Is Intel i5 quad core?
Is Intel i5 quad core? Let's find out
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Intel Core i5 refers to a family of mid-range desktop and laptop processors designed to offer users practical performance at an affordable price. Intel i5 processors are a very popular option these days, and if you’ve been looking to pick one up yourself, you may have heard the term “quad-core” being thrown around. So, let’s find out: Is Intel i5 quad core?
Now read: Best CPU for gaming 2023
What is a quad-core processor?
A quad-core processor is simply one that has four cores. A CPU core is an individual processing unit located on the chip. The earliest CPUs were single-core processors, but all modern chips released in the last decade or so have at least 2 cores, making them multicore processors.
A CPU with 2 cores can be called a duo-core, one with 4 cores can be called a quad-core, one with 8 cores can be called an octa-core, and so on.
While we’re on the topic, you may also want to know what a “thread” is. A thread is simply a virtual extension of a core.
Threads are also called logical processors. They don’t exist physically. A single core can provide your computer with two threads if your processor has SMT (simultaneous multithreading technology). Intel’s version of this technology is known as hyperthreading.
In other words, a single CPU core can tackle two separate tasks at once, improving the ability to multitask.
Are Intel Core i5 processors quad cores?
Many Intel Core i5 processors are indeed quad cores, especially ones belonging to older generations.
Desktop Core i5 processors generations 1 to 7 are all quad cores without hyperthreading, which means they have 4 cores and 4 threads. Some examples are the Core i5-2500K, the Core i5-3470, and the Core i5-7400.
With newer generations, Intel upgraded the Core i5 lineup by equipping processors with more cores. Desktop Core i5 processors belonging to generations 8 through 11 have 6 cores. Generation 10 and 11 also have hyperthreading, which translates to 12 threads.
Generation 12 introduced us to Intel’s hybrid core architecture, which allows a CPU chip to house two different types of cores for performance and efficiency.
Since efficiency cores are physically smaller, it’s easy to pack a bunch of them onto the CPU die. As a result, average core counts saw a significant jump.
The base 12th generation model, the Intel Core i5-12400, remained a 6-core processor. However, the higher-end 12600K from the same generation featured 10 cores – 6 for performance, and 4 for efficiency.
The latest 13th generation Core i5-13600K features an incredible 14 cores, 6 of which are designated for performance and 8 for efficiency.
Is a quad-core processor good enough in 2024?
A quad-core processor without hyperthreading (4 cores, 4 threads), such as the old Core i5 CPUs is pretty lackluster in performance, given how computationally demanding games and even basic computer applications have become.
Going with a quad-core i5 in 2024 is not advisable if you intend to do anything other than office work and browsing. Running older games is possible, but maintaining 60FPS is a struggle in most.
A quad-core with hyperthreading is much more serviceable today. Even with 4 physical cores, an 8-threaded CPU has a much higher capacity for processing and can avoid extreme bottlenecks in gaming.
There are no desktop Core i5 CPUs with a quad-core setup and hyperthreading (4 cores, 8 threads).
However, modern Core i3 processors such as the i3-12100F feature the 4-core, 8-thread setup You can find 12100F at under $100 today, and it’s a great processor for entry-level gaming.
If you want more performance in gaming and productivity, go with a modern Core i5, such as the 14-core, 20-thread Core i5-13600K.
