Core i7 what does it mean

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Intel Corei7. Techopedia Explains Intel Corei7. What Does Intel Corei7 Mean? This helps them save time by storing info in the cache instead of waiting to store and retrieve it from the memory on the motherboard. The largest difference between the i5 and i7 is Hyper-Threading, which is a technology to increase the performance of multithreaded tasks. Hyper-Threading makes the processor appear to have double the cores to the operating system and applications.

This is incredibly useful for multitasking, or tasks like video rendering or converting. All i7 processors have Hyper-Threading so four core processor can handle eight threads. A few i5 and i3 processors have Hyper-Threading, but they are limited to 4 threads total — either four real cores, or two cores Hyper-Threaded to handle four threads. The final question is do you really need an Intel Core i7 or can you make do with and i5?

For one, i7s are more expensive, and this can limit which graphics cards and other components you can buy. For most PC gamers however, an i5 is the better choice. Wattage is the big differentiator here, since CPUs inside mobile devices generally have to make do with less power draw,. However, to avoid confusion, let's start by exclusively talking about the desktop variants. This means that a PC with a higher core-count is going to be better for tasks where multithreading is important, such as web servers, web browsers and some video games.

The reason for this is that i3 processors are designed to hit a lower price-point more than they are push boundaries for performance. They tend to be found inside PCs that target a more budget-conscious market-segment where the need for a device to be affordable eclipses the demand for higher performance. Part of this comes down to faster average clock speeds. Part of this comes down to additional cores. More cores means these CPUs can handle more threads at once and faster clock speeds mean they can complete tasks more efficiently.

At this point, you may be wondering just how important clock speeds are. The answer: pretty important. The first is that, in general, a higher clock speed is better. However, due to the thermal issues involved, processors with more cores tend to operate at a lower clock speed. Often-times, choosing a CPU involves choosing between a CPU capable of delivering faster clock-speeds or choosing one with more cores.

Although a faster core might be more efficient than a slower one, it might not necessarily be better for the tasks you want to use your computer to be better at. Many applications only run single-threads while others are designed to utilize multiple.

For cases where the latter applies, such as video rendering and gaming, having more cores is going to offer up an enormous improvement over having faster ones.

Rather than run out and dropping the cash on the CPU with the fastest clock speed you can find, it might be worth thinking about what the clock speed you actually need looks like.