Comparing Intel Processor i7 vs i5 vs i3 vs Atom vs Xeon [ Technical ]

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Core i7 or Xeon – which should you get? Are Xeons only suitable for rendering, and are Core i7s only suitable for gaming? If money is not an issue, my advice is to always go for the best. Scaling down the processing speed is not an issue; however, boosting up the speed will be an uphill task.

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Furthermore, based on my own personal experience, a good processor will power all of your future software while an average processor bought today will not be able to run future software. Making sure your processor has all the processing speed required in the future will save you even more money in the long run.

Intel Processor i7 vs. i5 vs. i3 and Atom Comparison

Intel Processor i7 vs. i5 vs. i3

  • Intel i7 – Video Photo Editing and Gaming
  • Intel i5 – Basic photo editing and simple gaming
  • Intel i3 – Basic computing, word processing and surfing internet
  • Intel Xeon – Build for Server running at 24/7 with many features for running web servers
  • Intel Atom – Good battery life for portable devices for mobile computing
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Intel Core i7 4th GenIntel Core i5 4th GenIntel Core i3 4th GenIntel Atom

Clock Rate

1.6 GHz - 3.9 GHz1.06 GHz - 3.9 GHz2.4 GHz - 3.9 GHz800 MHz - 2.13 GHz

Fabrication

32 nm, 45 nm32 nm, 45 nm32 nm32 nm, 45 nm

Cores

QuadDouble, QuadDualSingle, Double

Bus Speed

4.8 GT/s, 6.4 GT/s2.5 - 5 GT/s1066 MHz, 1600 MHz
2.5 - 5 GT/s
400 MHz, 533 MHz
667 MHz, 2.5 GT/s

L2 Cache

4×256 KB256 KB256 KB512 KB - 1 MB

L3 Cache

6 MB - 8 MB4 MB - 8 MB3 MB - 4 MB-

Power Consumption

35 W - 84 W35 W - 84 W35 W - 54 W0.65 W - 13 W

Turbo Boost

YesYesNo-

Hyperthreading

YesNoYes-

Smart Cache

4 - 8MB3 - 6MB3 - 4MB-

Graphics

Intel HD 4600Intel HD 4600Varies-

Intel Core i7 vs Xeon “Which is Better?”

Newer Generation Processor Vs Previous Generation

At the time of writing, Intel’s lineup consist of 4th Generation processor. More often than not, the newer generation will be more expensive than the previous generation, the question is, is it worth paying extra for a 4th generation over 3rd generation?

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Intel Processor i7 vs. i5 vs. i3

  • 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3770K 4 Core Processor 8M Cache up to 3.90 GHz @ 77 W
  • 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4790T 4 Core Processor 8M Cache up to 3.90 GHz @ 45 W

As the technology matures, so does the power consumption. If you are a heavy user, it is worth paying extra because the more you use your computer, the cheaper it will be because it consumes less Watt. In the long run, the electricity bill will make up for the extra you paid for the processor.

4th gen core i7 4930mx 4950hq infographic

5 Comments

  1. Gravatar
    Joel Santo Domingo [ Reply ]

    There is a wealth of difference between Intel Core i5 vs Core i7 CPUs

  2. Gravatar

    How to Choose the Right Intel® Processor?

  3. Gravatar
    Britney Spears [ Reply ]

    Intel has now released the new Sandy Bridge architecture, and this has resulted in a re-launch of the Core i3, i5 and i7 brands.

  4. Gravatar

    What’s the difference between an Intel Core i3, i5 and i7?

  5. Gravatar

    Which is better? Intel Core i3 or Intel Core i5?

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