Intel i7 vs. i5 during gaming.

[B_I_O_M]

I'm tying to figure out whether or not turbo boosting a "weak" Intel i7-820qm (1.78 to 3.06) processor is better than using an Intel i5-540m (2.53 Ghz) at it's regular settings. Basically, will using the i7 during a game give me constant performance during game play, or will the higher stock speed of the i5 be more reliable?

 

[abswindows7]

i7 is the way to go

 

[bobisgod]

You do realize that in most games 4 cores>2?

 

[B_I_O_M]

I do understand that 4 cores is better than 2, but the i7 (which again is only at 1.73 ghz) cores don't "combine forces" to create a 6.8 ghz process, much less two of them making a 3.2 ghz process. If they did, I don't think we would be over clocking cpus to run 4 or 4.5 ghz. So, again to my question, can an i7 maintain a constant turbo boost speed at 3.20 ghz, or is it more reliable to have a guaranteed 2.53 ghz i5 while playing games

Also, while I thinK about it, if the cpu can maintain a constaint turbo boost speed, should I just stick with the i5 which can increase the ghz to 2.93 I have a budget of $1200 that I want to stick to, and if I go with the i5, it leaves me room to buy a carrying case (yeah, forgot to mention it's a laptop).

 

[caaront]

The main difference is that the i5 doesn't have multi-threading, but it should easily overclock to higher than you are talking about with adequate cooling.

 

[B_I_O_M]

Yes, it does have multi-threading. And honestly, I'm a little worried about over-clocking it because not only is it a laptop and my only woorking computer, but I've never over-clocked before, so I don't want to fork out 1200 bucks for it to become a dud.

 

[bmadd]

You dont need the 820qm for gaming in a laptop. The 540m is more then enough to max out whatever video card you have in the laptop. You really wouldn't need more then a dual core but a dual core with HT is defs a better way to go then the 820qm regardless of the 820qm turbo ability.

Plus it should run a bit cooler.

What video card wil be in this laptop?

 

[leo2kp]

I'd go with a quad-core. More apps and games are utilizing multiple threads these days.

About your comment that they don't combine to become multiples of the clock speed - that's not entirely true. It's true for single-threaded applications since they use one core at xGHz, but if it's multithreaded, it certainly does perform as if the CPU were 2-4x faster. And because the wave of the future is multithreading, an i7 is the way to go if you can afford it.

I believe the combined performance of 4 cores and HT (8 threads) plus Turbo Boost will be overall more powerful than the i5 at a consistant 2.53GHz. They are a more efficient chip besides just the added cores because of the cache and whatnot. That's not to say the i5 would be a slouch either.

 

[mindless728]

do you realize that the i7-820qm will be 2.8GHz with a 2 thread app (1.73 GHz + 8 * 133 MHz since the turbo bin is 2/2/8/10) thus faster than the i5, and over 2 threads the i7 will win out with physical cores

 

[B_I_O_M]

You dont need the 820qm for gaming in a laptop. The 540m is more then enough to max out whatever video card you have in the laptop. You really wouldn't need more then a dual core but a dual core with HT is defs a better way to go then the 820qm regardless of the 820qm turbo ability.

Plus it should run a bit cooler.

What video card wil be in this laptop?

Depends. The i7 and the i5 are options for different computers. For the i5, the computer is the EC series Sony Vaio, and it will have 1gb ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650. The i7 will be in the F series Sony Vaio, and the card is a Nvidia GeForce 330M.

do you realize that the i7-820qm will be 2.8GHz with a 2 thread app (1.73 GHz + 8 * 133 MHz since the turbo bin is 2/2/8/10) thus faster than the i5, and over 2 threads the i7 will win out with physical cores

Will the games that I will be playing (SC2, MW2, TF2, etc.) be 2 thread apps?

 

[mindless728]

i don't think i have seen a recent game that doesn't utilize at least 2 cores

have you looked into newegg for a laptop in your price range

 

[B_I_O_M]

I haven't been on the site, yet I have found two computers that would meet the budget. I will look on the site for something that meets my needs, though.