Question about laptop processors and hyperthreading

Hi, the question is whether or not a laptop processor specifically the i5 7300 with no hyperthreading could handle the tasks of having many background processes, such as having Norton antivirus, many tabs of internet with videos/streams loaded, and a game loaded, and if it would cause a bottleneck in the cpu. I have watched a techquickie video and it mentioned a similar workload and how hyperthreading or in my case a i7 7700hq would be better. I understand that the i5 7300 is 4 core with quite a low base speed of only about 2.5 with no hyperthreading, so my real question is actually wondering what this processor can handle without bottle necking specifically in terms of heavy multitasking. Also if it can handle some multitasking with something heavy like extensive excel work.Thanks for the help and input.

 

Yes you will see i5 lagging behind i7 for extreme workload. If you need an extreme CPU to handle all your work get the i7 preferably 7820HK that is overcockable.

 

IF you want true multi-core performance, wait a month for the Ryzen 7 6/8-core laptops that Asus and others announced. Those are 50-100% better for those workloads due to having more efficient and more numerous cores.

 

Mt question for you is this your current workflow? If so then what are your current system spec's and at what point do you currently feel bogged down by the system?

 

Can you tell us the exact CPU you're asking about? There is no i5-7300...

Multitasking for your workload example will need not just a powerful CPU - it will also need as much RAM as you can load on the system. 16GB is the minimum I would be looking at; but 32GB is not out of the question either if you want the fastest, most responsive multitasking system possible.

As for the CPU? That depends on the specific game(s) you're playing.

If you're running Win10x64 latest version and can control your browsing and clicking to safe sites... get rid of Norton. That will make any system sluggish - right when you want the maximum responsiveness possible...

What you're describing isn't 'heavy' multitasking, btw. As for the Excel reference you've made; again - it will depend on what you have the spreadsheet(s) doing internally and how optimized your coding there is...

So, is your CPU the i5-7300U or the i5-7300HQ that you're wondering the capabilities about?

See:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=2922&cmp[]=2955&cmp[]=2906


For 'snappiness' or how responsive the system will feel; they're all about the same (look at the single threaded 'score').

For how much (relative) raw performance between those processors: the i7-7700HQ is ~75% faster than the i5-7700U and ~32% faster than the i5-7300HQ (the 'cpu mark' or 'multicore' score).

With the data above; how important is it to get the Excel work done faster (is it a paid project)? What does your game requirements state (is an i5 an option)?

No matter which processor you decide on; max out the RAM for the most fluid workflow possible.

Good luck.

 

The hq one thanks, woudl it be able to handle norton antivirus i the back, with a simulation game (usually mroe cpu intensive) with 10-12 tabs with a few as both youtube and a stream, with either excel or r studio and working on it

 

Running a i7 5500u with gtx 950m. The usual load I have is Norton loaded in the back, game loaded, 10-12 tabs maybe a few of them youtube and stream, and sometimes either excel or r studio loaded and working with it. The cpu maxes out at a 100 a lot and was wondering if the i5 7300hq could do better. My old ivy bridge i7 is doing better (4cores) and (4 hyperthreaded) with many tasks running. Thank you

 

Hi what would you describe as ah extreme workload thanks for input on the topic

 

@cylpol1 Try compare the i5-7300HQ with whichever Ivy Bridge CPU you have: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=2922&cmp[]=893
PassMark isn't the only benchmarking software around but it can give you some sort of idea at least.

e.g. http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-3615QM-vs-Intel-Core-i5-7300HQ/m806vsm223877

 

There is no HT but since it is a true 4 cores and turbo boost is +500 MHz then yes it should do better.

 

Again: get rid of Norton. That will make any system feel like it's a decade old... with no further specifics given; I can't comment on how much load the workloads you mention in general are putting on the processor.

But as a general overview;

See:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=2470&cmp[]=2922


With a ~70% better multicore performance than your current processor and almost 20% better single core (snappiness) performance - that will be a big upgrade.

The fact that the HQ CPU also has 4 actual cores vs. 2C + 2HT's is also helping immensely here too.

You still haven't mentioned the amount of RAM you have and the RAM you will get in your new platform - this will make a huge difference too - almost as much as the CPU used. If your current system has 8GB or less; just upgrading the RAM would help with your current workload.

If you already have more than 8GB of RAM; consider 32GB for your new platform.

Depending on the actual hardware requirements of the game, the specific tabs you have open as well as the quality of the youtube and streams, along with the complexity of the Excel and/or R Studio workflows and data sets; even the i5-7300HQ may not be enough to upgrade to on a long term basis (i.e. longer than 18 months).

Reminder: get rid of Norton. Max out the RAM.

 

Thanks yeah i'll look to upgrade ram, and yeah Norton is quite heavy on the cpu thanks for the help appreciate it