Intel series i5 vs i7: Which is better? Whether you’re building yourself a brand new gaming PC, buying a new laptop, or a prebuilt computer, the processor you choose is one of the biggest points for consideration

It should be known however that i7s do draw a considerable amount of power in comparison to AMD CPUs which due to the power-hungry processor may be taxing to your power bill too!

If you are looking at using an Intel processor, then we know it can be easy to get confused between the Intel Core i5 and i7, as they look similar on paper, with rather subtle differences. So i5 vs i7, which is best for you?

Well, it comes down to budget and, of course, the use case you have for the PC itself.

Knowing the essentials should clear up Intel’s confusing naming conventions, and hopefully assist you in making the right choice when you buy a new CPU. Let’s get stuck in, what are the key differences between these two highly popular CPU families?

InIntel Core i5 vs i7: what’s the difference?

Until AMD’s recent triumphs in the market, the i5 and i7 processor lines were two of the most popular for gaming and general computer usage.

These processors offer a wide range of abilities at various levels of affordability and are, generally speaking, household names in the processor world.

Here’s an example of both the i5 and i7 series of Intels 12th generation of CPUs. So you gain an understanding of how they differ, when a CPU belongs to a higher series it is usually better than the best of the previous series.

The ‘best’ means more cores, threads, and higher turbo frequencies.

Intel Core i5 vs i7: which is best for gaming?

When it comes to gaming, both Intel Core i5 and i7 processors are capable of providing good performance, but there are some differences that could make one more advantageous than the other depending on your needs.

First, it’s important to understand that the performance of a processor depends on several factors, including clock speed, number of cores, and threads. Generally, i7 processors have higher clock speeds and more cores and threads than i5 processors, which means they can handle more complex tasks and more demanding games with ease.

That being said, for most modern games, an i5 processor is more than sufficient to provide a good gaming experience, especially if it is paired with a powerful graphics card. In fact, in some cases, an i7 processor may be overkill and not provide much of a noticeable performance boost in gaming.

On the other hand, if you plan to use your PC for more than just gaming, such as video editing or other CPU-intensive tasks, an i7 processor may be a better choice due to its additional processing power.

If you are looking for a processor specifically for gaming, an i5 processor is likely to be sufficient for most gamers, while an i7 processor may be more advantageous if you plan to use your PC for other CPU-intensive tasks in addition to gaming.

Intel Core i5 vs i7: Which is better for students

When it comes to choosing between Intel Core i5 and i7 processors for students, the decision largely depends on the student’s specific needs and intended uses.

For basic computing tasks such as browsing the internet, word processing, and email, an Intel Core i5 processor is more than sufficient. An i5 processor provides good performance for everyday tasks and is often found in budget-friendly laptops. It is also more energy-efficient than an i7, which means longer battery life for students who need to take their devices to class or study sessions.

However, if a student is studying a field that requires more demanding tasks such as video editing, programming, or engineering simulations, an Intel Core i7 processor may be more suitable. i7 processors have higher clock speeds and more cores and threads, which means they can handle more complex tasks with ease. Additionally, some advanced software tools may require an i7 processor for optimal performance.

It’s also worth noting that an i7 processor may offer some advantages for students who use virtual machines or run multiple applications at the same time. This can be beneficial for students who need to run specialized software or multiple software tools for their coursework.

For most students who primarily use their computers for basic computing tasks, an Intel Core i5 processor is likely to be more than sufficient. However, for students studying fields that require more demanding tasks or who use specialized software, an Intel Core i7 processor may provide better performance and be a more suitable choice.

CPUs explained

Here we will explain a little about how CPUs work, not entirely specific to the Core i5 or i7 series.

Core concept

A CPU core is a CPU’s processor, relating back to the days when every CPU was made up of a single core. Regular desktop CPUs now have anything between two to sixteen cores, and each individual core is able to tackle a different task simultaneously.

