What's the difference between an Intel Core i3, i5 and i7?
- — 11 May, 2011 11:07
Intel Turbo Boost
The Intel Turbo Boost Technology allows a processor to dynamically increase its clockspeed whenever the need arises. The maximum amount that Turbo Boost can raise clockspeed at any given time is dependent on the number of active cores, the estimated current consumption, the estimated power consumption, and the processor temperature.
For the Core i5-661, its maximum allowable processor frequency is 3.6 GHz. Because none of the Core i3 CPUs have Turbo Boost, the i5-661 can outrun them when it needs to. Because all Core i5 processors are equipped with the latest version of this technology — Turbo Boost 2.0 — all of them can outrun any Core i3.
Cache size
Whenever the CPU finds that it keeps on using the same data over and over, it stores that data in its cache. Cache is just like RAM, only faster — because it’s built into the CPU itself. Both RAM and cache serve as holding areas for frequently used data. Without them, the CPU would have to keep on reading from the hard disk drive, which would take a lot more time.
Basically, RAM minimises interaction with the hard disk, while cache minimises interaction with the RAM. Obviously, with a larger cache, more data can be accessed quickly. All Core i3 processors have 3MB of cache. All Core i5s, except again for the 661 (only 4MB), have 6MB of cache. Finally, all Core i7 CPUs have 8MB of cache. This is clearly one reason why an i7 outperforms an i5 — and why an i5 outperforms an i3.
Hyper-Threading
Strictly speaking, only one thread can be served by one core at a time. So if a CPU is a dual core, then supposedly only two threads can be served simultaneously. However, Intel has introduced a technology called Hyper-Threading. This enables a single core to serve multiple threads.
For instance, a Core i3, which is only a dual core, can actually serve two threads per core. In other words, a total of four threads can run simultaneously. Thus, even if Core i5 processors are quad cores, since they don’t support Hyper-Threading (again, except the i5-661) the number of threads they can serve at the same time is just about equal to those of their Core i3 counterparts.
This is one of the many reasons why Core i7 processors are the creme de la creme. Not only are they quad cores, they also support Hyper-Threading. Thus, a total of eight threads can run on them at the same time. Combine that with 8MB of cache and Intel Turbo Boost Technology, which all of them have, and you’ll see what sets the Core i7 apart from its siblings.
The upshot is that if you do a lot of things at the same time on your PC, then it might be worth forking out a bit more for an i5 or i7. However, if you use your PC to check emails, do some banking, read the news, and download a bit of music, you might be equally served by the cheaper i3.
At DCA Computers, we regularly hear across the sales counter, “I don’t mind paying for a computer that will last, which CPU should I buy?” The sales tech invariably responds “Well that depends on what you use your computer for.” If it’s the scenario described above, we pretty much tell our customers to save their money and buy an i3 or AMD dual core.
Another factor in this deliberation is that more and more programs are being released with multithread capability. That is they can use more than one CPU thread to execute a single command. So things happen more quickly. Some photo editors and video editing programs are multi-threaded, for example. However, the Internet browser you use to access Netbank or your email client is not, and is unlikely to be in the foreseeable future.
Hopefully this gives you some insight for your next CPU selection.
Happy computing!
David Parkinson is the managing director of DCA Computer Technologies a computer retailer and support provider. Read more articles at the DCA Computers blog, follow DCA Computers on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
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Comments
jeeva
1
can u help me to buy computer which is the best
Rafa
2
Great explanation, just the simplelist and best explanation i could find :D
Bill
3
Exactly the overview I was Googling for. Clear, concise and understandable. No one else has put this in plain terms. Thank you PC World, good article.
David
4
Really good explanation. I understood the difference well now. Thanks ;)
Mark Tran
5
Thank you very much for an useful information
Mike
6
Thanks for the explanation - I think I see it all now!
Cameron
7
great explanation - until I found this outline I was starting to think that I would never find a useful overview.
bijil
8
i like your explanation. Very usefull for beginers,
Thx alot
Murrh
9
Concise, if all cores active, can turbo boost increase clocks still? amd turbo core will only initiate when less than 3 cores active on their hex chips 1055t 1090t.
if maxing out the processor on all cores, for extended periods, would there be any difference between the i5 dual and an i3 similarly clocked?
colleen
10
just purchased a dell i5 notebook - 17.3 inch screen for $850.00 from qvc is this a good deal?
