what is the gain between i3 /i5 /i7 [Archive]

junkone

May 29th, 2012, 06:24 AM

i basically use the computer for recording forex trading demo's. i have a Core2Duo laptop and when i watch my procesing
1. Trading software take 30%
2. Charting software takes 20 %
3. Recording software takes 40% cpu.

i wanted to buy a computer so i can get better resouces.
which processor would be good. which processor is best value over cost.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/intel-core-i3-vs-i5-vs-i7.html

xXxTehxXx

May 29th, 2012, 08:50 AM

I found this site very helpful for exactly that (http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/parts/cpu/)

Thai

May 29th, 2012, 09:15 AM

Don't bother with i3's. Depending on budget, if you're going to get an i5, at the very least get the i5 2450. i7's 2nd gen are clearing out for the 3rd gen i7's at the moment. Reference them on www.cpubenchmark.net

Mulder and Scully

May 29th, 2012, 09:24 AM

Go here: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU/2 and select the processors you want to compare.

Depending on which Core2Duo processor you have, the Sandy Bridge i3 is 10-20% faster. The i5 2500K at stock is twice as fast (and the best bang for the buck compared to what you have now). And the i7, depending on task, is 10-20% faster than the i5.

canehdianman

May 29th, 2012, 10:06 AM

porphyra

May 29th, 2012, 10:10 AM

2

Yea, whatever this guy said! :confused:

junkone

May 29th, 2012, 10:15 AM

Yea, whatever this guy said! :confused:

Gosh is i5 only twice as fast as a C2D. and i7 10% faster than i5. i guess, i am not really aware. i was looking for time more benefit between these upgrades. There is not a lot of value price/value gain between i5 and i7.
Thanks for all the useful info that was shared.

wonderjason4

May 29th, 2012, 10:32 AM

Gosh is i5 only twice as fast as a C2D. and i7 10% faster than i5. i guess, i am not really aware. i was looking for time more benefit between these upgrades. There is not a lot of value price/value gain between i5 and i7.
Thanks for all the useful info that was shared.

Actually, it is much more complicated than that.

Yes, there can be a speed upgrade between the i3, i5 and i7. But the main difference is in the number of cores.

The i3 generally has 2 cores, the i5 generally has 2 cores with hyperthreading (for a total of 4 virtual cores) and the i7 has 4 cores with hyperthreading (for a total of 8 cores).

If you run applications that are multithreaded and take advantage of multiple CPUs, or if you run a lot of programs at the same time, or if you play modern games, you will find a big difference in upgrading to the i7.

Put it this way, let's use the highway metaphor, processor speed is equivalent to the speed limit and the number of cores to the amount of lanes on the highway.

If you're just one car, having more lanes available to get to your destination doesn't really get you there faster, but if you've got the whole city's traffic to worry about then if you double the lanes you almost (there is a bit of overhead) double the amount of traffic you can run on that highway.

In the end, you do get what you pay for (with exception of the very high end stuff, where you're paying to be at the bleeding edge).

Jason

Mark77

May 29th, 2012, 10:44 AM

Just further to the above, you can think of hyperthreading as having 2 on-ramps to the freeway (cores) compared to just 1. So in some circumstances, where you have cars coming from lots of different places (ie: threads), it will perform better. But if you just have 4 streams of cars that converge into one set of freeway lanes, than having 8 onramps versus 4 doesn't help matters. In fact, 8 could slow things down (as some gamers find that their i7-2600k's are slower than the i5-2500k).

Personally I wouldn't buy a Socket 1155 i7 at all these days. If you want to go i7, you really should be doing a Socket LGA2011, with the i7-3820, which is the same price as the i7-2600/i7-2600k (and the new Ivy Bridge part). That way, you have an upgrade path to 6 and 8 core CPU's in the future. Plus the LGA2011 boards come with extra RAM channels and sockets which helps in other ways.

junkone

May 29th, 2012, 10:54 AM

if i run 3 apps. would they use 1 core each or would they share the core?

Actually, it is much more complicated than that.

Yes, there can be a speed upgrade between the i3, i5 and i7. But the main difference is in the number of cores.

The i3 generally has 2 cores, the i5 generally has 2 cores with hyperthreading (for a total of 4 virtual cores) and the i7 has 4 cores with hyperthreading (for a total of 8 cores).

