i7 vs. i5

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JML867

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Aug 31, 2016
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I'm getting a new a hand-me-down motherboard with 1150 socket. So, I'm looking at either an i5 or i7. I'd like to spend as little money as possible, but will spend the extra amount if it's required for what I need to do. Here's what I need to do:

Wordpress / Visual Composer
Some light Photoshop
Mailchimp
Very, very large Excel spreadsheets

As a point of reference, another computer I have access to has a i5-4570. It's got 8G of RAM. This computer does slows down/hangs up/lags when working on (what I'm assuming is relatively intense) stuff for Wordpress/Visual Composer.

My question is:

do I need something more powerful than the i5-4570 - or is the real limiting factor the limited amount of RAM (given the stuff that I'm working with)?
 
Solution
Rogue Leader


AMD is a waste of money right now. All their CPUs are about to be obsolete in a few months.

Considering the costs there is no reason to go 1150 when you can get a new i5-6400 and 1151 motherboard for a similar price. That plus 16gb of DDR4-2133 and you're set.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core...
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Rogue Leader

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I don't mean to sound like a jerk but the guy just said with an i5-4570 and 8gb of ram the main application he uses hangs up and lags.

JML867 The best CPU you can get in there would be an i7-4790 and the applications you use are multithreaded and can take advantage of the 4 cores and 4 hyperthreads of an i7. If you are experiencing slowdowns this is the way to go. However you definitely also want to get yourself at least 16 gb of ram, it will help with those large files.
 
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bicycle_repair_man

bicycle_repair_man

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Jan 10, 2014
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No worries.

There must be another reason why the OP's current PC is lagging. The programs are indeed multi-threaded but the hardware the OP has should have no problem with those programs at all. An Excel file would have to be enormous in order to consume the available RAM, assuming that Excel was the only program being run at the time. I suspect the OP would benefit more from an SSD than anything else.

OP, how does the CPU and RAM usage look whilst you're working on Wordpress and Visual Composer?
 
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Rogue Leader

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You should see some of the excel files I deal with at work, they do manage to get my i5 8gb equipped work PC to choke up sometimes. If hes doing that with also trying to do some Wordpress stuff I can see it lagging.
 
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J

JML867

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Aug 31, 2016
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I took a look today. RAM is about 80% usage - and CPU was so little I can't even remember the figure.

Is an SSD something that would a difference? I'll be getting a hand me down HDD - but I'll make the upgrade if it means the computer won't hang up on me. But, if I can avoid spending the capital I'd like to.

Thanks!

 
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Faux_Grey

Faux_Grey

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Sep 1, 2012
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Completely agree here.

Make an SSD your priority.
If Excel is using 80% of your RAM you must be opening a massive Excel file. What size is it?
I would check to see what else is using your system memory.
 
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J

JML867

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Aug 31, 2016
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OK. I thought I would be an 1150 motherboard, but not anymore. So, now I've got to decide to go either Intel or AMD, and then choose a motherboard. I was considering a i5/1150 set up (since I was getting the 1150 mb), but now everything is up in there.

What's the verdict on AMD vs. Intel? What set up do you suggest for my needs mentioned above?
 
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Rogue Leader

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Dec 22, 2014
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AMD is a waste of money right now. All their CPUs are about to be obsolete in a few months.

Considering the costs there is no reason to go 1150 when you can get a new i5-6400 and 1151 motherboard for a similar price. That plus 16gb of DDR4-2133 and you're set.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H110M Gaming Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($67.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($88.48 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($92.99 @ B&H)
Total: $651.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-01 16:19 EDT-0400

This has an SSD in it but you can always back that out to save some money.
 
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Solution
Faux_Grey

Faux_Grey

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Sep 1, 2012
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AMDs current CPU offerings are a joke, don't even consider them.

You already have a computer with a i5-4570 in it, that's more than enough. Save money, don't buy an entire new 1151 board and CPU just for 5% performance increase, just upgrade your current pc to 16GB of RAM, and put in a SSD.
 
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kaspro

kaspro

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Hello, I just saw some benchmarks between i5 and i7 and i don't think upgrading to a newer i5 or i7 would would help in this case, and i agree with Faux_Grey i think more RAM and SSD would make much difference
 
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Rogue Leader

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The issue that keeps getting missed is he says he "has access to an i5-4570 based PC" not that its his to upgrade. He wants his own computer based upon his line of questioning here and he is just using that one as reference.

OP correct me if I am wrong.
 
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J

JML867

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Aug 31, 2016
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OK. Intel it is.

Correct. I'm building a computer at home - and I'm using the computer at work as my benchmark, which has i5-4570 & 8GB RAM.

Ok. This might be a dumb question...

I'm getting a hand-me-down hard drive, power supply, and memory that used to be on a 1150 MB. Are memory/power supply/HD inter-changeable across 1150 vs 1151?
 
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Rogue Leader

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Hard drive will work fine as long as its SATA. PSU will work fine as well (but beware because if its a cheap crappy one you can potentially either underpower or damage your new components), Memory is DDR3 won't work with a DDR4 motherboard that I recommended. Now there are DDR3 based 1151 motherboards, but they require DDR3L which is not likely to be what you're getting for free. Standard DDR3 is not recommended by Intel to be used with an 1151 processor as the voltage is a tad too high, it can wear down the memory controller over time.

Let us know the brand and model of that PSU before you use it.

Also keep in mind you will need to format that hard drive and re-install windows (and if you don't have a unique copy, buy windows!)
 
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J

JML867

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Power supply is EPS or EPS-12V. Model number is P4ATX55FE. 550 watts.

Does this MB have a built-in graphics adapter, or will I have to buy one separately?

Also, what is involved in changing memory DIMMs, in case I want to add more memory later down the line?
 
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Rogue Leader

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That power supply is junk, buy the one I suggested. You do not want to spend all this money on nice new parts and then damage them with a junk PSU.

The built in on CPU Intel Graphics 520 is perfectly fine for what you are doing, no reason to buy a discrete GPU unless you decide to game.

Right now I set you up with 16gb of RAM. You can buy a pair of 16gb DIMMS (giving you 32 gb total) and all you need to do is pop the little latches off the sides of your memory on the board and replace them. Make sure they are inserted securely. The motherboard I set you up with only has 2 DIMM slots so this is the only way to upgrade and make sure you take advantage of dual channel memory.
 
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J

JML867

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Originally, I was looking to build a computer because I was offered a variety of hand-me-down parts. However, it looks the MB offer no longer applies, the power supply is not recommended, the memory can't be used on a newer motherboard, and the HD offered is HDD. So, it looks like I've got nothing with which to build a computer.

So, maybe I'll just buy a pre-built one. Here's one that has 16 GB RAM and a SSD. I don't know anything about the processor. Thoughts?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA5964SU4017
 
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Rogue Leader

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The processor is 5 generations older and slower than what you're using now. While the extra memory is nice, I feel that you will be disappointed in the performance overall.

What is your total budget?
 
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J

JML867

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