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Thread ID: 137240 2014-06-10 00:02:00 i5 vs. i7 lostsoul62 (16011) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
1376808 2014-06-10 00:02:00 You spend a thousand dollars to build a computer. All you need is an i5 for an average user. Why not spend another hundred dollars and get an i7? That's just 10% more because you will use the same motherboard. Now would getting the i7 last another year before you upgrade and if so then it would be worth getting an i7 vs. an i5? Also is getting a (K)series going to be worth getting if I don't overclock or should I get a (K) series incase I want to overclock later so it will last for a little while longer? The problem is if I use my (K) series CPU to upgrade or overclock later on then I have to spend a hundred more dollars for RAM? I'm not sure what to do? lostsoul62 (16011)
1376809 2014-06-10 00:18:00 It all depends what you want and what you are prepared to pay rather than what you actually need for most of us. It is a bit like a car, one can get from A to B quite well in a second hand $3or4K vehicle but it is far nicer to ride in a $30-40K one. The 'How long is at piece of string' argument springs to mind. CliveM (6007)
1376810 2014-06-10 01:51:00 I dont. I'm making one up atm. Will only be using a dual core 3.1. I3/I5/I7 is OK if you can afford it. Which, I cant. Just as long as it works after I assemble it / turn it on, I dont care what CPU I put on it

The PC I'm building will probably cost around $850
Speedy Gonzales (78)
1376811 2014-06-10 02:11:00 People who buy K series and overclock do it for the fun/challenge or the appeal of "free" performance not for any actual need for the most part. I upgraded from an i5 to an i7, can't tell the difference. In fact most of the time my old i3 felt the same to use as the i7 does. IMHO If you are a power user who pushes your PC get an i7, if not buy a non K i5, stick with stock cooling, and enjoy years of good performance. Nothing is future proof and by the time a current i5 is struggling with speed issues I doubt an i7 of the same age will me much better.

One of my builds was an i5 2500K overclocked to 4.1Ghz on an aftermarket cooler. After a BIOS update it defaulted back to stock clocks and it took me 3 months to notice....... Now I use an i7 3770 (just because I can) at stock and am happy with it
dugimodo (138)
1376812 2014-06-10 02:54:00 All you need is an i5 for an average user.

Let me correct that for you. :-)
All you need is an i3 for an average user.
In fact all you need is a even cheaper AMD for the av user (ie my home PC)

spend an extra 10% , 15% there, 20% there, 10% there etc etc etc, it all adds up.
Where is your performance bottleneck , thats where you spend the extra $$ . I wouldnt assume the CPU is going to be the bottleneck needing a higher spec
That might be money better spent on a bigger SSD
:2cents:

If you are wanting a PC thats overclockable , different story . You'll need to do some research & find the exact CPU's that are oc'able .
Even then, what are the real world gains in overclocking.
1101 (13337)
1376813 2014-06-10 03:49:00 Agree with the above comments. An I3, or other 2-4 core CPU, is enough for most of us. But I bought an I5!! Certainly wouldn't go to an I7 for my 'average' usage.

Don't agree with the car analogy, though. At least with an expensive car you get to enjoy better comfort and reliability and better sound system! But with an expensive CPU you notice no benefits!

End of day it is your choice.
linw (53)
1376814 2014-06-10 05:35:00 I'm still using a dual core Duo and it does everything i need from CAD to music encoding gary67 (56)
1376815 2014-06-10 08:06:00 I'm still using a dual core Duo and it does everything i need from CAD to music encoding

I agree - upgrade when you need to. I would still be using an Intel Core 2 except that it would not do 64 bit virtualization even though it was a 64 bit CPU. 64 bit virtualization was essential to what I was doing so at that point I had to upgrade.
johnd (85)
1376816 2014-06-10 10:00:00 If the PC is for gaming, and budget is even remotely a concern, the extra $100 or so of going i5 -> i7 would be better spent stepping up the GPU. If budget is not a concern then by all means, go for the best. inphinity (7274)
1376817 2014-06-18 08:06:00 I'm a gaming person but I didn't find it necessary to get I7.

I'm on i5 2500k however I have upgraded my graphics card from Radeon 6800 to Geforce GTX570 to Radeon R9270.

Sometimes if the processor is adequate consider upgrading your graphics card to match the processor power. That's if you have the money and playing games like me
Ninjabear (2948)
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