i5 vs i7 (2024)

Diffen › Technology › Consumer Electronics › Computer Hardware

How much faster are Intel Core i7 processors compared with Core i5 processors and are they worth the higher price? Core i7 processors perform better because they have more cache (great for repetitive tasks), higher clock speed (advantageous for CPU-intensive tasks like video encoding), and hyper-threading (for faster multitasking).

For most mainstream consumers, i5 performance is more than sufficient; they will not need the extra performance of the i7 series if their use is limited to web browsing, email, watching video and office/productivity apps. Core i7 processors have an advantage for processor-intensive applications such as video encoding and rendering, 3D modeling, high-end graphics work and gaming. While both i5 and i7 processors can be used for gaming, high-end gaming PCs still tend to use dedicated GPUs.

Comparison chart

i5 versus i7 comparison chart
	i5	i7
	current rating is 3.76/5 1 2 3 4 5 (515 ratings)	current rating is 4.26/5 1 2 3 4 5 (338 ratings)
Performance	Mid-level (4 star)	High-level (5 star)
Desktop	Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge	Ivy Bridge, Sandy Bridge-E, Sandy Bridge
Mobile	Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge	Ivy Bridge, Sandy Bridge
Cores	4 or 2	4
L3 Cache	6 or 3 MB	8 MB
Socket	LGA 1156, rPGA-9884, or BGA-988A.	LGA 1156, rPGA-9884, or BGA-988A.
TDP	77 W, 65 W, 45W, 35 W, 17 W, 13 W	130 W, 95 W, 77 W, 65 W, 55 W, 45 W, 35 W, 25 W, 17 W
I/O Bus	Direct Media Interface, Integrated GPU.	Direct Media Interface, Integrated GPU.

Performance

Intel Core i7 is a high-end processor and is more appropriate than the i5 processors for certain intensive tasks, such as data crunching, graphics and video editing, and PC gaming. i7 processors feature a larger cache, hyper-threading, and a higher clock speed.

Even so, computer processors are rarely the bottleneck in performance these days. Instead, memory (RAM) and storage (SSD instead of an HDD) provide greater bang for the buck for increased performance from a computer.

Gaming Performance

According to a study by APC, the difference between the Core i5-3450 and the top-end Core i7-3770k is about 10%. With 1080p, the i5-3450 delivered 81.6fps on Crysis, while the top Core i5, i5-3550 delivered 86.7. The i7-3770K delivered 89.3fps.

Video Editing

According to APC Magazine, there is some benefit to using i7 if ripping DVDs and converting them to .MKV files. However, they suggest that the i5-3750K is the best option, as it is perfectly between the i5-3450 and the i7-3770K in terms of performance, but is far closer to the i5-3450 in price.

Price

i5 systems are typically cheaper than comparable i7 systems by about $150. According to APC Magazine, only $40 separates the different i5 chips, with a $120 difference between i5 and i7.

i5 vs i7 Specifications

There are several generations of Core i5 and i7 processors, the latest being Ivy Bridge, preceded by Sandy Bridge, Westmere and Nehalem. This comparison will focus on the latest (Ivy Bridge) models. Concise, useful information about older models is available on Wikipedia (for i5 and for i7)

Turbo Boost

Turbo Boost is Intel's terminology for overclocking CPUs, allowing them to run faster than their base clock speed. Both Core i7 and i5 processors support Turbo Boost.

Hyper-threading

Intel Hyper-Threading increases CPU performance for multi-threaded tasks and is helpful for multitasking when several applications are running simultaneously. As discussed above, all Core i7 processors and mobile i5 processors support hyper-threading.

Specifications for Desktop i5 and i7 CPUs

All Core i5 and Core i7 Ivy Bridge processors for desktop have 4 cores and a Direct Media Interface with Integrated GPU.

Desktop versions of both i5 and i7 Ivy Bridge processors are quad-core. i7 processors on the desktop support hyper-threading while Core i5 processors on the desktop do not.

