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  1. #1

    Intel i7 vs i5, worth the money?

    So soon I will build my new computer and will switch from AMD platform to intel. But still cant decide if should I buy i5-2500K or i7-2600K.

    In my country I can get i5 for 900 PLN and i7 for 1280 PLN (1USD = around 3,5 PLN atm so i5 for 260 USD and i7 for 365 USD). The difference in price is quite big and I wonder if i7 its really worth the money over i5?

    Anyone got before i5 and switched to i7? Do you notice big performance boost? Is there big difference in two setups if one have i5 and second i7 (and rest is the same)?

  2. #2
    For gaming and normal tasks they are both roughly the same in performance. However if you use programs professionally where a matter of seconds could mean the difference between making a deadline and being fired or programs that can actually make use of the hyperthreading etc the the I7 is better. In all other cases just get the I5, overclock it and it will run like a beast. I don't have one personally but ive read a lot of reviews of both and am considering an I5 system setup myself. Good luck and enjoy which ever choice you go for.

  3. #3
    The key difference between the i5 and the i7 is that the i7 has 2 processing threads per core and the i5 only has 1, therefore, the i7 has 8 processing threads, and the i5 has 4, so essentially the i7 can perform twice as many concurrent actions as the i5. Is it worth the money? Well that depends. What is your budget? How much does 100 dollars mean to you? Are you paying for it, or it is a gift? Overall though, I'd say spending 100 more dollars on your CPU is always worth it, since technology gets outdated so fast these days.

    Edit - one more thing, you should not think your processor is all that matters. Your memory is also extremely important (not just the quantity, but also the quality and the speed). It's hard to know whether spending more on the CPU is a good idea without seeing the entire build you're specing out. If you post the entire thing, I could give you a more legitimate answer.

  4. #4
    For programs that use up to four threads of data, the only difference between the two is 100MHz clock speed. For my wife, for example, who plays WoW and surfs the internet a lot, there is zero (0) reason to get an i7.

    I run Folding@Home on my PC and do a reasonable amount of video editing, however, so my next purchase will be an i7 of some variety. If you regularly run programs that take advantage of the extra threads the i7 provides (distributed computing, video/audio editing, stuff like that) then the i7 will provide a significant (not double, but worthwhile) performance benefit. Otherwise, go with the i5 and save yourself some cash.

    As for the rest of the setup, no, there is no required difference. Though as the above poster stated, posting the full system specs of your build will help us give additional recommendations as well.
    Super casual.

  5. #5
    Deleted
    If you can afford it, your system is future proofed for a little longer. If you can't really afford it, it will preform fine on either.

  6. #6
    Might want to check out ebay. I got an I7 computer with radeon 6950 gfx card for 650 bucks. If you're paying 350 for just a processor, might want to re-evaulate where you are puchasing it from

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by sharingan-anime View Post
    Might want to check out ebay. I got an I7 computer with radeon 6950 gfx card for 650 bucks. If you're paying 350 for just a processor, might want to re-evaulate where you are puchasing it from
    The problem with that, is that you live in the US.
    Everything costs a lot more in other countries.

    On-topic, the i7 2600K will give you very very little for gaming that the i5 2500K doesn't.
    Last edited by BicycleMafioso; 2012-01-06 at 02:41 AM.
     

  8. #8
    I am Murloc! Fuzzykins's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sharingan-anime View Post
    Might want to check out ebay. I got an I7 computer with radeon 6950 gfx card for 650 bucks. If you're paying 350 for just a processor, might want to re-evaulate where you are puchasing it from
    No you didn't.
    i7 2600k is ~275 USD, the 69501GB is like 250.
    That means...
    275 + 250 = 525
    You spent 125 on a motherboard, case, power supply, RAM, and hard drive.

  9. #9
    The Unstoppable Force DeltrusDisc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fuzzykins View Post
    i7 2600k is ~275 USD
    Actually it's more often in excess of $300.
    Last edited by DeltrusDisc; 2012-01-06 at 02:41 AM.
    "A flower.
    Yes. Upon your return, I will gift you a beautiful flower."

    "Remember. Remember... that we once lived..."

    Quote Originally Posted by mmocd061d7bab8 View Post
    yeh but lava is just very hot water

  10. #10
    i love my i7 so much. get i7 bro

  11. #11
    I am Murloc! Fuzzykins's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DeltrusDisc View Post
    Actually.

