Posted on March 12th, 2010The computer industry moves briskly, and it can be difficult to keep track of all new amazing features. A growing number of manufacturers are introducing laptops and desktops with Intel’s latest processor family: the Nehalem-based processors. But which Core i processor is best for you?
The new i7, i5 and i3 chips are a “best-better-good” line-up, the i3 is less powerful but a cheaper chip, and the performance and price go up with i5 and i7 processor.
Computers with Core i3 chips generally have humbler specs all around as they are tailored to give solid but not dramatic performance at a more affordable price. Systems equipped with the Core i7 processors, however, are generally strongest throughout and are optimized for many kinds of tasks. The Core i5 performance is somewhere between the two. In the end, the impetus for this is “simplification”, Intel had too many brands, but not enough focus, and it was harder for customers to understand their brand structure.
Intel has definitely simplified the process of selecting a processor with its most recent naming scheme, but a few confusions still remains. For instance, there are actually more than one “series” of the i5 and i7 processors.
It can be a good idea to offer a more diverse range of price versus performance, but multiple Core i5 and Core i7 processors muddy the waters a little. Core i3 processors have fewer cores, lack Turbo Boost Technology, and with smaller caches. Core i7 processors have more cores, can handle multiple threads, use Turbo Boost Technology and with larger caches. Core i5 processors vary on all these features. These are eight factors to consider when choosing a Core i processor:
1. Mobile vs. Desktop
Fortunately, Intel delineates these chips into mobile” and “desktop” categories. Desktop plainly refers to desktop PCs, but mobile can be a little confusing. The mobile Core processors are surely too powerful for mobile phones, but excellent for laptops and similar portable computers. All Core i3, i5 and i7 processors are excessively power hungry for handheld usages, and they are also too expensive for netbooks.
2. Multiple Cores
It makes it possible for parallel processing by breaking the chip up into a few smaller sections, called cores. The more cores you have, the more processes that can be handled simultaneously. However, it is depending on software design too. If a software is not coded to support parallel tasks with multiple cores, there is almost no benefit to having many cores. More and more operating systems and programs in recent years are implementing such structure, meaning more cores will result in better performance.
3. Threads
It is a way to multiply the cores number without physically adding the cores. If the operating system and program support it, each physical core can handle a couple of “threads,” or processing tasks, essentially doubling the number of tasks and the effective number of cores on a processor. More threads mean more things are done faster.
4. Turbo Boost Technology
It allows processor cores to work outside their designed operating frequency, if they’re operating below temperature, current, and power specification limits. Essentially, it means that whenever a chip is not being pushed too hard, it can run temporarily faster than advertised. In most situations, Turbo Boost will significantly increase performance.
5. Integrated Graphics
It indicates that the chip has a built-in GPU. The benefits are straightforward: no need for a dedicated (and often costly) graphics card, and immediate compatibility with the CPU. There is, of course an obvious drawback, integrated GPUs are not nearly as faster as a separate graphic card. It is only useful for those who need graphics-intensive processes. Any kind of image or video editing and especially gaming usually run better with a dedicated graphics card. That is why integrated GPU are only available with the cheaper Core i3 chips, which are designed for lighter computing requirements. Of course, it is also possible to disable the built-in GPU in BIOS and use a dedicated graphic card for better performance if your motherboard has a PCI-E slot.
6. Cache Size
It allows the chip to find commonly used information faster, thus speeding up common computing processes. You may find some trade-offs, but generally, the bigger the cache size, the better.
7. Manufacturing Process
You will find a couple of manufacturing processes used to fabricate Core chips: 45 nm (nanometer) and 32 nm. These numbers refer to how tightly the chip components are arranged. A 32 nm processor is more compact than a 45 nm processor and allows Intel to pack more computing power in a limited amount of space. The company has only recently used the 32 nm process, which is partially why the older Core i5 and Core i7 processors, still use the 45 nm process. In the end, the manufacturing process does not have as much of an effect on processor performance. However, if you want to reduce power consumption, choose a 32 nm chip.
8. Frequency
It is used to suggest what most buyers think of as speed, namely the number of GHz (gigahertz) the processor runs at. The higher the GHz, the faster the CPU is said to be.