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Intel Core i3 vs i5 – Which is The Ideal Processor For You? | Amazon Offers on Electronics

by Manoj Vijay SEO Manager At Xerve
The processor is the brain of a computer. It is crucial to know the difference between different types of processors to choose the ideal one for different purposes. With a huge range of processors from Intel, it is next to impossible to list out each one of them. We have penned down the major differences between i3 and i5 processors.

Related: Check out the Amazon offers on a range of i5 & i3 laptops & desktops.

Clock speed – Gone are the days where we weighed the performance in terms of the megahertz or gigahertz rating. This makes sense when both the processors fit in the same family with similar architecture. Fortunately, Core i3 and i5 processors are pretty similar under the hood. Hence, clock speed comparison makes complete sense. Core i5 processors are considerably faster when compared to Core i3 processors. The Core i5 handles even the intense calculations in lightening speed. The Core i5 series has featured Turbo Boost on most of the models which makes it perform quicker than the base clock speed. On the other hand, Core i3 processors do not feature the Turbo Boost option at all.

Cache – Core i5 processors come with larger cache or onboard memory when compared to Core i3 processors. This makes repetitive tasks much faster for i5 when compared to i3. The editing and calculating spreadsheets are almost instantaneous with Core i5 processors. With the currently available desktop processors, Core i5 processors have up to 6MB of L3 cache and Core i3 processor have about 3MB to 4MB cache.

Hyper-threading – Hyper-threading is mainly used to perform multi-threaded tasks like multimedia operations (rendering, transcoding etc) or web surfing (loading images and flash content) simultaneously. The Core i5 processor uses Hyper-threading to make dual-core CPU perform like quad-core CPU. But Core i5 with quad-core itself will not have Hyper-threading. Almost all Core i3 processors support Hyper-threading meaning dual processors that can handle four threads.

Power draw – The Core i5 processors are known to be more powerful than the Core i3 processors. The Intel models with M, U and UM labels are exclusively designed to be power efficient. The Core i5 processors draw more power for the same tasks than Core i3 processors. This might not have a major impact on desktop computers but might be a concern for laptops. So make sure to purchase a laptop with lower wattage ratings to save more power.  

Heat – The higher the watts a processor draws, more the clock speed it performs with and more heat it produces. This indicates that the Core i5 processor generates more heat when compared to Core i3 processors. This is perfectly fine when it comes to desktops but laptops with powerful CPUs may get annoyingly hot during heavy use.

Price – Core i5 processors are considerably expensive when compared to Core i3 processors. The price of a processor when purchased separately for a desktop build might depend on numerous factors like processor generation, capability etc. But, in general, Core i5 processor might cost you more for the similar model with Core i3 processor. The price may also vary with extra features like Hyper-threading, extra L2 and L3 cache, performance-enhancing options etc.

Thus, it is best advised to do a thorough research on all these attributes before investing on a laptop or a desktop computer. Jot down your purposes and the intensity of use, before jumping into conclusion.


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About Manoj Vijay Advanced   SEO Manager At Xerve

100 connections, 0 recommendations, 442 honor points.
Joined APSense since, September 12th, 2017, From Bangalore, India.

Created on Oct 18th 2018 08:29. Viewed 777 times.

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