i3, i5 or i7

azzabazza

I am buying a new desktop in the not too distant future. Probably go with Dell as have been happy with current desktop.

In passing an acquaintance said I should go for at least an i5 processor but preferably and i7. He didn't have time to explain.

Any thoughts or advice please?

Darksun

What are you planning on using the computer for? An i3 is enough for most people, if you're going to be gaming then maybe go for the i5. An I7 probably isn't worth the money unless you have a good reason for it.

But the processor is just one component, other factors will affect how well the computer runs

Ximian

i3 fast, i5 faster, i7 fastest and the price increases accordingly.
Depending on what you need the speed for and your budget, it all depends.
As Darksun says, an i7 might be overkill. There are other factors to consider such as amount of RAM, speed of RAM, bus speed, hard drive speed, and more.

What will you be using the computer for?

alanrowell

On a desktop I would generally go for the most powerful processor I can afford as generally this is the component that is hardest / most expensive to upgrade a year or two down the line when that processor range is obsolete and the new processor is incompatible with your motherboard / processor socket.

Virtually everything else can be easily changed by you when you have the money to do so

anotheruser

Generally:

i3 - good for general use.
i5 - the above + HD video + old-ish gaming
i7 - the above + latest generation gaming + hd video encoding.


There is no need to buy an i7 if you're just using the machine for internet browsing and document work.
I have an i5 in mine and it does everything I need it to do fine.

I_have_spoken

I'd go for i5 3570k (or an i5 2500K if it's a LOT cheaper) and use the integrated graphics (unless you're a big gamer), use the money saved from i7 to get an SSD boot disk which makes things way faster than an i7 CPU would do.

azzabazza

Thank you all for your quick responses.

This is the kind of spec I have been looking at. Definitely it wont be used for gaming. Will be used for internet browsing, iplayer, using Office suite, editing photos, etc.

When we bought our current desktop (I think about 9 years ago) we were advised to go for highest spec we could afford. Which we did. Of course memory, processors etc have moved on a long way since then!

I use a laptop but OH much prefers a desktop.

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/desktops?s=dhs&~ck=mn#!facets=40185~0~196647,111726~0~1780114,64795~0~396642,70207~0~462580,40189~0~196669,40186~0~3778514&p=1

Handsome90

Just wondering which software are you going to use for editing photos? Software like Picasa will be a lot lighter on PC load than Photoshop so you can get away with a lower spec processor if you are using Picasa.

azzabazza

Handsome90 wrote: »

Just wondering which software are you going to use for editing photos? Software like Picasa will be a lot lighter on PC load than Photoshop so you can get away with a lower spec processor if you are using Picasa.

I have spent the last 2 years coaching OH on Photoshop. Don't think he will be happy to change!

I would rather go for a higher spec than find out further down the line I made the wrong choice at this stage.

Cycrow

it does depend on what kind of editing you are actually doing.

Basic stuff, even in photoshop, doesn't really require something powerful.

an i3 will most likely be suitable, but i think i would go for the i5 to have bait extra power.

todays cpus are actually a lot more powerful than most software actually needs, the hardware is improving a lot quicker than the software requires, so theres no need to go for the very best unless you really need it.

9 years ago it was different, software and hardware were keeping pace, and in some cases, software was advancing quicker, so getting high end back then was abit more worthwhile.

This is especially true with games and graphical software

anotheruser

As I have spoken said, go for an i5, then spend a bit more money on a SSD, which would give you a large boost.