Computer people, i3 vs i5

[Kayos]

I decided to buy a laptop as im sick of doing everything on an ipad.

Refurbished Thinkpad. i5 2.6ghz 16gb ram and a 320gb ssd was ordered, when it arrived it was as that except its i3 2.5ghz.

Im not an Intel expert as my desktop builds are always AMD but am i losing out massively? they have agreed to swap for one of the correct spec but its looking like new year, so i cant really install stuff and set it up if its going to be replaced.

It seems quick enough, win 10 boots in a couple of seconds and its far from sluggish, ive considered asking for a partial refund instead however they haven't replied to my last message.

So, wait and get what I ordered or keep it and use it?

Main use is office based, word, spreadsheets and internet and also some simple stuff like programming radios etc, not very taxing software if im honest

 

[Jetex]

The SSD is maybe what's making it seem fast enough. The i5 should be quite a bit better than the i3 processor. I would say give it a good test and if you feel it is fast enough and powerful enough for your needs then by all means ask for a good discount over the i5 version. If you want to do things like video editing, image processing, gaming etc then you really need the i5 or even i7 version.

 

[gavcarter]

All i3 are dual core. 2.5ghz x 2 cores = 5ghz power ( approx, it never works out exactly double )
MOST i5 are quad core. 2.5ghz x 4 cores = 10ghz processing power.

There will be a performance difference

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

If they offer a partial refund its gonna be more than adequate for word processing ect

 

[skotl]

If you're using the computer for heavy duty gaming then you might notice a difference but for most tasks I doubt you would. The SSD is what will make the biggest difference if you've come from a traditional hard drive.

I have an i7 for work and an i3 at home and I can't discern any difference, even when doing large software builds (which eats CPU).

All that said, if I'd paid for an i5 then I'd want it

 

[fizzy]

It is quite possible to have an i3 faster than an i5 and an even an i7 - lots of variables! In the old days the higher the number the better but you now have mobile processors and low energy ones etc!

The only real way to check out different cpus is look at a website like this

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

The fastest i3 - 9000
Slowest i7 - 2400

But again so many variables!

 

[Jetex]

Good point, there are many versions of the same chips as well as about 8 different generations, each generation usually getting better. When buying you cannot just go by i3, i5 or i7 alone you need to look at the full processor number.

 

[Kayos]

@Jetex this I have now done (I’m not an intel person) and the i5 is a better processor, 2.6-3.3ghz turbo as opposed to 2.5ghz fixed

Everything else is equal except a few more toys on the i5 that I’m unlikely to use

I think I will be taking the offer of the exchange

Should state my desktop is very very fast, 8 x 4ghz cores, 32gb of fast ram and raid0 ssd boot drives so I’m used to a speedy machine

 

[fizzy]

If you're using the computer for heavy duty gaming then you might notice a difference but for most tasks I doubt you would. The SSD is what will make the biggest difference if you've come from a traditional hard drive.

I have an i7 for work and an i3 at home and I can't discern any difference, even when doing large software builds (which eats CPU).

All that said, if I'd paid for an i5 then I'd want it

I agree - an SSD is a must - especially in a laptop!
Be warned - they still have their problems. I have ended up with 3 problem ones - 2 are sandisk and one is a crucial - but they were early ones.
The price has staid high for a long time due to limited supply but I think they are coming down at last.

 

[ukracer]

If they offer a partial refund its gonna be more than adequate for word processing ect

But will seem a lot slower as windows clogs up. Personallly i would get the one you ordered and paid for.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

But will seem a lot slower as windows clogs up. Personallly i would get the one you ordered and paid for.

depends how much Pron your watching. seriously though thats general maintenance and no matter what chipset it has you should be keeping it tidy.

Personally i used to setup a fresh install as i wanted it and clone the drive. backup important files regularly and roll back when things clogged up.

were talking word processing here, @Kayos appears to have a desktop more than capable of running any game or software he wants.

 

[Luke]

The amount of RAM and the SSD make that a capable machine regardless. If you're keen to crack on and they'll offer some sort of discount, you've got a pretty capable machine.

 

[rikrobson]

All the laptop Intel are dual core. It's the cache and speed that change. You really need to know the processor model 7320u for example and look up the specs on the Intel site. You probably won't notice the difference

 

[Kayos]

All the laptop Intel are dual core. It's the cache and speed that change. You really need to know the processor model 7320u for example and look up the specs on the Intel site. You probably won't notice the difference

I did that, the i3 is 2.5ghz fixed and the i5 is 2.6-3.3 so it is faster. Cache is the same.

They have said they will swap it so I’m going to do that, I will keep the ssd from this machine, hopefully I won’t need to reinstall windows again

 

[Wozzaaah]

All i3 are dual core. 2.5ghz x 2 cores = 5ghz power ( approx, it never works out exactly double )
MOST i5 are quad core. 2.5ghz x 4 cores = 10ghz processing power.

There will be a performance difference

I didn’t think it worked out like that.
2.5ghz is 2.5ghz no matter how you look at it. To my knowledge it just means each core can do its own thing.
If a 2.5 ghz quad core cpu was capable of running at the equivalent of 10 ghz you could be sure intel and AMD would advertise that fact, surely?

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I didn’t think it worked out like that.
2.5ghz is 2.5ghz no matter how you look at it. To my knowledge it just means each core can do its own thing.
If a 2.5 ghz quad core cpu was capable of running at the equivalent of 10 ghz you could be sure intel and AMD would advertise that fact, surely?

yup but most cpu heavy software these days should be made to take advantage of quad core by spreading its workload across them where possible thus gaining processing power

 

[gavcarter]

I didn’t think it worked out like that.
2.5ghz is 2.5ghz no matter how you look at it. To my knowledge it just means each core can do its own thing.
If a 2.5 ghz quad core cpu was capable of running at the equivalent of 10 ghz you could be sure intel and AMD would advertise that fact, surely?

Yes they only process at the given speed. A single core will flit between software and system functions as needed.
A dual core processor can process 2 threads at once though.
Most software now takes advantage of this and can either let one core work on the software alone while the other core works everything else.
Or the software creates 2 threads and they get processed simultaneously.
It doesn' work out exactly double the speed with extra cores but many hands make light work. They are usually a lot quicker at processing intensive stuff.

There are lots of variables in the system as a whole, SSD hard drie will make the biggest difference to general use I reckon.

 

[Kayos]

I got the new laptop, good and bad really

It is i5, and has the better display 1600x900, it also has a 450gb ssd

It does have a loose hinge and a wobbly power jack, both easy to sort but annoying.

Ive wiped the windows install as I don't trust ebay sellers so its updating right now.

 

[skotl]

I'd be a bit wary about the wobbly power jack - if it lifts the solder off the board then it's unlikely to be a DIY fix...

 

[MattF]

I'd be a bit wary about the wobbly power jack - if it lifts the solder off the board then it's unlikely to be a DIY fix...

Not a problem if it cracks the solder. A bit of a tedious repair if it lifts/cracks the pads and tracks though.