All of Intel’s Core i5 and i7 processors from the 12th generation feature at least four cores. For general computer usage, four cores are probably considered to be the sweet spot as you won’t be doing too much multitasking.

Six-core CPUs are also a very valid option, the latest i5 processors tend to feature six CPU cores. unless we’re speaking about Intel’s mobile i5s that tend to feature four cores.

Six-core CPUs are geared more toward performance, and whilst these CPUs are more of a middle ground between gaming and productivity, they really hold their own when it comes to gaming.

What is CPU cache?

Alongside faster clock speeds and extra cores, i7 CPUs generally have large caches too. A CPU’s cache is an extension of system RAM, constructed close to CPU cores to facilitate fast access speeds.

The cache acts as a buffer to feed CPU cores instructions from RAM- the faster the cache the faster it can feed CPU cores instructions. Modern-day CPUs are constructed with three cache levels in mind.

The cache is split into three levels and they follow alphanumerical order.

Level one cache is the cache located close to the CPU cores and has the greatest access speeds but also the smallest capacity. This is the level reserved for only the most vital data

Level two cache is a middle ground between level one and level three cache, with median capacity and median speed, reserved for your less vital data,

Level three cache is where most of your regularly accessed data is stored, such as programs and file paths. This has a very large capacity in comparison to the other two levels of cache but is also much slower.

The latest i5 CPUs feature 18MB of L3 cache and the latest i7s feature up to 20MB. While cache speed is important, capacity is just as important as a larger cache means more stored instructions.

Hyper-Threading

Both of the CPU series’ contain CPUs that are multithreaded Intel calls this Hyperthreading. This is a technology that allows one CPU core to process and execute two instructions simultaneously.

This means that the operating system is able to see and utilize your CPU as if it had double the number of physical cores. The collection of cores and threads are labeled logical processors by operating systems.

These threads are known as V-cores and are virtual, so named because they do not physically exist or occupy space on the CPU die. These virtual cores have to share resources with the physical cores and threads suffer slower processing speeds as a result.

Again Hyperthreading relies on software integration and compatibility but it’s better to have and not need than to need and not have. Most modern software has multithreading integration and support.

Hyperthreading just basically means that the number of logical processors is double the CPU core count if each CPU core is configured to use multithreading.

Turbo Boost

Turbo Boost is essentially an overclocking feature from Intel that will automatically run the processor core faster than its base clock speed. Regardless of what CPU you have, whether it’s Intel or AMD, they will each come with a base and boost clock speed.

It is important to note your boost clock speed and ensure you have adequate cooling to support overclocking.

This is because boosted speeds are considered overclocking, even if it’s handled automatically by your PC. All the same overclocking rules apply.

How high a clock speed your CPU can achieve is all down to the design of the chip and how long it can sustain the boosted speeds – we sometimes call this ability the silicon lottery.

Integrated graphics

There is a reason we see Intel CPUs at the helm of the majority of laptops, its for the integrated graphics. As your standard laptop is not designed for gaming, there is little need or physical space for a dedicated graphics card.

These machines rely on what is known as integrated graphics or Intels HD/ UHD Graphics. With the latest being Intel’s UHD 770 integrated graphics.

As the graphics are integrated with the CPU, this generally saves power and is a smart graphical solution for laptops. Integrated graphics naming conventions work generally in the same numerical way the Intel processors work, the higher the number, the better.

Despite this, it is worth noting that if you truly want to enjoy gaming at 1080p and above, then you need to go for a dedicated graphics card.

This does offer its downsides however, Cramming a GPU die into a CPU packet along with a CPU die is going to create some space limitations, which means the CPU die is often scaled back from its full potential

To accommodate for the spacial and power requirements of the GPU die.

Because of this, the CPU portion of CPUs with integrated graphics is also limited in its performance. this is the reason we don’t recommend picking up a CPU with integrated graphics if you’re going to opt for a dedicated GPU later.

