What’s up with the odd-numbered CPU naming convention?

It’s really just a marketing strategy. There’s no deep logic behind it, so don’t stress over it too much.

I mean, why would anyone want an i6, which is only one step up from i5? An i7 sounds way cooler and better! It's all about the branding, mate.

It doesn’t really matter, honestly! The naming doesn’t tell you much about the performance unless you compare actual specs. At the end of the day, it's just a name.

Intel started with the i3, i5, and i7 naming in the mid-2000s. They moved away from using numbers that represent core counts like Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad because they wanted consumers to avoid making assumptions based on the number. So basically, it’s just branding.

There’s no real reason for it; it’s just how marketing works. Intel likely did some focus group testing, and this funny naming stuck. AMD followed Intel’s lead with a similar strategy.