i5 or i7?

[Andy.]

I have decided to upgrade my C2D to some quad core goodness, but really cannot see any reason to go for the i7 over i5.

I use the PC to play games, and have a 4870 1GB card which will not be upgraded for the time being. I also need to edit large photos (21MP) and full HD video files.

From the benchmarks I have seen, gaming performance is pretty much level, and the processing power seems to match too...Am I missing something or is there another reason that I would need to pay more for a processor, motherboard and RAM when the i5 does the job just as well?

 

[David]

i5 uses dual channel mem i7 uses triple channel....up to you on that really. for you, you may need more memory anyway..

no hyperthreading on i5, no turbo boost mode on i5.

depends on how much u wanna spend, i'd say i5 would prob be fine for you...

 

[David]

oh yeh one other thing, i've noticed with i5, you can't install a 32bit OS on it?!?! can anyone confirm this? had a couple of dells running i5 and says the chip isn't compatible with 32 bit...worth a thought...

 

[Griff]

no turbo boost mode on i5

Yes there is.

 

[David]

i stand corrected

 

[KDF]

I read up a ton of stuff and comparisons as I wasnt up to date with core i* technology.. I went for the i7 2.6Ghz which with the cooler I have can easily overclock to 4ghz if I want..

 

[Andy.]

What did you upgrade from? Was there a notable difference?

I think I'll probably just get the i5. They seem to overclock pretty well too from what I have read.

 

[Mike_182]

If your current board can take it, stick a Q6600/Q6700 in there. Mine still benches fine and runs Crysis et al. The GPU is the biggest bottleneck in any modern system still... £120 and good as new.

 

[Dink]

If your current board can take it, stick a Q6600/Q6700 in there. Mine still benches fine and runs Crysis et al. The GPU is the biggest bottleneck in any modern system still... £120 and good as new.

this as good as the q6600?

 

[Andy.]

If your current board can take it, stick a Q6600/Q6700 in there. Mine still benches fine and runs Crysis et al. The GPU is the biggest bottleneck in any modern system still... £120 and good as new.

It probably could, but if I am going to upgrade, I want a decent jump in performance and for it to remain usable for a couple of years.