12th Gen LITTLE. big cores explained

Before we head into the differences between i5 and i7 series Intel CPUs we need to ensure we have laid out the new way in which 12th generation Intel CPUs work, as they are now vastly different from the other CPUs Intel has created in the past.

Intel has now decided to split its CPU cores into two categories, “E-cores” and “P-cores”. Splitting cores using ARM’s LITTLE.big technology was Intel’s 12th generation’s biggest talking point when it was announced.

The way LITTLE.big technology works is fascinating.

How the split P-cores (performance) and E-cores (efficiency) work exactly is the performance cores are both hyperthreaded and clocked at high clock speeds. These are the cores that do all the heavy lifting hence the name ‘performance cores’.

Then there are the E-cores, which are not hyperthreaded and are clocked at lower speeds to be both power-efficient and performance efficient. This is achieved because E-cores aren’t forced to share resources as they aren’t hyper threaded.

In the case of Windows, the operating system delegates tasks to either E-cores or P-cores based on a pre-scan of an instruction set by a task scheduler. It saves power by not running P-cores on tasks that aren’t that heavy and don’t require a lot of power.

So internally, 12th-generation Intel CPUs are much different than the older generations. Their cores were all identical and didn’t have specific jobs to fulfill within the processing subsystem.

This new direction Intel has taken offers more efficiency and power when it’s needed most. a serious point of consideration for a new 12th gen CPU.

A list of our best 12th gen CPUs can be found here.

FAQs

Is it worth upgrading from i5 to i7?

That depends on what you want to do. For most standard PC gamers, the answer is probably not – the i5 is probably fast enough and slick enough to keep your pixels warm, if not fuzzy, throughout any gaming session you set your heart to.

Where you might find the bonus capabilities of the i7 useful though is if you’re not simply gaming, but streaming your gameplay to Twitch, Youtube or any similar channel.

Why? Because the i7 is rocking a whole lot more cache than the i5, that’s why. An upgrade from 6MB to 8MB of cache gives you slicker, smoother streaming with less 80s gaming lag. If you’re streaming to platforms and channels as live, you might also find that the i7’s hyper-threading capabilities makes your streaming faster and closer to real-time.

If that’s you, then yes, the upgrade might make your gaming life smoother and easier. Otherwise, it’s probably not worth your money.

What is the advantage of i7 over i5?

If you feel the need for speed, the i7 will call to your gaming soul. Not only is its base clock faster than the i5’s, you can turbo boost it so it handles more tasks per eye-blink. What does that mean? Means faster action, smoother command-flow, and slicker action, that’s what it means.

And then there’s hyper-threading.

Hyper-threading is the computer core equivalent of juggling faster with more balls at once. The i7’s hyper-threading functionality means it can do a lot more things at the same time than the i5 can. Result? More speed, without loss of precision or task-completion.

The boost in cache from 6MB to 8MB means you can store more system data for easy access at any one time. That’s like having more frames per second in a video image. The more you can access seamlessly, the more smoothly your computer can process all the data it needs to give you a higher grade of performance.

So which CPU is best for you?

This should be taken with a pinch of salt, but generally speaking, the Core i5 CPU is geared toward the budget-minded masses who care about performance. The flip side is that the i7 would generally be for enthusiasts or gamers with expensive rigs.

So why consider an i5? well, they are generally cheaper and one of the most mainstream processors on the market. For generic computer users who browse the web or use the odd light application, the i5 is pretty much perfect for your needs.

If you are someone who works with demanding applications such as the Adobe editing suite or someone who is looking to do some high-end gaming, then the Core i7 could be the better way to go.

Regardless of what processor line you choose, you can expect an array of options to cover various needs and budgets but the bottom line is that more cores and threads are always going to be advantageous as the industry gears toward larger-scale multithreaded CPU usage.

You wouldn’t be making a mistake picking up a more powerful CPU, as this offers some future-proofing in addition to more power.

Intel Core i5 vs i7: Which is better?

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