If you run applications that are multithreaded and take advantage of multiple CPUs, or if you run a lot of programs at the same time, or if you play modern games, you will find a big difference in upgrading to the i7.

Put it this way, let's use the highway metaphor, processor speed is equivalent to the speed limit and the number of cores to the amount of lanes on the highway.

If you're just one car, having more lanes available to get to your destination doesn't really get you there faster, but if you've got the whole city's traffic to worry about then if you double the lanes you almost (there is a bit of overhead) double the amount of traffic you can run on that highway.

In the end, you do get what you pay for (with exception of the very high end stuff, where you're paying to be at the bleeding edge).

Jason

wonderjason4

May 29th, 2012, 02:59 PM

if i run 3 apps. would they use 1 core each or would they share the core?

They would each use a core. (or more if your apps are multi-threaded).

I don't know what your budget is, but if you want a really responsive machine, I suggest you don't get anything less than a 4 core i5 with 8 gigs of ram. Bonus points if you can afford an SSD to use as a boot drive (NCIX has a 100gig one on sale for 100$ or so right now).

Unfortunately nowadays the processor only tells part of the story, having more than 4 gigs of memory makes a difference too (to prevent disk paging, especially if you have a couple apps open) and a fast hard drive will make a hugs difference. Ever since I've started using an SSD for my OS and program files, whenever I use a slower machine it just feels... broken. It doesn't sound like you play many games, but if you did, the video card would also play a big part of the equation.

Do you plan on getting a PC or a Mac?

Your linked article is pretty good actually, you can trust its advice.

Essentially to boil it down in as few words as possible:

i3 - Basic computing, word processing, internet. The kind of computer you'd get your parents to skype with or for them to write emails to you.
i5 - Everyday computing, work applications, office, decent gaming. The kind of computer you'd find in an office at work.
i7 - High performance computing, scientific applications, advanced gaming. If you really need a fast machine that can handle a lot of stuff going on at the same time.

Sounds like you'd be good with one of the better i5s though. Make sure you have at least 4 gigs of ram, preferably 8. And if you can get an SSD it would help too, but they are expensive.

Jason

sexyj

May 29th, 2012, 03:09 PM

It's all about the L3 cache

mr_raider

May 29th, 2012, 04:29 PM

wonderjason4

May 29th, 2012, 04:33 PM

Just give you an idea of how powerful an i3 is:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-fx-pentium-apu-benchmark,3120-10.html

For the tasks the OP listed, an i3 or an i5 will make precious little difference. There are people out there maxing out Skyrim on a 6950 and core i3.

It's true, you can't really go wrong with the new intel chips.

The thread originator won't see the benefit of an i7. An i5 would do just fine, they aren't much more expensive over the i3s.

Just so long as you don't get an AMD machine.

Jason

divx

May 29th, 2012, 05:48 PM

It's true, you can't really go wrong with the new intel chips.

The thread originator won't see the benefit of an i7. An i5 would do just fine, they aren't much more expensive over the i3s.

Just so long as you don't get an AMD machine.

Jason

what's this? AMD machines are the best bang for the buck, my 1055t hex-core show no signs of slow down despite over a year old.

iLLNESS

May 29th, 2012, 05:57 PM

without getting into details look at it this way. i3 == web browser. i5 == average user. i7 == heavy user who needs power :)

simple. generally pick your cpu according to this.

mr_raider

May 29th, 2012, 07:58 PM

what's this? AMD machines are the best bang for the buck, my 1055t hex-core show no signs of slow down despite over a year old.

Yes and I have 1090t which is blazing fast. Unfortunately AMDs new CPUs are lack lustre, and do worse in some applications than the phenoms.

Other than the Llano chips for a low cost media build, the new AMD chips are difficult to recommend.

bb19270

May 29th, 2012, 09:09 PM

i5 is the best bang for the buck if you need for 4 cores. since you are running three pieces of software, quad-core can fit your needs.

i5 2500k for overclocking else i5 3450.

i7 mainly gets HT (basically useless) over the i5 and has poor price performance.