Richard
11
just wow. now i fully understand what to buy now, tnx for this great explanation
indar
12
This is a nice explanation . Great Work .
Joshua
13
which computer would be best for gaming but is also cheap because my price range is 250 to 350 dollars
Steve Holanov
14
Apparently no one proof reads these articles. Why do you say that someone interested in performance is better of buying an i5 than an i3 when you cleary state that the i3 supports hyperthreading and the i-5 doesn't? There is nothing that clearly indicated the benefit of an i-5.
Hari
15
Hey, This is good post for me. Now I can have idea of i3,i5 & i7 concepts. Thanks
SUPERMAN
16
INTERESTING EXPLANATION,TELL US SO MORE ABOUT THESE INTEL CHIPS
Synchro
17
"However, the Internet browser you use to access Netbank or your email client is not"
Sorry, that's just plain wrong. Any app that does more than one thing at once (e.g. a web browser that loads multiple images simultaneously; a mail program that gets mail from more than one account at once) is extremely unlikely to NOT be multithreaded.
I'm on OS X (and any other modern OS will be similar) on an 8-core machine and right now I can see that my IDE is using 66 threads, Aperture is using 45, Firefox 26, Safari 13 (and another 9 content threads), iTunes 17, Skype 23, Mail 16 and many, many others for a total of over 800 threads in 175 processes. As you can see, any one of those everyday apps will happily spread their work across all the cores I have available. What matters is how much the CPUs are actually being utilised for this workload - on my system, I run out of disk bandwidth long before my CPUs get choked up, so I'd be better served by an SSD upgrade. I suspect this is common - I'd expect an i3-based system with an SSD to run rings around an i5 with a regular HD for everyday tasks.
Gabriel Vincent
18
Does the core i7 processor have 8mb memory?
Chris
19
Thanks for making that clear as day!!!!!
Tommy
20
Nice article, but you can this info off intel's website or even the CPU box in some cases. Technology really is making people less intelligent. A lot of the comments here reflect that, but not being able to remove the battery cover off a phone is priceless. Seriously PC World, please look at the comments being posted on your site.
Antisynchro
21
In reference to Synchro's comment: I'd expect an i3-based system with an SSD to run rings around an i5 with a regular HD for everyday tasks.
Please get your head out of your anus, you are likely to suffocate.
The reason you have so many threads running, is that you have quite a few different apps running. Web browsers are typically single thread apps. Sure, they load quite a few items very quickly. But, it is linear data transfer. Not raw processing power.
Sachin
22
Simple and great explanation.. Thanks.
Paulette
23
The explaination was great. Help me decide which computer to buy that will last a while. Thanks
Neha
24
Great article. Really well explained in clear, simple terms. Definitely gave a good insight into what laptop to decide on. Thankyou!
larry
25
How many hours can i used continiously Toshiba core i7?
Speckk
26
@Steve Holanov Glass Houses and stones.
4 full native cores in an i5 are more powerful than the i3's 2 hyperthreaded cores (which can only run simple instructions in parallel some of the time).
That and the i5 has turboboost and 6mb cache compared to 3mb cache.
rohit yadav
27
i just wanna buy new laptop can any onehelp me which one is best for me , my oly purpose is for surfing , little bit gaming ...advice me a affordable laptop it sholud be of hp ....
Pmull
28
You can get the Asus U46e at bestbuy
Pmull
29
Asus u46e is a good buy and comes in i5 or i7. I have two of them!!
NIck the head
30
As a headteacher and a prospective purchaser of 10 new laptops for staff you have just saved us about £750, so many thanks!
rjtkumar81
31
According to me i7 is the best. I have i7 which is of 2.8Ghz and is quadcore and I compared it to my friend's i5 which was of 3.33 Ghz and was dual core. In my windows experience index I had 7.4 for the processor where as my friend had 7.0 anly for his processor.
gavinT
32
I don't get it. Im looking to buy a 13 inch mac with i7 and it says it's a dual core. Only the 15 inch is a quad core.
djSamKenyan
33
Simple and precise. thanx
Justus
34
Thanx for the explanatn u gave...so dual core processor n core-i3 processor's the same..jst name differ...rite?
