Which Intel Processor Is Better – i5 or i7? This will be questions from people who are trying to build their computer. Find out which is the better processor here.

1. Which Intel Processor Is Better –
i5 or i7
By Frank Kubika
Are you looking to build your own computer or looking to buy a computer or
laptop and you are considering the Intel Quad Core processors; and you
want to know which is better when comparing the Intel Core i5 or i7?
The simple answer will of course be that the Intel i7 is better when
comparing the i7 vs i5 if money is not the issue. However not everyone want
would want to put their money down and buy the top end processor –
especially if they do not need the features of the Intel i7; even though the
difference in the price between the i5 and i7 processors around less than
$80.
I was also looking for an Intel processor for a new build computer and I did
a lot of research as I also do not believe in putting up more money for
something that I may not use. However, I do not mind paying the extra
money if I can really get at least some additional benefits out of it.
In the course of my reaserch, I came across this short and simple review by
L2Micro which I find very easy to understand and which would like to share
with you. L2Micro did a comparison of the i7 vs i5 on the 2600k and 2500k
models respectively. These are two of the best models of the processors
within the i7 and i5 family.
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2. The other thing that you may like to note is the “k”. The processor with the
“k” designates it as a processor that you can over clock and as such it is
slightly more expensive. When I last checked at Amazon for the i5 2500k vs
the i5 2500, the difference is not that much. Only slightly over a dollar.
In this case if I were to buy the i5, then I wouldn’t mind paying a dollar
more for the “k” model with a feature that I may not use now but one which
I may possibly use in the future. However it is up to you.
Find out whether you should get the Intel i5 or i7 from this review of the
Intel i7 vs i5; courtesy of L2Micro:
5.0 out of 5 stars You're going to love this!!!!, September
11, 2011
By L2MICRO
Greetings and welcome to the ultimate review; written by: L2MICRO! (CPU
Code name: Sandy Bridge)
This chip handles everything! It is great for gaming, photo editing, video
streaming, etc.
First Things First (If you are building your own computer)
(IMPORTANT!!!) This chip does not go into an H55 motherboard. I can't
stress this enough! The 1156 sockets are not compatible with this chip. If
you want to get this chip, you need to either upgrade to a P67/H67 or Z68
motherboard first. The socket you need is a LGA 1155. This is you're only
major requirement.
This chip is EXTREMELY similar to the i7 2600k, but at 100 dollars cheaper,
the single most major difference between an i5 2500k and an i7 2600k, is
the Hyper Threading feature that the i7 2600k has. The i5 2500k does not
have it. If you're in the market for an Intel processor and all you do is game,
some photo editing with Photoshop, or stream, than get your hands on an i5
2500k (The k means overclock-able. no K means the core speed is locked
and won't overclock).
Gaming, in general, does not support and may even decrease your gaming
performances with a hyper threaded enabled Intel core processor, which
means, you can compromise with confidence. Most (if not all) games only
use about 1 to 2 cores on your processor anyway. For $100 cheaper, Hyper
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3. Threading does not make a difference in gaming performance, but if you do
many different things and run many different programs at once, Hyper
Threading might just be what you are looking.
The stocked clock speeds for the i5 2500k is 3.3ghz. The i7 2600k has
3.4ghz speed. Not a huge difference, right? Especially when you can
overclock your i5 2500k a little to reach the 3.4ghz speed, easily. The i5
2500k processor has slightly upgraded Intel HD graphics (3000 engine) VS
the i7 2600k (2000 engine). This feature only applies to Z68 motherboards
users, as these users have integrated video on the motherboard or "on
board graphics". All this means is if you don't have a Z68 motherboard, you
won't be able to overclock this processor and use the HD Graphics 3000
engine at the same time. Add a graphics card to you system and you don't
need to worry about this factor. This core processor works just as good with
H67 or P67 motherboards perfectly. That is pretty much it. Perfect for
gamers.
Differences in a nut shell!
- i7 2600k 8mb cache (very little performance increase for the price)
-> i5 2500k 6mb cache
- i7 2600k Hyper Threading feature
-> i5 2500k None
- i7 2600k 3.40ghz speed
-> i5 2500k 3.30ghz speed (Easily overclocked to 3.40ghz or higher)
Things you should know!
- These chips work best with ram at 8gb or 12gb on a x64 bit systems. This
CPU loves RAM modules STOCKED/CLOCKED to 1.5 volts and no less than
1333mhz of speed. These chips also prefer timings of 9-9-9-24 timings.
However, 8-8-8-24 timings are viable.
- i5 2500k is easily overclocked to 4.1ghz with BIOS tweaks or third party
software. Anything higher than than a core speed of 4.1ghz, will cause a
hotter CPU. I would suggest switching to a water cooled system setup,
because you may run into a 60 degrees Celsius increase without water heat
removal. Stock or fan operated heat-sinks are only good to a certain point.
- When you buy an Intel processor, it will come with a case badge to place
on your PC case to show your friends. It'll be on the back of your Intel
manual booklet.
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4. - The i5 Intel processor also comes with stock heat-sink that you may or
may not use. I prefer after market heat-sinks, because the stock heat-sinks
don't cool all that well and, from my experience, after market heat-sinks
perform better and last longer; Especially, if you're going to overclock your
CPU. I would also suggest picking up an after market cooler if you are
planning to overclock this CPU.
