How many cores i3 i5 i7

Every computer has a processor and the processor is the brain of the computer. Intel Core processors are among the best you can buy, but choosing which of the 3 i3, i5 and i7 different models best suits your needs can be confusing.

Generally speaking a Core i3, i5 or i7 that has a newer architecture is faster than the older-architecture processor that it replaces. Different processor families have different characteristics that determine their levels of efficiency.

The more cores there are, the more tasks known as threads can be served at the same time. But, Core i7 does not have seven cores nor does Core i3 have three cores. The numbers are simply indicative of their relative processing powers. Their relative levels of processing power are based on a collection of criteria involving their number of cores, clock speed in GHz , size of cache, as well as some new Intel technologies like Turbo Boost and Hyper-Threading. Therefore, let's break down these concepts to understand them better.

A core is usually the basic computation unit of the CPU. It receives instructions and performs calculations, or actions, based on those instructions. Literally everything you do on your computer has to be processed by your processor. A processor with two cores is called a dual-core processor and four cores is called a quad-core processor.

Nowadays, it sits just above Celeron in terms of performance. You can also find Celerons inside some very cheap desktops. These machines tend to score very poorly in our tests and negate many of the advantages you get from having bought a desktop in the first place. See our pick of the best cheap laptops. When looking at what sort of processor a computer has, be sure to check the full specification sheet to see the precise processor model.

This makes a big difference to how powerful your PC will be. The trend applies to i3 and i7 chips, too. Note the different four-digit number and the trailing letter or the Y in one case.

Tech tips you can trust - get our free Tech newsletter for advice, news, deals and the stuff the manuals don't tell you. The first digit after the dash tells you which generation your processor is from. The higher the number, the newer it is. With these types of applications they can use multiple cores to improve performance. Single-threaded applications can only use a single core leaving any others idle.

Some Core i7 Extreme processors have six or eight cores. Generally speaking, we find that most applications can't take full advantage of six or eight cores, so the performance boost from extra cores isn't as great. Hyper-Threading is Intel's technology for creating two logical cores in each physical core. In other words, to your operating system it appears as though your CPU has double the number of cores than it really does.

In terms of performance, Hyper-Threading speeds up multi-tasking and multi-threaded applications. It's not as fast or as efficient as extra 'real' cores, but it's an improvement over a single Core. Core i3 and i7 processors have this technology, Core i5 processors do not. The faster the clock speed in MHz, the faster each core can run. This can create some variances in performance.

For example, a Core i Haswell processor runs at 3. It would be faster running a single-threaded application, which can only use one core, than a Core i, which only has a clock speed of 3. However, running a multi-threaded application, the Core i5 would most likely be quicker, as its four real cores are better than the Core i3's two cores and Hyper-Threading.

Hypothetically, a dual-core processor can serve two threads at once while a quad-core processor can serve four and an octa-core processor can serve eight. In theory, this means that a PC powered by quad-core processor is able to operate and complete tasks with greater efficiency than one with a dual-core processor. In addition to the number of Cores, the other metric that matters here is the clock speed of a given CPU. Measured in Gigahertz, clock speed measures the default or factory-set speed with which the processor normally operates.

Many processors can be modified to go faster than that speed through overclocking but the normal clock speed is a good tool for measuring their relative performance power. More like core count, higher is better here. A processor with a faster speed can operate more more efficiently compared to one with a slower speed. However, due to thermal restrictions, processors with more cores tend to operate at a lower clock speeds.

This is why having a PC with the most cores might not always be the thing you want. At this point, it's important to take the opportunity to start talking about how a number of factors can affect the overall processing power of a CPU. The number of cores involved shouldn't be your only consideration when you're trying to determine whether you should consider buying an Intel Core i3, Core i5, or Core i7 processor but it is useful as a place to start.

You can't understand or appreciate the significance of stuff like Turbo Boost and Hyper-Threading without having some foundational knowledge of clock speed and core count. These advanced technologies and features are a big part of the draw for many modern Intel products and countless processors benefit from them. Find out more about Intel Turbo Boost 2.