SpEcTaToR
35
Thank you for the simple explanation.Now I'm thoroughly clear why an i3 is not an i5 and why an i5 is not an i7.
Happy computing!
Barb
36
I was in a large electronic store yesterday shopping for a new computer. My old one has 3MB memory and when I buy I like to upgrade. I have been looking at computers with 6 to 8 MB. The salesman said that if I purchased one with i7 that it would run hotter and burn out faster. Is this true or was he just blowing smoke?
ProSynchro
37
In reference to AntiSynchro:
"Please get your head out of your anus, you are likely to suffocate." How pleasant - starting your comment with an (undeserved) insult.
"The reason you have so many threads running, is that you have quite a few different apps running. Web browsers are typically single thread apps. Sure, they load quite a few items very quickly. But, it is linear data transfer. Not raw processing power."
Very few non-trivial applications operate in a single thread - I haven't worked on one professionally in my entire career in software engineering. To suggest that IE is processing all that Javascript, downloading, rendering text & images, collecting user input and protecting you from malware ALL IN ONE THREAD is fanciful. How is it that I can interact with a webpage whilst elements of it are still loading? Because separate threads are handling the user input & rendered output. I don't usually bother to respond to inane threads like this so, I guess congrats are in order for you - I have been successfully trolled by your post into responding...
maria
38
hi! im looking to buy a very good and high speed laptop 16.4 inches for a simple use at the present and maybe in the future i will use it for something more advance.. can you help me find something?? and also could u tell me what do u think about the sony vaio VPCF22M1E/B ...
pandiyan
39
hwllo sir, i need some information,first one is:what is improve of i5then differend between i3 and i5,plz reply me
GANESH
40
good explanation.i just thought i3 have 3 cores,i5 have 5 cores and i7 have 7 cores wrongly.thanks for the explanation and difference in intel cores
pandiyan
41
Thanks for your explanation.This is very useful to learn the new comers.
ZZ-k
42
Just what I was looking for, clear, simple yet informative. Thanks!
Annie
43
That was really helpful as I am considering buying a new PC. Thanks!
sayali tayade
44
i need a laptop with core i5,..which will be best in that case with lowest price but best quality..
sheeba
45
Good explanation !!!
Mazhar
46
Very well explained.
Starr
47
Thank you so much for the break down. I now understand about i3, i5, and i7 Intel Cores.
haider
48
i3 has 4 processor
i5 has 8 processor
i7 has 16 processor
Brandon
49
Short, concise and to the point. Thanks for the easy to understand explanation. You've now helped me rule out the i3 process for my laptop computer selection. Now I just need to decide between the i5 and i7 mobile chips...and then each chipset thereafter under i5 and i7...
Js
50
I finally get it. Thank you so much!
lulu..
51
ahh haa! now i understand all the hoopla is about. my pc usage is well below i3s. but still good to know for future reference. THANK YOU.
Murthi
52
Tanq nw i m clear abt hyper threading,boosted and all...
Tony
53
Just wanted to say thanks for the advice on differences in i3 to i7... For a lay person with a little knowledge on computers this has helped greatly.
Rob
54
Concise explanation. Thank you.
Suresh
55
Very nice explaination. It helped me a lot to decide what I should buy.
Kay
56
i lyk de explanation
halla bol
57
+1 like
Ghayth
58
WOW, This article is AMAZING, I'm a computer engineer and I find it very useful, THANK YOU!!
wakilnikzad
59
Okay guys,
I don't know the meaning of core i3, i5, or i7
what does the i mean here?
I heard that i3 means (4 cores) i5 means (6 cores) and i7 means (8 cores) is it true?
please if anyone knows help me thank you in advance
Balaji
60
Okay. Whether is it good or well suited to buy these processors in laptop or PCs in performance wise?
Please anyone of you illustrate this..
Kwadwo Kay
61
nyc explanatio..........me lyk it
IFremen
62
Wow, what a thorough, clear, and easy to understand explanation! Thank you so much.
Gurulucious
63
nicely explaned i dont quite understand the part where u said that all i3 are duo core i have a toshiba core i3 with a quad core please help am lost! happy computing
bg in Georgia
64
Perfect - thanks for the clear and useful explanation! I don't usually stop to say thanks, but this was great.
xIN3N
65
W()W You're a great 1 in IT field Parkinson...........!
David
66
For every day needs like email , web , a movie any one of them is ok . When buying the extremly fast computer , processors unless you have a need for this you are often paying extra for things you wont use fuly most of the time . I am using a core duo E4300 still. It dos every think plays HD movies ,web , emails ,every day things .
B M SANGANI
67
thank's for the answer of the cpu
MichaelCornish
68
Tons of help i loved it! Just one thing what is the difference?
nandessha
69
great explaination !!! thank u !!!
Grant Carlisle
70
Actually. I'm not a 100% sure about the rest but i do have a Vaio VPCCW21fX with an I3 That does infact have 4 Cores. I have also seen a couple I5 with dual cores. can you explain this?
wingxero
71
Hi im planning to buy a laptop can i ask something which is better??
Acer 4755 - i7 and 8GB ram
Or
Sony Vaio S Series i5 8GB ram?
Of course sonny is a little expensive than acer but what do you think might be the one i need? Will use it for games and ordinary downloading on the go
Many thanks
TheGoldenDread
72
THANK YOU PC WORLD!!! THAT WAS NICE AND SIMPLE!!!! Geesh everyone else i looked up was giving like super detailed like i understood any of it..smh.
Thanks Again PC world for making that simple.
Ramarao
73
a good basic computer knowledge for Tyros
ramarao
74
a good basic computer knowledge for Tyros
Thank you
Kaushal
75
Thank u very much!
This is a very useful article!
Rich
76
Thanks for the insightful article. Simple and to-the-point - finally!
Ned
77
I agree with Rich: this has been an extremely lucid, focused and user friendly explanation, of great relevance to consumers of the new computers. As a technical illiterate who does not keep up with what is often incomprehensible (and who has in the past been incorrectly advised because I tend to underestimate what I actually end up doing on my computer!), I struggle with so much: but even I understood this and can apply it to my next purchase. Thank you so much!!
suhail
78
in i3 or i5 , i stands for what? as p stands for pentium i stands for?
Samba Julius
79
Insight view; so helpful, but could you please shed light on the turbo side of it. thanks
no
80
The comments on this page are some of the stupidest things I have ever read.
Ozone
81
Yeah hitting the point pap! on the head. Thanks.
Tua TARARO
82
I have the i5661, stock speed 3.33ghz, but now running at an overclocked speed of 4.60ghz. Air cooling with a mux120 push/pull fan setup.Very stable with core temps around 40ish deg celcius, love it.
Early Grayce
83
I still use a i5 750 and a GT460 for gaming and can play Skyrim and Mass Effect 3 with no problems even though I only have 4GB of Ram
Abby
84
Wow! I actually got it!
Thank you for making it simple. :)
william daw
85
you have enlighted me,than for the good work
Fred Botz
86
Sheesh...I have a headache from reading some of these idiotic questions: "...I would like to know what is the best chip for my computer? I want to play killer games but only spend 150.00? How much ram does the I7 have? What is the best computer to buy? How fast will my computer go with one of these? Will this make my disks run faster?"
Some people should just stay away from computers altogether...
jithesh
87
seriously i didnt understant.....
snake
88
thanks clearned alot of my doubts and filled alot of grey areas! great article :)
Karambir
89
A good basic computer knowledge for Tyros.
Thank you for making it simple.
mohit jain
90
i7 processor is so good
Chase
91
Thanks for the explanation. Well, I'm off to order an alienware with an i7 processor... cheers :D
A part of a brain
92
Thanks, you explained something so complicated in such simple terms. It makes it a lot easier to understand
Jasmine
93
Very good article. Concise, informative, and easy to be understood. Thank you!
Jake
94
My laptop's i5 (560M) has both Turbo Boost 2.0 AND Hyper-Threading (I can see 4 graphs on Task Manager). But still with only 3MB cache.
_swaree
95
What excellent question
Vijay Chimtekar
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I wanted to buy core i3,is this good for enjoying internet????
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Highly descriptive blog, I enjoyed that bit. Will there be a part 2?
anon
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WRONG!
i3 = dual core
i5 = dual core + dual threads + turbo
i7 = quad core + dual threads + turbo
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Crackerjack
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If you go into Device Manager and click on Processors you can count how many CPUs you have
I have Core i7 and it reveals that I have 8 CPUs
Rajesh
116
explained in a simple manner. Thanks for the article.
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Cameron
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Thank you very much for this overview I've been researching for months about processor's and nowhere else has explained it as well as this. I spent months researching when I could have spend 5 minutes right here and know all I need to know about what I need to get that fits me best so again I say thank you very very much.
Biker_Billy
121
The best way to gauge processors is to run a benchmark test on the competeing processors, that way each processor is tested at the same level. Unfortunately each benchmark has it's own strengths and weaknesses so to get a true comparison you would need to run several benchmarks that exploit or test different aspects of the processor. That being said, as a rough gauge download this comparison sheet and use it to see if that outstanding buy opportunity is exactly that or not. I'm not sayin this is the end all be all of benchmarks but it is a fair description of processor performance. For streaming video look for benchmarks between 2000 - 3000; for gaming at the low end don't go below 3000 of course for serious gamers the top end would be infinity; to actively edit video and do graphics rendering you need to have something from 3000 to 5000 for amateur work; industrial grade video and 3D work requires from 5000 to infinity.
PassMark - CPU Benchmarks - List of Benchmarked CPUs http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php If you already have a system and want to gauge it's capability graphics and CAD wise google search for SPECview and download their free graphical benchmarks. If your just the average computer user don't buy anything less than an i3 in the 2.5 GHz range and higher cause anything less is ancient history before you clear the door at Best Buy. For quality manufacturers Asus is the clear winner so shop for the bargains. For feature packed low cost computers Gateway / Acer are ok but you need to screen them as soon as you get them home ... any sign of a defect and race back to the store to exchange them.
I hope this has helped. BTW I do tend to be an Intel bigot, as an engineer I find them difficult to work with but their stuff does what they say it will do.
Chamari
122
Thank you for giving details to share with us.
Abhinandan das
123
I like this policy
Lorenzo
124
I've been sufficiently enlightened with your explanation about the differences of the Intel processors. Thanks!!!
Decky
125
Great explanation, cheers!
zahid
126
crysis 3 will be able to operate in pentium dual core
Sudheesh B
127
Great Expalanation. Help me a lot.
jared
128
who needs a good pc,there is an #packard bell# ixtreme.
a really good proccessor; intel core i5 3ghz_with turbo 3.3GHZ.a good 2TB hard drive,nvidia GEforce, 8gb ram and much more < AND ITS JUST FOR 550 EURO
Great explanation
129
This is a really excellent description of the differences in the technology. Great work, thank you.
Michael W.
130
Wow, I've always figured that I7 was better than I5 and I3 but now I know why. Although I have a 2nd Gen I7 2.2 GHz with 8Gig Ram @ 1600Mhz it still seems slow compared to my old Intel DualCore 2.1 with 4Gig Ram @ 800MHz. What gives?
More information
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Should I buy you of those Mini Laptops for my business?
ubaid
132
this has clear my concept easily
nithin
133
pls help, what is the main diffrence between core i3 & i5
patjar
134
I use a computer for email, searches, facebook, general reading. The programs I use are 2010 versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Publisher, Access, Printmaster. I also use Gimp and other photo editing software and Bible study software. Sometimes I have 2-3 programs running. Do I need an Intel Core i5 processor or will an i3 series be fine?
shan
135
the whole derivative of the article to understand it, is the last line!!
Dwiti
136
its fentastic.
Sanghavi Mohit M.
137
Can you help me to buy a best laptop in today in the lowest price ?
Muhammad Waqas
138
i like your explanation. Very usefull for beginers,
Thx alot
SOURAV YADAV
139
WHAT IS THE PRICE OF I3 CORE PROCESSOR
ruby
140
can u say what is the difference between dual core and core i7
asif iqbal
141
great explanation i hope other guise are easy understand single core, dual core, and multy core
Iruka6
142
i3=mom or grandma
i5=student or small business owner
i7=Gamer or Power User of High Performance apps (i.e. Photoshop)
nuff said.
geoffrey
143
Thankyou.....very resourceful article for a young computer science student like me who is looking forward to buy a laptop
Mr Bean
144
Johhny Cakes cook rite on i3 but not i7 so i3 better be
Family Computer Club
145
Good article. Well explained. Easy to understand and appreciate eevn for a beginner. Thank you!
neelgo.com
146
Can you suggest me to buy right processor for average server ? what ihave decided is i5 according to my budget? What you say?
cfarles
147
Not so fast i5 4 cores not all example:http://ark.intel.com/products/53449/Intel-Core-i5-2415M-Processor-3M-Cache-up-to-2_90-GHz\\
look specs re read: and
http://ark.intel.com/products/53428/Intel-Core-i3-2130-Processor-3M-Cache-3_40-GHz
Sadie
148
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raza abbas
150
xcEllnt xplaintion........<3
Lace
151
@lruka6... tooo funny!! Probably true but made me laugh! :)
mscml
152
This was a great article. You should be a teacher.
sach
153
i want to buy a new laptop in range 35000.
Kindly tell me, which laptop would be best in this range.
Misha
154
Very simple and informative indeed. :))
girisk
155
thanks a lot
Davinci15
156
This is a well written article that explains the difference between the Intel processors but...There are many factors that determine how well a computer performs. The processor is only one of them. The amount of RAM, its speed, the video adapter, its RAM and speed, hard drive, software, the chipset used, how well the drivers are written, operating system, manufacturer,anti virus software and more are all factors that affect performance. In a side by side comparison of my old Core 2 Duo laptop and a new i5 laptop using Windows 7, I have found that most apps run equally as fast until pushed to their limits. Some apps actually start faster on the older laptop. I recommend for most to get the best computer you can afford so start with a budget.
A couple of comments:
a dual core computer with hyper threading will show in the operating system as using 4 processors. That is not equivalent to a quad core processor with no hyper threading.
An application that runs with multiple threads will not necessarily allow for the processing of those threads simultaneously. Meaning that even if you have multiple cores, some applications can only use one of them at a time and in many cases only one thread can be processed at a time. The thing is, computers operate so quickly that it seems that many things are happening at once.
For those of you who browse the web, use email and post to Facebook just about any new computer will do. Gamers, engineers, graphics folks, etc. will want to go for the high end. For the rest, the choice is yours.
And, steer clear of Asus if service is important to you.
TT
157
... Because none of the Core i3 CPUs have Turbo Boost...
... Intel Turbo Boost Technology, which all of them have...
They seem contradicting statements to me.
Arun
158
Good Piece of information for those who gets into lot of confusion, while choosing the Intel i-core family of processors... Thanks to Mr. David Parkinson.
Paul
159
You missed an important point about hyperthreading: 1 Core, Hyperthreaded looks like 2 CPU cores. At best, it will perform as 1.3 CPU cores. This is a significant advantage of i3 over i5.
Ramkumar
160
Superb!!! I've grabbed a lot:) thnk yu:)))
Fair go Guru
161
At a rough guess, the " i " in this case would stand for Intel.
In the same way the original i-Pod BAPI (Before Apple Pinched It.. the name)
Who had I-Pod as a registered business name in Brisbane
before Apple even had their I-Mac Back in 1995.
In that case the " I" stood for Information or Internet. and the " Pod" was used
with an inference to a seed pod Full of new life, information and ideas,
Sandy
162
This is a really excellent and helpfull description on this technology. Great work, thank you.
Sandy
www.usaeducationnews.com
sheraaz
163
Does the core i7 processor have 8mb memory?
Will
164
You helped me understand the difference between these processors with ease.This was very enlightening for me thanks.
krishna Bhattarai
165
currently I m a computerscience student,so I want to buy a new laptop ,can any one help me with approperate answer
Anahit
166
Hi David,
thanks for the explanation. Now I know that I need to buy a desktop with i5 or i7 processor. What other features I should concentration on when choosing a computer for business use. I use accounting software but I keep the data on the external hard drive?
Anahit
167
Hi David, I forgot to mention that I have to buy a computer with Windows 7 since all my programs work with Windows 7, I have tried Windows 8 it did not worked with my accounting programs and Microsoft Office that I have
varma vicky
168
better information i got from this site.
thank you.
i use i5 but i really like i7
:-)
Kanagaraj
169
simple and excellent
UhuffIpuff
170
@Tommy "Nice article, but you can this info off intel's website or even the CPU box in some cases. Technology really is making people less intelligent. A lot of the comments here reflect that, but not being able to remove the battery cover off a phone is priceless. Seriously PC World, please look at the comments being posted on your site."
Getting the facts off of a site that has an economic interest in pushing product? Why would anyone trust their opinion of their product? When you search for explanations, they give you infotainment. I went to Intel's website and saw their explanation of TurboBoost. It's a CGI cartoon of jet plane. Even when they cite "facts" they substitute their own commercial language for honest descriptions (for example, look at how HD TV's have substituted out MHz, which is a generic term for such abominations as "clear vue 120" to describe a 60 Mhz television). So, no, we won't be looking at the manufacturer's sites for clear and honest explanations of their products, we'll be looking to the sites of more neutral parties.
ankit
171
good
Eduardson (Philippines) - Dubai, U.A.E
172
Only one word can describes it, and it's a "WOW",
great job for a straight to the point explanation.
ch ahsan ali mehar
173
its a very good computer
devpreet
174
what about i9 processoR?
Dan
175
2 pages, and still no explanation of why it's called i3 i5 i7? 3 what? 5 what??
Stephanie
176
Thanks so much for writing this!
Patrick
177
Very informative article! Now I know..
Nick
178
First of all, great article. Has pretty much everything you need to know if you're looking to buy a new computer. Just to clarify...although i7 is much more expensive, the i5 can do almost as much as the i7. I'm currently in the process of buying a pretty beast desktop computer. I've done a ton of research on this subject, and you could easily buy the i5 and still have an amazing computer. I'm in my Freshman year, (college) and am getting into computer programming and computer engineering. I'm also a big gamer. You really only need and i5, as long as you even out the power with some strong other components, such as a higher amount of RAM, and a decent graphics card. (If not two) Anyways, GREAT article. This really helped me out, even thought there's a bit more you could add. Thanks!
danieldan
179
A very good explanation. At least I've learned something today.
danieldan
180
Thanks a lot to David Parkinson.
LG
181
Hyper Threading and Turbo boost are not new technologies that came out way back in the day
David
182
could some one recommend for me what the next CPU is I should buy- and do I need to upgrade considering what I have: I have a desktop Duo core 2 E8500 @ 3.16GHz, 2 cores, 5GB RAM (ddr2 I think). Presently I use the computer for Facebook, surfing the net, reading the SMH etc ( watching video clips using online media which seems to me a bit slow), uni, occassional emails, the odd youtube clip and I do not download or watch movies but I may want to do this in the future (in descending order of usage). I am thinking of getting a dSLR camera and doing some basic to medium photographic work on the computer but nothing intensive. I guess I am asking for what sort of new motherboard, CPU and amount of RAM to upgrade to. I have a Dell 2413m screen and would like to upgrade to a 27inch model which I may pair with what I already have. I am happy to spend money but mostly I am asking for the sweet spot that will last for 2-4 years until the next upgrade cycle kicks in. And is it more sensible to but bits and pieces or just a whole new system. Thanks.
Alok Kumar
183
I just wanna buy new laptop can any one help me . Which one is the best for me. My only purpose is for surrfing, little bit gaming and programming because i am a student of computer science. Advice me a affordable laptop.
Joni DiMaggio
184
I'm surprised so many comments here from people who have very little experience in pc's say its a great article, it clears up all the mysteries, great article, I understand it all now, and the compliments go on and on. I suppose thats great for the inexperienced (and even the few so called "experienced" pc engineers & programmers, who raved about its concise and very helpful explanations) to continue down their paths of the blind leading the blind. But I would rather know the truth so I don't continue to waste my hard earned money on buying crap.
I'm very experienced with both hardware and software and I promise you the article is vague at best and misleading at worst. It leaves out valid comparisons between Intel cpu models. He gives some good info on Cache, but it ends there. Vague info on Turbo-Boost, poor info on Hyper-threading and even worse wrong info on Number of Cores. He leaves out a very important facts and the multitude of variations that effect his so called "simple" explanations.
Just one example, he says: "Remember that all Core i3s are also dual cores"
Absolutely WRONG. i3's are essentially the same as the Core2 duo microprocessors which simulated 2 cores (well that was their claim anyway but it wasn't and still isn't the truth). i3's use "virtual" cores called hyper-threading which supposedly act as separate cores. But the reality is that neither of Intel's Core duo's or Dual Core's Hyper-Threading handle speed and efficiency as real non-virtual cores do and more importantly some websites and applications don't support virtual cores or hyper-threading so both types of architecture are useless as far as giving you more speed and effenciency. In fact it handles duties slower than single processors in some cases.
There are also many issues with the Sandy Bridge versions which is the 2nd generation of icores. At the very least I would advise all intel cpu users to be sure its the Ivy Bridge series (3rd generation) because some of the issues in the Sandy Bridge versions were fixed.
I could go on but I'm sure this sounds boring to some. Bottom line is this article isn't worth the "virtual" ink its printed with. If you want the truth or real facts don't rely on a magazine article that's written by someone who is PAID by intel to promote their products. Go to Wikipedia or a tech forum and read the different opinions by truly knowledgeable techies.
And btw, this also is not the proper venue to ask questions like what pc to buy, or how much ram does the i7 have (it doesn't have ANY ram. RAM is a completely separate piece of hardware that is NOT built into or a part of a CPU) Its just an article people its not a Q and A forum ok?
vipul
185
I want buy pc but i dont know which is better for me i3 or i5, i want to use of graphics work, like corelDraw, photoshop etc, can u suggestion to me
Ammar
186
very nice
San Anand
187
Well I am a Computer Science Student and I can tell you there is some false information in this article. All i7 don't have 8MB Cache and in fact I am working on an i7 3610QM processor and it has 6MB cache and so do more than a few other models of i7 chips. Your description is also outdated as you are only talking about Sandy Bridge and didn't mention the new processors all running Ivy-Bridge. I'm going to go ahead and say that your section on Cache is just wrong....
srinivasan
188
gud post friend/////
Linus
189
thank's a lot for sharing your knowledge.. very usefull
naveed
190
very simple yet very very useful, thanks for sharing, readers (@187) may check the date of the article; its May 2011 so obviously some info will appear outdated to them. Nevertheless, its a very article to get started. Hope to see you come up with revised one as well :)
gfdg549546
191
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sahil afridi
192
really its a good explanation of core ... thank u a lot of.....prayer
bhanu prakash
193
Can you help me in finding a best laptop with i7 processor
Chris
194
Great article... horrible posts. I have just lost a certain percent of faith in the collective intelligence of the world.
Dharmendra
195
Hi All,
I am using a I7 QM laptop and I can tell u guys the practical observation over it...
Somebody asked that whether I7 will get hotter n all ....definitely it'll be more hot that a I5 so if u really wants to some complected tasks like extreme gaming then only go for a I7 else I5 would be great option....For a normal user like me (Though I does lots of thing at a same time) I5 would have been a great choice!!
Nofil Siddiqui
196
Hey i am buying a pc next week..plz tell me which core should i buy becuz i am just 13 and want to use mostly MS office , internet and Skype for my skool projects,,,,plz tell me what should i buy, i have no range cuz i have money
karthik j
197
thanks know i learned difference between i3,i5, and i7
Rohit
198
Dude u r d man... Great Knowledge ... Served :)
thanks.
Pelina
199
can u help me to find information about core i7.....
thanx.......!!!
rima kaide
200
mine is an i3 but keeps me satisfied everytime..proper maintenance is a key.
Mahi
201
The article is simply worth reading. it is really helped me a lot in buying my own laptop and Now i am even suggesting some of my friends as well as....
Lay1
202
@ Joni DiMaggio. You should rename yourself to FIGJAM...................................DH!
versocharly
203
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