CPU Model	Frequency	Cores	L3 cache	Release price	Power consumption
i5-3330	3 GHz	4	6 MB	$182	standard power
i5-3330S	2.7 GHz	4	6 MB	$177	low power
i5-3335S	2.7 GHz	4	6 MB	$194	low power
i5-3350P	3.1 GHz	4	6 MB	$177	standard power
i5-3450	3.1 GHz	4	6 MB	$195	standard power
i5-3450S	2.8 GHz	4	6 MB	$195	low power
i5-3470S	2.9 GHz	4	6 MB	$184	low power
i5-3470T	2.9 GHz	2	3 MB	$184	standard power
i5-3470T	3.2 GHz	4	6 MB	$184	standard power
i5-3475S	2.9 GHz	4	6 MB	$201	low power
i5-3550	3.3 GHz	4	6 MB	$213	standard power
i5-3550S	3 GHz	4	6 MB	$205	low power
i5-3570	3.4 GHz	4	6 MB	$205	standard power
i5-3570K	3.4 GHz	4	6 MB	$235	standard power
i5-3570S	3.1 GHz	4	6 MB	$205	low power
i5-3570T	2.3 GHz	4	6 MB	$205	ultra-low power
i5-4570T	2.9 GHz	2	4 MB	$192	ultra-low power
i5-4430	3 GHz	4	6 MB	$182	standard power
i5-4440	3.1 GHz	4	6 MB	$182	standard power
i5-4570	3.2 GHz	4	6 MB	$192	standard power
i5-4670	3.4 GHz	4	6 MB	$213	standard power
i5-4670K	3.4 GHz	4	6 MB	$242	standard power
i7-3770	3.4 GHz	4	8 MB	$278	standard power
i7-3770K	3.5 GHz	4	8 MB	$313	standard power
i7-3770S	3.1 GHz	4	8 MB	$278	low power
i7-3770T	2.5 GHz	4	8 MB	$278	ultra-low power
i7-4770	3.4 GHz	4	8 MB	$303	standard power
i7-4770K	3.5 GHz	4	8 MB	$339	standard power
i7-4771	3.5 GHz	4	8 MB	$320	standard power
i7-4770S	3.1 GHz	4	8 MB	$303	low power
i7-4765T	2 GHz	4	8 MB	$303	ultra-low power
i7-4770T	2.5 GHz	4	8 MB	$303	ultra-low power

Specifications for Mobile i5 and i7 Processors

For the mobile versions of Ivy Bridge i5 and i7 processors (used in laptops and netbooks), things are a little different. Core i5 mobile processors are dual-core and so are some i7 processors, while other i7 CPUs are quad-core. All Core i5 and i7 mobile processors support hyper-threading. So there is a smaller performance gap between i5 and dual-core i7 mobile processors. Quad-core i7 mobile processors do deliver increased performance but may sacrifice some battery life to do so.

CPU Model	Frequency	Cores	L3 cache	Release price	Power consumption
i5-3210M	2.5 GHz	2	3 MB	$225	standard power
i5-3210M	1.5 GHz	2	3 MB	$250	ultra-low power
i5-3210M	1.5 GHz	2	3 MB	$250	ultra-low power
i5-3230M	2.6 GHz	2	3 MB	$225	standard power
i5-3317U	1.7 GHz	2	3 MB	$225	low power
i5-3320M	2.6 GHz	2	3 MB	$225	standard power
i5-3337U	1.8 GHz	2	3 MB	$225	low power
i5-3340M	2.7 GHz	2	3 MB	$225	standard power
i5-3360M	2.8 GHz	2	3 MB	$266	standard power
i5-3380M	2.9 GHz	2	3 MB	$266	standard power
i5-3427U	1.8 GHz	2	3 MB	$225	low power
i5-3437U	1.9 GHz	2	3 MB	$225	low power
i5-3610ME	2.7 GHz	2	3 MB	$276	standard power
i7-3517U	1.9 GHz	2	4 MB	$346	ultra-low power
i7-3517UE	1.7 GHz	2	4 MB	$330	ultra-low power
i7-3520M	2.9 GHz	2	4 MB	$346	standard power
i7-3540M	3 GHz	2	4 MB	$346	standard power
i7-3555LE	2.5 GHz	2	4 MB	$360	low power
i7-3573U	2 GHz	2	4 MB	$346	ultra-low power
i7-3610QE	2.3 GHz	4	6 MB	$393	standard power
i7-3610QM	2.3 GHz	4	6 MB	$378	standard power
i7-3612QE	2.1 GHz	4	6 MB	$426	low power
i7-3612QM	2.1 GHz	4	6 MB	$378	low power
i7-3615QE	2.3 GHz	4	6 MB	$393	standard power
i7-3615QM	2.3 GHz	4	6 MB	$378	standard power
i7-3630QM	2.4 GHz	4	6 MB	$378	standard power
i7-3632QM	2.2 GHz	4	6 MB	$378	low power
i7-3635QM	2.4 GHz	4	6 MB	$378	standard power
i7-3667U	2 GHz	2	4 MB	$346	ultra-low power
i7-3687U	2.1 GHz	2	4 MB	$356	ultra-low power
i7-3689Y	1.5 GHz	2	4 MB	$362	ultra-low power
i7-3720QM	2.6 GHz	4	6 MB	$378	standard power
i7-3740QM	2.7 GHz	4	6 MB	$378	standard power
i7-3820QM	2.7 GHz	4	8 MB	$568	standard power
i7-3840QM	2.8 GHz	4	8 MB	$568	standard power
i7-3920XM	2.9 GHz	4	8 MB	$1,096	standard power
i7-3940XM	3 GHz	4	8 MB	$1,096	standard power

References

About the Author

Nick Jasuja has over 15 years of technology industry experience, including at Amazon in Seattle. He is an expert at building websites, developing software programs in PHP and JavaScript, maintaining MySQL and PostgreSQL databases, and running Linux servers for serving high-traffic websites. He has a bachelor's degree in Computer Science & Engineering.