Difference between Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 Processors

Do you get confused with the Intel's processor line up? Do you get confused with which processor will suit you best based on your requirements? If you're struggling with these problems then don't worry. This post will explain you everything in detail that you need to decide.

Generally speaking, Intel Core i7s are better than Intel Core i5s, which in turn are better than Intel Core i3s. But on which factor it get decided, Have you ever once give thought on it? This usually decides on their relative processing powers.

Relative processing powers can be decided based on the criteria's which includes their number of cores, clock speed(in GHz), size of cache, Intel Turbo Boost technology and Hyper-threading.

Number of Cores

Number of tasks served at same time is directly proportional to the number of cores present in the processor. More the cores are present, more number of tasks can be executed at same time on the processor.

The Intel Core i3 CPUs are entirely dual-core processors i.e., the processors which have only two cores. All i5s CPUs are quad-core processors except i5-4570T which is only dual-core processor with the standard clock speed of 2.9GHz. All i7s CPUs are also quad-core processors but the difference between the i5 and i7 is that Intel has introduced Turbo Boost technology in i5 processors but in i7 processors, Hyper-threading get introduced. Both the Turbo Boost technology and Hyper-threading are discussed later.

Cache Size

Cache is similar to RAM that get used by CPU to keep the data store which keeps on using over and over again. Cache is faster than RAM because it is built into CPU itself. Without RAM and Cache memory, CPU will have to take data from Hard Drive every time when it requires. This would increase the processing time.

By adding RAM and Cache memory, interaction with hard drive get minimize and thus reduces the processing time drastically. Basically, RAM minimizes the interaction with Hard drive while Cache minimizes the interaction with RAM. With more cache size, more data can be accessed quickly. The fourth generation i3 processors usually have 3MB or 4MB cache size while fourth generation i5 processors have 4MB or 6MB of cache. All i7 processors consist of 8MB of cache except i7-4770R which has 6MB of cache.

Turbo Boost Technology

The Turbo Boost technology allows a processor to increase its clock speed dynamically when it needs. The maximum amount that Turbo Boost can raise the clock speed depends on the number of active cores, the estimated current consumption, the estimated power consumption and the temperature of processor.

All i5 processors are equipped with the latest version of Turbo Boost technology - Turbo Boost 2.0. All the i5 processors can outrun any Core i3 processor.

Hyper Threading

While executing a program onto the processor, it get divides into sub-parts. These sub-parts can be called as threads. 

Only one thread can be execute at a time on one core. Thus if a processor has dual-core, then it can execute two threads at a time. But Intel has introduced a technology called Hyper threading which enables processor to execute multiple threads on one core at same time.

i3 processors have dual-core thus four threads can be executed at same time while i5 processors does not support the Hyper-threading technology except i5-4570T. Thus number of threads execution on i5 processor is nearly equivalent to the number of threads execution on i3 processors.

i7 processors also supports Hyper-threading technology. This is one of the main reason that most of the users prefer i7 processor as it provides relatively fast processing power as compared to i3 and i5 as it supports both Intel Turbo Boost technology and Hyper-threading technology.

I hope, now you can easily decide which processor will be best suitable to you based on your requirements.