I5 vs i7

[n1ck3rs0n]

Okay, I'm sure the regulars on this forum have seen this question a LOT lately, but I'm going to ask it again.

I'm building a new computer and was planning on using the i7. I don't really follow the whole computer hardware industry to closely, so was I am just finding out about the Intel i5 processor.

Below is a comparison between the i7-920 and the i5-750.

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem
Core Nehalem
Multi-Core Quad-Core
Name Core i7 920
Operating Frequency 2.66GHz
QPI 4.8GT/s
L2 Cache 4 x 256KB
L3 Cache 8MB
Manufacturing Tech 45 nm
64 bit Support Yes
Hyper-Threading Support Yes
Virtualization Technology Support Yes
Voltage 0.80V-1.375V
Thermal Design Power 130W
Cooling Device Heatsink and Fan included

Price $280.00


Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield
Core Lynnfield
Multi-Core Quad-Core
Name Core i5-750
Operating Frequency 2.66GHz
L3 Cache 8MB
Manufacturing Tech 45 nm
64 bit Support Yes
Virtualization Technology Support Yes
Thermal Design Power 95W
Cooling Device Heatsink and Fan included

Price $200.00


The i5 wasn't around the last time I checked up on the computer hardware industry, so I still don't know much about it. It seems to be a lower model of the i7 if I'm correct. They both seem pretty even though as in specs. One thing I did notice it the i5 it doesn't say if it supports Hyper-Threading or not...

Also I was wondering what the difference is between the cores, Lynnfield, Nehalem, Bloomfield. Whats the difference?

Do you think the $80.00 more for the i7 is worth it?

Interested in hearing some opinions.

Thanks guys.

 

[SpidersWeb]

It's more than just the CPU, it's also the socket.

i7 has HyperThreading, i5 does not
i7 supports triple channel memory, i5 supports double channel
i5 has turbo mode (auto overclocks itself when only using a single core), but the i7 920 overclocks very well anyway.
i5 has a direct 16 lane PCI-E 2.0 interface, however i7 allows more lanes (although reviews show an i5 running 8x crossfire keeps up with an i7 running 16x crossfire)

Biggest reason why you'd want to go i7 though is that i5 is mainstream, i7 uses the performance socket, so when the i9 comes out you'll be able to upgrade to that.

It's a hard choice. i5 is better value for money, but i7 has an edge on memory bandwidth and a better future upgrade path.

Hope that helps a little?

 

[n1ck3rs0n]

It's more than just the CPU, it's also the socket.

i7 has HyperThreading, i5 does not
i7 supports triple channel memory, i5 supports double channel
i5 has turbo mode (auto overclocks itself when only using a single core), but the i7 920 overclocks very well anyway.
i5 has a direct 16 lane PCI-E 2.0 interface, however i7 allows more lanes (although reviews show an i5 running 8x crossfire keeps up with an i7 running 16x crossfire)

Biggest reason why you'd want to go i7 though is that i5 is mainstream, i7 uses the performance socket, so when the i9 comes out you'll be able to upgrade to that.

It's a hard choice. i5 is better value for money, but i7 has an edge on memory bandwidth and a better future upgrade path.

Hope that helps a little?

Nope, helps a lot. 😉

Thanks!

 

[unlimitedro]

Gamming wise, it doesnt really take up to 8 threads anyway.