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Originally Posted by Knuckle [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I initially was making builds with i5 and I then realized the i3 is a dual core running north of 3ghz stock. Where would I see an improvement in day to day gaming with an I5? I'm sure there's an argument for the i7 since its a quad core but would like to know the benefit I'd see using it.

well even a dual core i3 can be "quad core" in that they have virtual/hyper threading (for instance, I have an i3 and Windows/Linux recognize it as a quad core processor). But having "real" cores is obviously better, and i5 can come with 4. In fact, the quad core i7's are recognized as 8 cores because of hyper threading.

I've read that hyper threading can cause drop-offs for gaming (I've not personally noticed this fwiw), and then also that newer games are taking advantage of it. Your best bet for EverQuest and 90% of games might be a non-hyper threaded i5 (Ivy > Sandy Bridge). I think all i3's/i7's have hyperthreading, and i5 was made to not, but Intel is confusingly nonheterosexual and you'll have to make a decision on if you want it or not and do the research on the one you buy.

Another thing to look at is the L1/L2/L3 caches, which is faster than RAM for the processor to store/retrieve data, and i5's will generally have larger cache than i3's (if the i3 and i5 are of the same generation... some newer i3 might be better than older i5)

Finally, we could get into a lengthy discussion about how the clock rate doesn't really tell you the whole story about a processor, the average CPI is arguably more important to look at, and that is where an i5 will perform vastly superior (again, if of the same generation). I built an 8 bit processor (CPU / ALU / Cache) and I had to crank the clock rate up real high because it had an average CPI nowhere near comparable to the processors produced by Intel, if you know what I mean.

Sorry if I confused the fuck outta you, I'm just saying an extra 80 bucks or whatever will give you much more bang.

tl;dr An i5 with 4 real cores >>>> i3 with 2 real cores and 2 virtual ones, with inferior L1/L2/L3 cache and CPI; even if the clock rate GHz is lower on the i5.