I received three questions from my readers related to my past post, Configuration for my latest PC.
What is difference between Intel i3, i5 and i7 ?
Intel Core i3 is a low end performance processor, which was released after Core 2 brand. There are three factors which distinguished them
- Clock Rate – Speed
- Cores
- Processor Cache
Higher combination of all these these three is the best, but definitely the more high you will go the cost will increase.
| Processor | Series | CPU Clock rate | Processor | Cores | |
| Branding & Model | Variant | Standard | Turbo | Cache | (Threads) |
| Core i7 Extreme |
3.3 GHz | 3.9 GHz | 15 MB | 6(12) | |
| Core i7 | 6(12) | ||||
| Core i7 | 3.2 GHz | 3.8 GHz | 12 MB | 6(12) | |
| Core i7 | 3.6 GHz | 3.9 GHz | 10 MB | 4 (8) | |
| Core i7 | 3.4 GHz | 3.8 GHz | 8 MB | 4 (8) | |
| Core i7 | 3.8 GHz | 8 MB | 4 (8) | ||
| Core i7 | 2.8 GHz | 3.8 GHz | 8 MB | 4 (8) | |
| Core i5 | 3.3 GHz | 3.7 GHz | 6 MB | 4 (4) | |
| Core i5 | 3.7 GHz | 6 MB | 4 (4) | ||
| Core i5 | 2.7 GHz | 3.7 GHz | 6 MB | 4 (4) | |
| Core i5 | 2.3 GHz | 3.3 GHz | 6 MB | 4 (4) | |
| Core i5 | 3.1 GHz | 3.4 GHz | 6 MB | 4 (4) | |
| Core i5 | 2.5 GHz | 3.3 GHz | 6 MB | 4 (4) | |
| Core i5 | 6 MB | 4 (4) | |||
| Core i5 | 2.9 GHz | 3.2 GHz | 6 MB | 4 (4) | |
| Core i5 | 2.8 GHz | 3.1 GHz | 6 MB | 4 (4) | |
| Core i5 | 2.7 GHz | 3.5 GHz | 3 MB | 2 (4) | |
| Core i3 | 3.3 GHz | N/A | 3 MB | 2 (4) | |
| Core i3 | 3.1 GHz | N/A | 3 MB | 2 (4) | |
| Core i3 | N/A | 3 MB | 2 (4) | ||
| Core i3 | 2.5 GHz | N/A | 3 MB | 2 (4) | |
| Pentium | 2.9 GHz | N/A | 3 MB | 2 (2) | |
| Pentium | 2.8 GHz | N/A | 3 MB | 2 (2) | |
| Pentium | 2.6 GHz | N/A | 3 MB | 2 (2) | |
| Pentium | 2.2 GHz | N/A | 3 MB | 2 (2) |
Even in i7, there are lots of series, like 8XX, 9XX what the difference between Intel i7 920, 930,940,950,960, 970 and 980 ?
Intel Core i7-9xx processors are totally different from the other processors of the i7 series. The i7-9xx processors have a different LGA1366 socket having 1366 pins. The other i7-8xx processors as well as the i5 and the i3 processors have LGA1156 socket that have 1156 pins. That means motherboard for Intel Core i7-9xx is different then the other boards. Moreover, Intel has confirm that future projects will be based on LGA1366 socket that has 1366 pins.
In case you buy Intel Core i7-8xx processor, that doesn’t;t leave space for processor upgrade.So now buying Intel Core i7-9xx looks like smart investment as that this leave space for future upgrades.
Detailed Intel Core i7 comparison sheet
| Model | Frequency | Turbo Frequency | Power | Processor Cache |
Core | Processor Socket |
| i7-980 | 3.33 GHz | 3.46 GHz | 130 W | 12 MB L3 | 6 | LGA1366 socket having 1366 pins |
| i7-970 | 3.2 GHz | 3.46 GHz | 130 W | 12 MB L3 | 6 | LGA1366 socket having 1366 pins |
| i7-960 | 3.2 GHz | 3.46 GHz | 130 W | 8 MB L3 | 4 | LGA1366 socket having 1366 pins |
| i7-950 | 3.06 GHz | 3.33 GHz | 130 W | 8 MB L3 | 4 | LGA1366 socket having 1366 pins |
| i7-940 | 2.93 GHz | 3.20 GHz | 130 W | 8 MB L3 | 4 | LGA1366 socket having 1366 pins |
| i7-930 | 2.8 GHz | 3.06 GHz | 130 W | 8 MB L3 | 4 | LGA1366 socket having 1366 pins |
| i7-920 | 2.66 GHz | 2.93 GHz | 130 W | 8 MB L3 | 4 | LGA1366 socket having 1366 pins |
| i7-860 | 2.8 GHz | 2.93 GHz | 95 W | 8 MB L3 | 4 | LGA1156 socket that have 1156 pin |
| i7-870 | 2.93 GHz | 3.06 GHz | 95 W | 8 MB L3 | 4 | LGA1156 socket that have 1156 pin |
| i7-880 | 3.07 GHz | 3.2 GHz | 95 W | 8 MB L3 | 4 | LGA1156 socket that have 1156 pin |
WHY not AMD processor over INTEL ?
Absolutely both are competitive products and both have pros and cons of their own. If you do a apple to apple comparison in terms of feature and processing power, the AMD is going to be your choice. But its same comparison that you do with KODAK SLR camera’s with NIKON SLR camera. where KODAK offer more feature than Nikon and that too at lower price but still NIKON holds market.
I am not a hardware experts but this is own personal perception based on what the majority of people posted that AMD fans don’t actually know how to evaluate a processor, and would rather attack a product’s fanbase than it’s actual performance.
Gamers prefer AMD but a support DBA like me, considering India hot temperature will prefer Intel.
The below video can describe is more better than me.
I am still looking for feedback and reviews for my LAB PC.
