i3, i5 and i7

[Dolby]

I've been out of the spec side of PC's far too long and now I have no idea what's out there :/

I've always understood as generally speedwise, you get (in this order) :

Quad Core
Core 2 Duo
Dual Core

I see an i3 is dual core as well - and someone told me a i5 is quad core?

Would a Quad Core be better than entry level i3s then?

I'm running a Q9300 (2.5ghz) - and just wondering where i3 and i5 fit?

 

[Nimz]

The i7 is quad core

Not the i5

 

[kayvee]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core

 

[Polygon]

i5 7xx is quad core.
i3 is physically two cores, but reports 4 as some (or all?) support hyper-threading.
i7 is quad and hexacore, some reporting 12 also due to hyper-threading.

This will tell you everything.

Lol. ^5 kayvee

 

[PostmanPot]

The i5 range has duals and quads.

No, none of the i3/5/7 CPUs (socket LGA1156/1366) will fit on your mobo (socket LGA775).

Yes, your Q9300 will be better than i3, at least when it comes to multitasking and multi-threaded programs.

 

[Dolby]

Thanks guys!

 

[BelAl]

And on top of all that the new Core-i processors also require certain RAM configurations to perform optimally. Lots to read about....

But all fun.

 

[Lawnchairman]

Your Q9300 is good enough actually little bit future proof can run 64 bit and bump up your mobo to get in more ram you dont really need to jump into the i platform. If you want to rather wait for Intel's Sandybridge CPU's early next year.

 

[kayvee]

Or you can wait for Sandy Bridge, just around the corner.

 

[Wimhotep]

The i7 is quad core

Not the i5

this CPU is the best value for money ATM
Intel® Core™ i5 760 - 2.80GHz Quad Core, Socket 1156, 8MB L3

Agree with Polygon +1

 

[Quest10n]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core

Thanks for the info

 

[FlatspinZA]

Your Q9300 is good enough actually little bit future proof can run 64 bit and bump up your mobo to get in more ram you dont really need to jump into the i platform. If you want to rather wait for Intel's Sandybridge CPU's early next year.

Or you can wait for Sandy Bridge, just around the corner.

+1 Sandybridge is the way to go. I still have a Q9300 & it runs everything just fine.

 

[Dolby]

Thanks.

Actually a guy at work was asking about getting an i3 and asked me. I had no clue - hence asking here.

Also wanted to compare it with something I know (my Q9300) and not really repalce it. My PC is 2 years old and still meets my needs of running Outlook and Internet Explorer