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is an i7 better than an i5 and an i3?

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listerdl

Registered
Joined
May 19, 2011
Very n00b question but in general is an i7 faster or better or just an improvement to the i5 range of CPU's?

THANKS!
 
i3, i5, i7, it's just a marketing term. Your question is too vague since these terms are used across different sockets, different chip architectures, etc.
 
Generally yes.

Take the i7 2600k and i5 2500k for instance. The i7 has 4cores and 8-threads and 8MB of L3 cache. Then take the i5, it only has 4-cores; no extra threads. It also only has 6MB of L3 cache.

Please be more specific. You'll find better answers that way. :)
 
Generally yes.

Take the i7 2600k and i5 2500k for instance. The i7 has 4cores and 8-threads and 8MB of L3 cache. Then take the i5, it only has 4-cores; no extra threads. It also only has 6MB of L3 cache.

Please be more specific. You'll find better answers that way. :)

yup sorry for being vague - I just wanted to confirm that basic thing. Can you suggest a good resource to understand CPUs better, by that I mean the different types. IDeally a matrix would be great that shows what CPUs are better for certain things. I need it to process rich streaming media - live HD quality video online. My current specs are ok but I know that I can do a lot better. Thanks!
 
For desktop processors here is what makes the difference between the 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i3, Intel Core i5, and the Intel Core i7.
Intel Core i3
-Dual core
-Hyper-threading
Intel Core i5
-Quad core
-Turbo Boost 2.0
Intel Core i7
-Quad Core
-Hyper-threading
-Turbo Boost 2.0

Now there are some other features that may set one model apart from another like the “K”, “S”, or “T” or the improved graphics models with a “5” as the last number in their model # (i.e. Intel Core i3-2105).


Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team
 
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