Confused about which Intel
processor you need? We explore the differences between the Core i3, i5 and i7
range
Although, Intel's naming
convention is generally much better and less confusing, as it is used, it can
be difficult to work out exactly which processor best suits your needs. If you
are struggling to sort out the differences between Core i3, i5 and i7, don't
worry, as we will explain everything for you.
First, it is important to
explain about architecture and codenames. Every year, Intel releases a new,
faster range of processors. We are currently starting to see Devils Canyon
Chips, a refresh of last year's Haswell. Earlier we had Ivy Bridge and Sandy
Bridge. Generally speaking a Core i3, i5 or i7, which has a new architecture,
is faster than an old architecture processor that replaces it. You can see the
architecture by model number, Devils Canyon and Haswell starting at 4; Ivy
Bridge with a 3; And Sandy Bridge with a 2.
Architecture
The most important thing
about the various architectures is making sure that you have a motherboard that
supports the type of processor you're interested in. Processors, whether they
are a Core i3, i5 and i7, are based on the same architecture. Same inside. The
difference in performance shows which features are enabled or disabled, clock
speed and how many cores are in each.
The feature table above
shows you how the most popular processor line-ups are in terms of features.
Differences in core i3, i5 and i7 are the same for Sandy Bridge Ivy Bridge,
Haswell and Devils Canyon (a Haswell refresh). Note that there are exceptions
(see below), but you are unlikely to encounter these odd models when purchasing
new CPUs. Also, mobile processors are completely different again, so we are
focusing here only on the desktop model. What is important is what these
different characteristics mean, which we will explain.
A core can be thought of as an
individual processor. A dual-core processor, so there are two internal
processors, a quad-core model has four. More cores are useful for
multi-tasking; For example, you can run two applications at the same time, each
having access to its own dedicated processor.
More cores are also useful
for multi-threaded applications, such as video editing. With these types of
applications they can use multiple cores to improve performance.
Single-threaded applications can use only one core, leaving any other useless. The
Core i3 processor has two cores, the Core i5 CPU has four and the Core i7 model
also has four. Some Core i7 Extreme processors have six or eight cores. In
general, we find that most applications cannot take full advantage of six or
eight cores, so boosting performance with additional cores is not as good.
hyper threading
Hyper-threading is Intel's
technology to create two logical cores in each physical core. In other words,
for your operating system it appears as if your CPU has double the number of
cores it actually has.
In terms of performance,
hyper-threading speeds up multi-tasking and multi-threaded applications. It is
not as fast or efficient as additional 'real' cores, but it is an improvement
over one core. Core i3 and i7 processors have this technology, not Core i5
processors.
clock speed
The faster the clock speed
in MHz, the faster each core can run. This may cause some changes in
performance. For example, a Core i3-4370 Haswell processor runs at 3.8GHz. It
will be running faster single-threaded applications, which can only use one
core compared to the Core i5-4590, which only has a clock speed of 3.2GHz.
However, when running a multi-threaded application, Core i5 is likely to be the
fastest, as its four real cores are better than Core i3's two cores and
hyper-threading.
Turbo boost
Turbo Boost is Intel's
technology to automatically overclock a processor, which increases its clock
speed compared to the default setting. The CPU monitors its temperature and
will apply an overclock when it is running cold enough. Core i5 and i7 CPUs
have this technology, not Core i3 models.
K model
Any CPU in which a model
ends with K means that the CPU is unlocked. This means that you can use BIOS
settings to increase the clock speed of the chip, overclocking it yourself.
We've seen a big improvement in performance like this - we've pushed the Intel
Core i7-4790K chip to 4.7GHz!
All Intel processors have
graphics chips. Pre-Haswell, GPUs were not particularly good for games,
although they were fine for video viewing. Along with Haswell, came the Intel
HD Graphics 4600 line, which is fine for light gaming; Some cheap models (we'll
show you how to check later) have HD Graphics 4400 chips, which are fine for
some older less demanding games. Some of the more expensive chips have Intel
Iris Pro chips. They are a bit faster in games, but can withstand 4K video,
making them suitable for high-end video editing
In all cases, if you're
serious about playing games, Intel chips can't cut it and won't give you
high-resolution, high-expansion gaming. We recommend purchasing a dedicated
graphics card instead.
exception
As always, there are some
exceptions to the rules. In particular, Intel sells some low-power processors,
where the model name ends in a TE, TE or S. For example, the Core i5-4570T has
two cores and hyper-threading. Fortunately, these models are not generally
available and unless you have a specific reason, we recommend you avoid any of
these strange models.
