CPU: i5 or i7 ?

Hi,

Are the Intel i5 & i7 the best processors out there currently ?

And is there a big difference between an i5 and an i7 processor ?

What should I go for in terms of performance and speed?

Many thanks.

 

They are the best processors out there right now, but keep in mind that Ivy Bridge (the next iteration of the i5/i7s) is due in around 2 weeks from now (at least for the quad-core CPUs, the dual cores will come later). What you should go for depends on your needs and your budget -- there is a wide variety of parameters. If you are not sure about laptops in general, it may help to start a new thread in this subforum with this questionnaire filled out.

If you are only unsure about the processor, then the main difference between i7 and i5 is that i5 is dual-core whereas i7 is mostly (but not entirely) quad-core. More cores are extremely useful for the kind of work that I do, but if all you will be doing is browsing the web, checking email, office, etc. then you probably don't need them.

 

Yeah, I got a thread running already.... here

My needs are power hungry applications (server, virtual machines, ERP systems, web dev).

I should know a bit more about computer hardware but I've given up keeping abreast for far too many years.

What about AMD processors compared to Intel ?

I guess I'd need Quad Core with Turbo then...

Thanks for your reply.

 

Servers? MOAR cores
WMWare? MOAR RAM
Intel > AMD (In raw CPU performance)

 

Since you will be using power hungry software, an i7 (2670qm or 2760qm) would be good.
You will also need lots of RAM.
You can get a laptop with 8GB but upgrade to 16GB for $40 (2x4GB sticks) in US for example (similar situation is with other countries since ram is cheap).

The only distinction between the 2670qm and 2760qm is that the latter supports (officially) 32GB RAM.
Intel says that 2670qm supports up to 16GB, but some laptops were sold with that cpu and 32GB RAM.

 

Tough one. I would suggest waiting an extra week from March 1st -- once Ivy Bridge comes out (rumor has it around March 6), Sandy Bridge quad-cores should be cheaper. 14" workstations for $900 are kind of hard to find.

If CPU performance is important to you, don't bother with AMD. Without overclocking, their CPUs are literally a factor of 2 worse than the Sandy Bridge quad-cores. If you overclock them, the gap narrows considerably, but they're still not anywhere close.

 

Yes, your right an i7 is what I would need and definitely need lots of RAM, ideally 16-32GB. DDR3 RAM is cheap, but what about 8GB RAM sticks?

I'm actually even pondering now all-in-one deskstops if I can get the CPU and RAM. Portability is not so important now considering that I can use my VAIO for that purpose and the home-office doesn't have to have a laptop based system, yet not desktop as they have far too many wires etc but all in one desktops are pretty neat.

So what do you know that has 16GB & i7?

Thanks

 

Yeah I wasn't really considering AMDs seriously ( I still recall my first AMD machine in late 90s I think, it was a good machine from Time computers who are dead now).

If it means a bigger laptop no problem, portability is no longer a major factor and infact a bigger laptop might be better so 17" are IN and 13" are OUT!

Thanks

 

OK people I've come across a good HP Elitebook 8460P but it's i5, so for my heavy application use, would it better if I invest in an i7 instead ?

Appreciate your responses.

 

For your purposes, an i7 quad core CPU would be a better choice. Make sure the CPU model ends with QM because there is an i7 dual core model (that ends with M only).

 

There are Elitebooks with Quad cores too. Very nice machines indeed

 

Great advise, I'll take that into consideration. I think so too, get the i7 instead of the i5 and then upgrade the RAM to 16/32GB and stick a SSD HDD there instead of the optical drive - but still looking.

Thanks

 

I'm on the HP UK site and all the i7s for the 8640P CPU end in M and not QM - so are they duo or quad core ?

Here's the link
HP EliteBook 8460p Notebook PC

Processor:
Intel® Core™ i7-2640M

 

I have not seen any 8460P with quad core for sale so far. QM is quad and M is only dual core regardless of i7 or i5. The only way to get quad for 14 inch Elitebook is to go for 8460W mobile workstation or upgrade yourself. I have upgraded my 8460P to 2670QM from dual core.

 

Look for i7's (QM, as stated above) in the 2.2ghz and greater Range. Pickup 16gb of Ram and an SSD and it should handle anything you throw at it.

Give the Lenovo W520 a Try;

http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/laptop/thinkpad/w-series/w520/

 

Hi,

Thanks for your reply Cloudfire, but do you know which models of the 8460P has Quadcore.

I was of the understanding that all the i7s were Quadcores and i5s were Duo Core.

Is there any i5 that are Quadcores?

Thanks

 

All laptop core i5 are dual cores, the i7-2620m is a dual core as well, all i7 models ending in qm or xm are quad cores.

 

On the desktop side, there are Quad Core i5s, But on the mobile parts, they are all 2 Core. For i7, there are several 2 and 4 core parts.

They are easy to tell apart;

At the end of the model number the letter "M" means 2 Core.
The letters "QM" means Quad Core.
The letters "XM" Means quad core extreme.

 

Nope, no i5 are Dual cores (They end with "M", example 2620M). Only i7s that ends with QM or XM are Quad cores. 26xxQM, 27xxQM, 28xxQM, 29xxQM/XM.

You can find Elitebook 8460p with 2630QM/2760QM but they are rare. I don`t know where you live, but search around and you will find. 8460p are mostly sold with dual cores though

Here is one example (Compzilla)
Amazon.com: Used and New: 14.0" Intel Core 500GB 8GB

Why don`t you buy the 8460W instead? Its much easier to find a Quad core model and it have a much better GPU

 

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Anyone recommend refurbished/second hand model from the USA/UK ? Ebay or other online sellers for the HP 8460P/W it QuadCores?

Thanks

 

I found a good 8560P: i7(2620M) with 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD, but would it not be cheaper to upgrade to a Quad Core i7?

Is CPU replacement an easy thing to do or not recommended ?

Is the 8560P better than the 8460P

Thanks

 

2620M is dual core. If you plan to use quad, get a cheap i3 or i5 model and then upgrade it.

CPU replacement is not that hard, you can check the steps from service manual.

8560p basically shares the same platform with 8460p but comes in bigger screen and numpad. Cooling will be better and i heard screen quality is much better than 8460p. If you don't mind the extra size, 8560p is better.

 

Hi all,

What's the max memory the 8460P or the 8560P will take? I'm sure they will all take 16GB but in the near future can I upgrade to 32GB?

Couldn't find it on the HP site.

Thanks

 

Eventually got an i7 but not quadcore but will hopefully upgrade in the near future.

The 8560P rocks! Just need to do some modifications to it.

Thanks everyone for your advice on this thread.

 

As an i7-720QM user, i experience slow-mo in few CPU intensive games, in some usage i5 can perform better then i7 due to the base speed is way higher. General use, if multitasking is your style then i7 is definitely worth it.

Pair with SSD, CPU speed imo is the only component essential to SSD performance, therefore i tell myself the next laptop i purchase must have atleast 2.6GHz base speed, regardless any i5 or i7 generation.