HandsomeRob

May 30th, 2012, 12:10 AM

telman

May 30th, 2012, 01:57 PM

Will the i7 be more futureproof than the i5 in the long run? I am just thinking about Windows 8 coming out in the next few months.

divx

May 30th, 2012, 02:14 PM

Will the i7 be more futureproof than the i5 in the long run? I am just thinking about Windows 8 coming out in the next few months.

if you learned your lesson from vista, is that you should never be an early adopter of windows.

uber_shnitz

May 30th, 2012, 02:20 PM

Other than number of cores and clockspeed, the i3s (in laptops at least) do not have Intel Turbo Boost IIRC. Turbo Boost is a feature which allows the CPU to downclock and upclock itself depending on the task it's performing. that's why nowadays on Intel core i CPUs you often see ranges of clockspeed as opposed to pure clockspeed.For example, Intel Core i5-2450M "up to 3.1GHz". this means that at maximum load, the 2450M will clock itself up to 3.1GHz to accomodate load. If not, it will downclock itself (to 2.5GHz IIRC) to save power which is a useful thing to ahve on a laptop to extend battery life.

mulambo187

May 30th, 2012, 02:37 PM

imo the i3 are still really fast, average user does not need an i5.

i3+ssd > i5+regular hdd

forthewinwin

May 30th, 2012, 03:35 PM

If you're just an average computer user doing everyday tasks such as playing little games, surfing the internet, doing your online banking, editing some photos here and there, etc., i3 will be more than enough.

It's more numbers than anything. If you're not doing something that consumes a lot of computing power, you don't NEED i5 or i7. If you have that extra money laying around, invest it into a SSD because everything does load faster. I bought a 120GB SSD from NCIX 2 weeks ago for $90+tax. Now my laptop boots (hits the desktop) within 19 seconds.

Will the i7 be more futureproof than the i5 in the long run? I am just thinking about Windows 8 coming out in the next few months.

I wouldn't think of it in terms of "futureproof"... by the time something in the future comes out that demands more computing power, a new line of CPUs will probably roll out and your current CPU will be somewhat obsolete very quickly.

HandsomeRob

May 30th, 2012, 03:46 PM

My current criteria for laptop selection.

1) Battery life
2) Ergonomics. Is it comfortable, does it have a stupid custom keyboard with annoying hotkeys where you're used to normal keys?
3) Hardware. It's going to be better than what you have. As it stands you aren't making your CPU sweat 99% of the time, and when you do start to push it you still aren't hitting the limit. Don't really care if it's a 3, 5 or 7.

I'm currently using a cheap crappy HP AMD E-350 that totally satisfies 3 but fails miserably with 1 & 2. Won't be doing this again.

RedFoxComp

May 31st, 2012, 02:06 PM

Clock speed is KING in this instance with 2 exceptions.

1) You are multitasking with apps that are using significant processing power (word doesn't qualify)

2) You are using multi-threaded apps that run faster the more cores you throw at them. (Photo/Video editing, encoding, compiling, some games)

Then there is another exception to the above rules.
For example if you are editing and encoding HD video, the fastest processor in the word won't help you if you're pulling and writing data to a single 5900rpm green drive. Building a good system requires that you balance the hardware to eliminate bottlenecks without paying money for performance that will never be used.

telman

May 31st, 2012, 03:20 PM

When I use the term futureproof, I am thinking in a year are so. I don't want to replace parts if I am interest in Windows8, I'd rather invest now and be able to upgrade to 8 at a later date.

RedFoxComp

May 31st, 2012, 04:27 PM

When I use the term futureproof, I am thinking in a year are so. I don't want to replace parts if I am interest in Windows8, I'd rather invest now and be able to upgrade to 8 at a later date.

Running the operating system is not an issue and you won't have to upgrade anything for windows 8 even if you build a cheap low end system.

Without knowing your budget, type of apps you use, plans for the future etc I can confidently :razz: recommend:

I5-3550 on an ATX Z77 board. Go with Asus or Gigabyte.
2 x 4GB whatever decent brand DDR3 you want
128GB SSD
2TB 7200RPM storage drive.
500W+ Corsair or other good quality PSU

Go with a full sized ATX board, you'll have more SATA ports and card/RAM slots for the future.

*oops, just saw that your current system is a laptop. So, I5 with 4GB Ram and a 240GB SSD (make sure there is a free RAM slot for the future). Other than that you have to consider screen size and quality, battery life, expansion ports, keyboard (If you're doing forex you probably want a keyboard with a number pad).
http://www.collegebeing.com/media/hp-laptop-2.jpg
Do you work in the dark and need keyboard backlighting? We really don't have enough information to make any kind of accurate determination of your needs.

