The Intel Core processor family spans several generations of processor upgrades. There are three basic family generations of note. Usually, the greater the number, the later the generation. For example, 13th gen is newer than 12th gen, 11th gen and 10th gen. These correspond to improvements in process technology and features to allow for more sophisticated applications, such as virtual reality, gaming and office productivity. In addition to generations, processors can also be categorized by Intel Core. Though there are multiple options within each category, there are four basic groups. Intel Core i3, for entry-level performance Intel Core i5, for mid-level performance Intel Core i7, for high-level performance Intel Core i9, for highest-level performance