I'm upgrading the processor to my computer and was wondering whats the power difference between the i7 and the i5.

here are the 2 in question

http://www.microcenter.com/product/388577/Core_i5_3570K_34GHz_Socket_LGA_1155_Boxed_Processor

http://www.microcenter.com/product/388575/Core_i7_3770K_35GHz_Socket_LGA_1155_Boxed_Processor

other than the .1 GHz is there a reason to spent the extra 60 dollars.

thoughts?

i hope you will use this new computing power to create OGEL'S CITY 2: THE OGELATENOR

that is the plan

Yes, there is a reason, although that reason may not be something you care about.

The i7 has "hyperthreading", which allows it to make much more effective use of its 4 cores. They appear to the OS as 8 cores, allowing the system to better make use of each core's resources. To dumb it down, IIRC, it basically allows it to start on another instruction before the previous one has completely finished, so the whole pipeline is active all the time.

That said, since it's really only good when you're maxing out all of the CPU's 4 cores. If you don't do a lot of video editing, compiling, or 3D rendering (not gaming, rendering), you probably won't see much advantage to it. In fully loaded scenarios, I believe it's around 15-20% faster. But only then. The i5 is not a bad chip.

BTW, just so you know, the chips you linked to are for the previous generation. The new Haswell (4xxx series) chips have a new socket on the motherboard, a slight performance improvement, and a large power improvement. If money is the key factor, go ahead and get the 3xxx series, but if you plan on upgrading in the future instead of a new system, you might want to get the Haswell series, so you're not trapped in a dead-end motherboard socket.

Thank you for the insight. I will probably stay with the 3xxx because my motherboard has the 1155 socket and when its time to upgrade motherboards i usually just build a whole new computer.

So you already have a build PC with a 1155 socket? What is your current specs? It may not be worth upgrading.

Pentium G620 (1155) @ 2.6ghz
16gb DDR3
3870x2 1gb (512mb per GPU) PCI-E Videocard
2x 1tb 5900rpm SATA HD
DVDRW SATA
700W Rosewill PSU
Windows 7 x64


Just upgraded the ram last week

Just fyi i do do a lot of video editing and 3d motion graphic design.

Make sure your motherboard supports that CPU you're putting in it. It may need a BIOS update even if it does.

Also, I'd highly, highly recommend an SSD. That 5900RPM HDD is probably killing your performance more than anything else on that machine (seriously, why not at least a 7200RPM *vomit*).

The motherboard is a H61M-P23 (B3). The i7 3770K is on its list of compatible CPUs.

http://us.msi.com/product/mb/H61M-P23--B3-.html#/?div=CPUSupport

Is there anything else i should know before i go buy the CPU.


Change from previous post, I thought i had bought an identical HD when i last upgraded, while i was in the computer looking up the Motherboard model, I noticed that the new (now primary drive) HD is 7200RPM. http://www.microcenter.com/product/400847/1TB_7,200_RPM_SATA_60Gb-s_35_Internal_Hard_Drive_DT01ACA100_-_Bare_Drive to be specific.


The original computer came from the free giveaway a couple of years ago. #1 (Custom Tower NXZT Gamma)
http://forums.massassi.net/vb3/showthread.php?59886-Ho-Ho-Ho-Santa-s-got-gifts-(Free-Computers)&highlight=free+computer+santa

i5 unless you do serious workstation stuff, you won't even notice the hyper threading unless you:
run lots of virtual machines
do lots of CAD
calculate pi to 6 billion decimals daily

Wouldn't you know it, you hit #2 on the head. Buy it. And then immediately get an SSD because you'll notice that even more.

I swear you guys only post exciting computer tech questions when I'm on vacation, or maybe that means I take too much vacation time. You should look at the video editing and 3d design software and see if it supports hyperthreading. My guess would be that it does, and then it's probably worth the extra $60. Also since your motherboard is the H61 chipset it doesn't support overclocking. Meaning you *might* be able to save money going with a non-K cpu. There was never really much price difference between the i7-3770 (or any other 1155 i7) and i7-3770K so don't waste too much time looking hard for a better deal.

Oh my... listen to Cool Matty. Forget the CPU and use your money on an SSD upgrade. Once you experience the speed difference you will kick yourself for not doing this before.

To be fair, his CPU is still pretty pitiful. Pentiums are the new Celerons.

Wouldn't hyperthreading hurt performance in this case?

Yes.

I didn't realize this was one of the giveaway computers until after I posted. Good to hear it's still alive and being utilized, even if it needs an upgrade.

Yep its still being used on a daily basis and i thank you for it.

just for the record I did end up going with the i7 and its working wonderfully. my next upgrade will ,after listening to your suggestions, will be an ssd however this will be some time away because I am now broke. Thank you all for your imput.

Huh, that's the same GPU I have. Now I feel less bad about having something to old (but hell it runs BF3)