Intel Core i5 vs i7? Which Processor To Choose
2 min read
Intel Core i5 is more than enough for mid-range pc gamers, only get an Intel Core i7 for high-end systems with SLI GPU configurations.
If you’re building a mid-range Gamer PC or a more powerful high-end Gamer PC, then you might face a dilemma when it’s time to choose the processor. This is mainly due to myths and misinformation circulating in the community of gamers about the importance of a CPU in a PC gaming.
So what is true and what is not?
This is precisely what we are going to discuss in this article now!
Intel Core i5 vs Intel Core i7
Let’s start with a basic comparison. How do these two processors compete?
The easiest way to check their approximate performance is to use UserBenchmark. This is by no means the most accurate way to determine the performance of a CPU, but it gives you a general impression of their performance in practice – especially if you want to compare different models.
As you can see on the linked page above, where the most powerful 8th generation i5 and i7 models are compared, the i7 is only slightly better than the i5. The only area where it really leaves the i5 in the dust is multitasking, because it has doubled the number of threads thanks to the technology of hyper-threading.
But the biggest gap is by far in the price, and the majority of people will agree that it’s not worth it to pay over a hundred more for the negligible performance increase that i7 offers. when it comes to games.
CPU Bottleneck
The term “bottleneck” has been somewhat overused in the gamer community. So what does this term mean?
It all depends on how the computer works. In simple terms, the processor tells the graphics card what to render and when. If the CPU is unable to do so, the GPU will not operate at full capacity and will be in a bottleneck.
Conclusion
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In the end, we can conclude that the Intel Core i7 models should be reserved for PCs and only the most powerful gaming machines. Unless you plan to use several high-end graphics cards in an SLI, an i7 processor is literally a waste of money that could have been spent on a more powerful graphics card.
Plus, keep in mind that even slight CPU bottlenecks that can result from pairing an i5 with a high-end card are still not a big deal. After all, better to have a GTX 1080 slightly saturated than an i7 paired with a GTX 1070.
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