Maybe find someone that is an Asus, Dell or Lenovo partner and tell them what you want and they can recommend something. Then again, I'm a little biased :)

RedFoxComp

May 31st, 2012, 04:33 PM

I'm currently using a cheap crappy HP AMD E-350 that totally satisfies 3 but fails miserably with 1 & 2. Won't be doing this again.

Yeah, a LOT of people bought netbooks and then later regretted it.

rabbit

Jun 1st, 2012, 02:39 AM

> imo the i3 are still really fast, average user does not need an i5.

Yeah, I don't know why people think i3 is for websurfers and emailers. Intel's bottom end CPUs are G series Pentium/Celerons.

JamesA1

Jun 1st, 2012, 10:13 AM

Without knowing your budget, type of apps you use, plans for the future etc I can confidently :razz: recommend:

I5-3550 on an ATX Z77 board. Go with Asus or Gigabyte.

Any comment on these two bundles?:

NCIX: Intel Core i5 3570K Unlocked Quad Core CPU & Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H Motherboard (http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=71249&vpn=BX80637I53570K%26Z77X%2DUD3H&manufacture=Bundle%20Deals&promoid=1068) $380

Mem Exp: Intel Core™ i5-3450 Processor Bundle w/ Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H Motherboard (http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/BDL_3450_Z77D3H) $285

Motherboard comparison by Gigabyte: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/comparison/list.aspx?ck=2&pids=4153,4140

Thai

Jun 1st, 2012, 10:30 AM

Yeah, a LOT of people bought netbooks and then later regretted it.

lol. I have an HP netbook, don't remember why I bought it but it was fairly cheap is now our "bathroom" PC. :)

RedFoxComp

Jun 1st, 2012, 11:51 AM

> imo the i3 are still really fast, average user does not need an i5.

Yeah, I don't know why people think i3 is for websurfers and emailers. Intel's bottom end CPUs are G series Pentium/Celerons.

Even those are pretty fast! They are Sandy Bridge cores with less cache and no hyperthreading, not a big deal for people who don't game or do video editing etc. For the G530 and up, the price:performance is amazing. Plus, since they fit on an 1155 board you have tons of upgrade options should you need the speed later. Stick an I7 in when they get cheap :)

HandsomeRob

Jun 1st, 2012, 12:05 PM

Any comment on these two bundles?:

NCIX: Intel Core i5 3570K Unlocked Quad Core CPU & Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H Motherboard (http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=71249&vpn=BX80637I53570K%26Z77X%2DUD3H&manufacture=Bundle%20Deals&promoid=1068) $380

Mem Exp: Intel Core™ i5-3450 Processor Bundle w/ Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H Motherboard (http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/BDL_3450_Z77D3H) $285

Motherboard comparison by Gigabyte: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/comparison/list.aspx?ck=2&pids=4153,4140

3570k has unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Enthusiast CPU. Anything XXXBridge with a K on the end is.

NCIX board is Gigabyte UD series, ultra-durable VS just D. Typically more features and enthusiast friendly, in this case 3 PCI Express X16. Probably a few other things. But Chipset is the same, HDMI/etc is the same.

RedFoxComp

Jun 1st, 2012, 12:12 PM

Any comment on these two bundles?:

NCIX: Intel Core i5 3570K Unlocked Quad Core CPU & Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H Motherboard (http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=71249&vpn=BX80637I53570K%26Z77X%2DUD3H&manufacture=Bundle%20Deals&promoid=1068) $380

Mem Exp: Intel Core™ i5-3450 Processor Bundle w/ Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H Motherboard (http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/BDL_3450_Z77D3H) $285

Motherboard comparison by Gigabyte: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/comparison/list.aspx?ck=2&pids=4153,4140

Basically, if you don't ever see yourself:

1) Overclocking your CPU
2) Going SLI or Crossfire (2 video cards)

Then go with the cheaper of the 2.

toalan

Jun 1st, 2012, 12:19 PM

i3 is pretty good, nothing wrong with that. Even the C2D stuff from 2006 is more than enough for most people. Get the i5/i7 if you need quad core. I have a C2d laptop, a i3 laptop, and an AMD PII x4 desktop, I do not notice much of a difference between them for daily tasks, the quad core AMD chips starts to flex it's muscle once I am gaming and streaming a movie at the same time.