Thermal Paste & You
- There is an applied application of thermal paste compound on your Intel i5
2500K stock heat-sink already. I would suggest removing and applying a
new application from paste you purchased. If you have or bought an after
market heat-sink, that I explained above, please use only a PEA SIZED
amount of thermal compound for best, even spread, as well as, better heat
transference. Remember, Less is more! Keep in mind when purchasing and
allying thermal paste to your CPU that lower viscosity thermal compounds
require more than a pea sized amount, because they don't spread as easily
compared to higher viscosity pastes. Arctic Silver 5, MX-4, and OCZ freeze
are better brands to consider for a best application.
Testing results!
I tested this CPU with Prime95 for 20 hours without any errors. Buying the
right memory also factors into these tests and errors. When you do test,
using Prime95 or a different program, RAM does contribute to errors/blue
screens and can easily be mistaken for a CPU issue. My solution to this
would be to run a memory diagnoses test first, as well as, test the CPU with
Prime95 after.
That is pretty much it.
Thank you for reading my review! Hope you enjoy your new processor!
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for performance and gaming, July 23, 2012
By J.L. "silver sky" (CA)
I bought this for my new build, and it's been running stable for a few months
now. Note that this is the "K" version, which means no restriction on the
core clocking ability. It's "unlocked".
Intel has always been a trusted brand and I would never ever get an AMD
chip if I had a choice. It's just reliable!
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5. I installed this on a ASRock Extreme 3 Gen 3 board with a Z68 chipset.
Worked out really well. I'm not a hardcore overclocker, so I just clocked it to
4.0GHz. Works fine for me. Everything runs smoothly.
Primarily, I've been using it to run Diablo 3. Works great! I'm sure other
games won't disappoint. I have it running with a GTX 560 Ti from EVGA.
Originally, I wanted to get an i7 2600k, however I wanted to save cost. For
those of you who are in the same dilemma as I was trying to decide between
this or the i7-2600k, here are my thoughts.
The main difference between this and the i7 2600k is the slight increase in
frequency and a bit more cache (8MB instead of 6MB), and the fact that it
supports hyperthreading and has 8 threads. This i5-2500k only has 4
threads. So you are paying about $80-$100 dollars more for the i7-2600k
just to get the extra 4 threads and hyperthreading technology really. The
extra cache and frequency performance boost might not be easily
noticeable. So the question is, what will you be using this for?
Not a lot of applications make full use of hyperthreading technology. If you
do a lot of video editing or lots of photoshopping, or if you need to do many
video rendering on the fly or run massive scientific calculations for hours,
then the extra $80-$100 could be justified. However, if you wanted the
performance just for games, consider what games you plan to play. In my
case, I'm using it to play Diablo 3 mainly. D3 does not truly take advantage
of hyperthreading, so it's not that important to have it. I also do some light
photoshopping here and there and this CPU works just fine for my use.
i5 or i7 – Which Is Better
By now it will be easy to decide whether the i5 or i7 processor is more suited
for you. If you are using your computer for business and need a lot of power
for multi tasking and multi threading, then the additional money spend on
the higher i7 processor would be money well spent – otherwise the i5 2500k
would be more than sufficient for most needs – including playing some of
the more processor intensive games.
However due to the aggressive discounts at Amazon, the difference between
the i7 2600k and the i5 2500k processors is only around $60. So the choice
is up to you! For me I decided that since, $60 is really not that much if when
I spread it over a minimum lifespan period of 24 months, I decided to go for
the i7 2600k.
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6. In conclusion, it really does not matter, especially if you are using your
computer at home (unless you need the multi threading capability of the i7)
whichever processor you buy as both will be a good buy especially with the
current discounts at Amazon. However do note that prices are subjected to
change and you have to hurry to lock in the price.
For processors only:
Click here to buy the Intel i5 2500k processor from Amazon at a 25%
discount
Or
Click here to buy the Intel i7 2600k at a whopping 34% discount.
If you are looking at a complete system, here are some good:
i. i7 Desktop System
Gateway FX6860-UR20P Gaming Desktop (Black)
Microtel Computer® TI9081 Liquid Cooling Gaming Desktop
Computer with Intel 3.4GHz i7 2600K Processor, 16 GB
DDR3/1333, 2TB Hard Drive 7200RPM, 24X DVDRW, Nvidia
550 GTX TI 1GB GDDR5 Video Card, Microsoft Windows 7
Home Premium Full Version CD - 64 bit + WiFi
Acer Predator AG3620-UR20P Desktop (Black)
i7 Notebook/Laptop
Acer Aspire TimelineX AS1830T-68U118 11.6-Inch Laptop
(Black)
ASUS N53SM-ES72 15.6-Inch Laptop (Silver Aluminum)
Sony VAIO F2 Series VPCF232FX/B 16.4-Inch Laptop (Matte
Black)
ii. i5 Desktop System
HP Pavilion p7-1220 Desktop
Gateway DX4850-27EU2 PT.GBL02.R17 Desktop Computer
(2.80 GHz Intel Core i5-2300 Processor, 6 GB RAM, 1.5 TB
Hard Drive, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit)
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7. Lenovo H420 77525GU Desktop (Black)
i5 Notebook/Laptop
Acer Aspire AS5750-6845 15.6" Notebook (2.4 GHz Intel Core
i5-2430M Processor, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive, 8X
DVD+/-RW Optical Drive, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit)
Black
Toshiba Satellite P755-S5380 15.6-Inch LED Laptop - Fusion
X2 Finish in Platinum
Gateway ID47H07u 14-Inch Laptop (Silver)
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