i5 w/ 3MB Cache vs. i7 w/ 6MB Cache

[Aaron Eising]

Comparing two processors for some light-duty gaming (Diablo III, Skyrim, etc.) and was wondering which would be better. I understand that the jump from i5 to i7 isn't a huge deal, because of hyper-threading, and the i5 does have higher speeds, but I was wondering if the cache difference would be worth a lot to me.

Recommendation on one over the other for my purposes? I do no video-editing, just some lighter gaming--and it doesn't have to be perfect. Here's the specs on the two:

i5 3230M 2.6GHz, with Turbo up to 3.6 Ghz
Smart Cache 3 MB

or

i7 3630QM 2.4GHz, with Turbo up to 3.4 GHz
L3 Cache 6MB

 

[ihog]

I don't think you'll see too much of a difference in gaming between the two, but that's just an opinion; haven't researched it.

 

[jaguarskx]

From reviews I've read over the past years the amount of cache does not really matter for games. However, it can definitely improve media related tasks like video encoding, digital artwork and 3D rendering.

 

[popatim]

for gaming only the i5 rules.