircompanions headed for laptopslater this year, alljust announced at CES.

Catch up withCES 2025:We’re on the ground in sunny Las Vegas covering all the latest announcements from some of the biggest names in tech, including Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Asus, Razer, MSI and more.View Deal

Catch up withCES 2025:We’re on the ground in sunny Las Vegas covering all the latest announcements from some of the biggest names in tech, including Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Asus, Razer, MSI and more.

View Deal

TOPICSHardware

TOPICS

More about graphics cardsIs the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.It’s time for me to admit that AI-accelerated frame generation might actually be the way of the future and that’s a good thingLatestCivilization 7 has been Steam Deck Verified ahead of its launch next monthSee more latest►

More about graphics cards

Is the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.It’s time for me to admit that AI-accelerated frame generation might actually be the way of the future and that’s a good thing

Nvidia RTX 5070 graphics card

Is the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.

Nvidia RTX 5090 Founders Edition rendered on a green background.

It’s time for me to admit that AI-accelerated frame generation might actually be the way of the future and that’s a good thing

LatestCivilization 7 has been Steam Deck Verified ahead of its launch next monthSee more latest►

Latest

Civilization 7 has been Steam Deck Verified ahead of its launch next month

Digital Ben Franklin looking very perturbed on dark background

Civilization 7 has been Steam Deck Verified ahead of its launch next month

See more latest►

Most PopularIf you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo videoSquare Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fansThe Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcementsPath of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better lootPalestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 NakbaPiranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’Marvel Rivals’ latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod sceneSorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our faultTeam Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40KIs the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.Elden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I’m totally not fuming because PC players aren’t invited to the party, or anything

Most Popular

If you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo video

Square Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fans

The Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcements

Path of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better loot

Palestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 Nakba

Piranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’

Marvel Rivals' latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod scene

Sorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our fault

Team Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40K

Is the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.

Elden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I’m totally not fuming because PC players aren’t invited to the party, or anything

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals