Core i5 and i7: Which processor is better for you?

Intel Core i5 and i7 can be said to be the most mainstream desktop processor in the market, with a large number of laptops and desktops using these two processors. So, if you want to buy a computer, should consider i5 or i7? Look at the major differences between them.

Hyper-Threading

Hyper-threading means that each processor core can handle two threads rather than one, with better performance when running Windows systems and some compatible software. Generally speaking, the i5 processor does not have hyper-threading capability, while I7 is basically supported, and has better results when taking photos and video editing operations, which users need to consider.

Clock frequency

The clock frequency, which is the main frequency of the processor, is a major part of the processor's performance. Because the Core i5 and i7 are all built in the same architecture, the higher the clock frequency, the better the performance. However, it should be noted that the quad-core processor is sometimes lower than the dual core, which means that the single core performance of a dual-core processor with high frequency is likely to be stronger.

In addition, Intel for the Core i5 and i7 equipped with the "core frequency" feature, you can turn some of the idle cores into the main clock to improve performance, and considering the general application only use single or dual core execution, so the purchase point is to balance the main speed, core and Rui frequency.

Cache

The main difference is that the two-level cache of the i7 processor is typically 2MB larger than the i5. Larger caches can invoke more RAM to enhance performance and reduce power consumption, so if you have larger RAM requirements, i7 is a better choice.

Power consumption and price

There is no doubt that i7 's power consumption is greater than i5, which is also a part to consider. If you choose a 8 Core i7 processor and a strong graphics card, you also need to consider more expensive water-cooled devices.

As for costs, it is clear that the Core i5 processor price is lower, the desktop version of about thousand, and i7 will be expensive out of 800 yuan or even higher. As for notebooks, the model of carrying i5-4200 is about 3200 yuan, and the i7 of the Haswell structure is about 4200 yuan, at least in thousand yuan.

Summarize

In the case of budget permitting, the i7 processor is clearly a better choice, especially the need to deal with the heavy demands of video, games, and so on, and for ordinary users who use only the computer to surf the web and process documents, the i5 dual-core processor is sufficient, the i5 four processor has better performance and the overall cost performance is higher.