    /10chars bah.

    * I'd ask you not to do that. If you have to add 10char, one has to rethink how contributing ones post is. Since this is a link, perhaps leave the entire link here, and comment on the price, perhaps give guidelines where it can be bought for less. Push the discussion forward.
    I feel like that only adds to my argument.

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    The Unstoppable Force DeltrusDisc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lukerocks View Post
    i love my i7 so much. get i7 bro
    Too bad you're probably not using it to its true potential.

    Get an i5-2500K dude and use the money towards something else, like a higher grade GPU or towards an SSD.
    "A flower.
    Yes. Upon your return, I will gift you a beautiful flower."

    "Remember. Remember... that we once lived..."

    Quote Originally Posted by mmocd061d7bab8 View Post
    yeh but lava is just very hot water

  13. #13
    I am Murloc! Fuzzykins's Avatar
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    This all depends on his current build. If he's got a 6950 or something, a 2600k really isn't that much of a waste of money, as there isn't much he can improve on in graphics unless he goes with a 6970 or 580 or something like that. We don't know the whole story, so we can't determine whether or not it's worth it.

    That said, in my personal opinion, there's no reason to get a 2600k at all, even on work machines. It's not worth the $100+ for the render time it saves you.

  14. #14
    2500k + ssd, best decision you'll ever make.

  15. #15
    Dreadlord haxs101's Avatar
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    Get an I5 for gaming, hyperthreading does no good and reduces performance actually. Don't try to prove me wrong, I wrote an post about this with my i7 930 on overclock.net. Same/little less performance with gaming, also did this with BF3. Get the 2500k, little difference. BUT if you are using programs like editing and all that, get the i7.
    Quote Originally Posted by Mwarren View Post
    It's a no brainer. Get MW3, Skyrim is just a rehash of Oblivion.
    Quote Originally Posted by Neezh View Post
    Because I'm brave enough to smoke. I see no point in quitting

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Fuzzykins View Post
    That said, in my personal opinion, there's no reason to get a 2600k at all, even on work machines. It's not worth the $100+ for the render time it saves you.
    That argument doesn't hold very well though. Time is money.
    If I had a 386 who could render, and a Celeron who could render, why waste money on the Celeron, I already have a CPU who can handle it.

    A stronger CPU for work stations is a stronger argument than one for gaming, because work stations gives you money. Or that's the thought.
    A better CPU who can make the work done in a lot less time? Fantastic.
    Real work stations would run LGA2011 or Xeon, but still. More job/hour = more possible revenue.
     

  17. #17
    The Unstoppable Force DeltrusDisc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by haxs101 View Post
    Get an I5 for gaming, hyperthreading does no good and reduces performance actually. Don't try to prove me wrong
    I'll just go ahead and leave this here as proof that what haxs101 is in fact correct, when you are just gaming, the i7 is either equal or even sometimes worse than the i5, rarely better.
    "A flower.
    Yes. Upon your return, I will gift you a beautiful flower."

    "Remember. Remember... that we once lived..."

    Quote Originally Posted by mmocd061d7bab8 View Post
    yeh but lava is just very hot water

  18. #18
    I am Murloc! Fuzzykins's Avatar
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    The point is that the difference isn't marginal enough to warrant the extra money.

  19. #19
    Dreadlord haxs101's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fuzzykins View Post
    The point is that the difference isn't marginal enough to warrant the extra money.
    This. The one way I see myself in getting an I7 2600k + is if it ACTUALLY provided a lot better GAMING performance compared to the i5, also if I did heavy editing, rendering, all that jazz, but I don't. I do what 98% of other people do on their computer, play games, go on the interwebs, listen to music.
    Quote Originally Posted by Mwarren View Post
    It's a no brainer. Get MW3, Skyrim is just a rehash of Oblivion.
    Quote Originally Posted by Neezh View Post
    Because I'm brave enough to smoke. I see no point in quitting

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by DeltrusDisc View Post
    I'll just go ahead and leave this here as proof that what haxs101 is in fact correct, when you are just gaming, the i7 is either equal or even sometimes worse than the i5, rarely better.
    While true, it's also important to point out that most of the difference come through the clock speed differences, but some of it is helped in some applications by the HT as well.

    But yea LGA1155 i7 adds little to gaming that the LGA1155 i5 doesn't already provide
     

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