What are the advantages of i3/5/7 processor

sebastianj

Dear all,
was wondering why should i give preference to an 'i' processor over all the others, help most appreciated.
sebastian

-TangleFoot-

Depends what you're comparing them with: AMD and/or older Intel?

sebastianj

I was looking at the price comparison, the older intel processors are pretty good but then some will say that to be future proof you need to go with the trend 'i's.
I am not too sure what i will gain, better games? graphics, speed, reliability or what? So I thought i will ask the experts.
Many thanks for your response.
sebastian

nearlyrich

I use this with my customers:D

robmar0se

Broadly, the latest CPU's are striving to produce more performance, consume less power, and produce less heat.

New software, especially games will attempt to use this performance to produce a better experience. At some point, not necessarily today or tomorrow, the minimum system requirements might preclude earlier processors.

The attached URL gives measurements of relative performance for different CPUs. Personaly I always look for the processor that gives the best return for the lowest price - over simplified, you get 80% of the power for 20% of the price, to get the other 20% performance you may pay 4 time as much (often referred to as the 80:20 rule)

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/

-TangleFoot-

sebastianj wrote: »

I am not too sure what i will gain

What do you use your computer for at present?

mattduk

I've personally selected an i3 CPU for my day to day use. As others said, its bang for your buck. AMD are cheaper, but slower (on the whole). The current Intel ones are considered the best (and so are more expensive than the AMD ones) as it is today.

As the "i" goes from 3 to 5 to 7 you get progressively more processing power which is good if you are going to do a lot of HD video editing or super-high-end gaming. Personally for me a low-end i3 worked out the best for gaming (games are largely limited by the graphics card anyway) and 12+mp DSLR photo editing.

-TangleFoot-

mattduk wrote: »

As the "i" goes from 3 to 5 to 7 you get progressively more processing power

There are three families of these things doing the rounds at present: Nehalem, Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge. The latter two can be distinguished from the former because they have four digits in their model names.

Examples:

• i7-980 (3.33GHz, LGA 1156)
• i5-2500K (3.30GHz, LGA 1155)
• i5-3570K (3.40GHz, LGA 1155)

getmore4less

sebastianj wrote: »

I was looking at the price comparison, the older intel processors are pretty good but then some will say that to be future proof you need to go with the trend 'i's.
I am not too sure what i will gain, better games? graphics, speed, reliability or what? So I thought i will ask the experts.
Many thanks for your response.
sebastian

You have to very clear about what you are trying to future proof for.

Buying something now because you may need the performance later especialy on componants that drop in price rapidly is usualy not cost effective.

for other componants that price trend slower it is just paying up early.

so something relatively cheap like memory is less of an issue slaping a few extra MB now or later makes little difference, discs are probably worth waiting as you get more GB for your money as time goes on but if people really needs lots of storrage then backup and off main machine should be looked at.

The 3 main componants MB, processor and graphics are where you can spend money for no real benifit unless you have to be bleeding edge.

The money spent now to future proof, would buy something now that will do the job and another machine when you need it unles you see the need in just a few months.

for most recreational tasks the cheapest thing you can put together with decent componants will do the job.

Some tasks need more but for many tasks it just makes things go a bit quicker games probably the exception but even then there are plenty that don't need mega$ spending.


Analyse your use and where you want the performance and buy to meet those needs.

gonzo127

as with anything computer your choice of component should be informed by your intended usage and not whats nessesarily seen as the fastest.

for example AMD processors are not as powerful as intels versions for the processor power, however the intergrated graphics chipset is far more powerful (although ivy bridge has closed that gap a lot) therefore AMD based systems are generally more suited to someone who plays older games but who does not want to play the most modern and demanding games which would require a dedicated graphic card, and if you are paying out for a dedicated graphics card you should get the more power processor since you will not need the intergrated graphics

Dussed

If you wanted a good i5 for gaming, I'd advise the i5-2500K.
If you wanted to step it up a bit more, like moi, I'd go for the i7-2600K, which overclocks really well and still keeps relatively cool. Worth the money, and great performance, especially with gaming.