With billions of turnover, Intel is the biggest processor manufacturer of the globe. But it confuses the public with fancy and cool terms like i3, i5, and i7. Once in a lifetime, the question regarding the difference of these terms must have hit our mind.
I am pretty sure you will be clear about it after reading this article.
Introduction
A multi-core processor is a single computing component with two or more independent actual processing units (called ‘cores’), which are units that read and execute programme instructions as per our commands. The instructions are like ordinary CPU instructions (such as add, move data, and branch), but having multiple cores means being capable to run multiple instructions at the same time, increasing the overall speed of the PC, making it ready for parallel computing. Manufacturers like Intel typically integrate the cores onto a single integrated circuit die which is known as a chip multiprocessor or CMP or onto multiple dies in a single chip package.
Difference between Intel Core i3, i5, and i7
We must have assumed that i7 is better than i5 and  i5 is better than i3. The Core i3 processors are basically used for browsing, watching movies and such kinds of stuff which require less instruction or commands. Similarly, Core i5 is mainly for a moderate user who is basic gamer and uses semi-intensive works whereas, Core i7 CPUs are basically reserved for  high-end, expensive laptops and PCs mostly used by people who wish to do works like video editing, lots of gaming and other CPU intensive stuffs.
The major difference between them is based on the number of cores present, clock speed (GHz) cache memory and technologies used in it. Usually, all the Core i3 processors come with Hyper-Threading technology. Some versions of Core i5 processors have Hyper-Threading and Turbo boost features enabled in them.
Coming to the big brother- i7 processor, it has come with anywhere from 2 to 8 cores with Hyper-Threading, Turbo boosting and Overclocking abilities.
Core i7 are the best processor that Intel has offered for general consumers while Core i3 are the most affordable in this series. Lets ignore Pentium.
In the case of number of cores present, Core i5 and i7 processors have four cores, while Core i3 models only have two cores into them. Among all the differences between the Intel processor ranges, the number of cores available in them is what affects the optimum level of performance. The more number of cores they have, the larger amount of work they can accomplish at a time, thus affecting the performance.
Each core has effectively its own processor, and the PC would still work with just only one core enabled. But, having multiple cores in your PC means that your computer can work on more than one task at a time, and more efficiently, which will help keep your system running snappily even if you have tasks running in the background.
Having several cores in your PC can also drastically increase the speed at which certain programmes run. This doesn’t apply to all applications, as creating software that takes advantage of multiple cores is difficult. Although two cores are now the accepted minimum in a processor, if you generally tend to have a handful of tabs open in your web browser and your most demanding application is a word processor, you won’t see a huge benefit from a quad-core chip. However, modern gamers can benefit from quad-core chips as it does video encoding.
By Ajay Pandey
