The 7 th Generation Y-series and U-series we mentioned before? They feature dual-core processors designed for maximum battery life and fanless designs. The more cores a processor has, the more tasks known as threads can be served at the same time. 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.
Sign up to gain exclusive access to email subscriptions, event invitations, competitions, giveaways, and much more. Sign up. Term of the Day. Best of Techopedia weekly. News and Special Offers occasional. Intel Corei5. Techopedia Explains Intel Corei5. What Does Intel Corei5 Mean? It is a type of quad-core processor that is built using several micro-architectures such as: Lynnfield Clark Dale Sandy Bridge Ivy Bridge Haswell It can be installed within mobile, desktop and embedded devices.
Techopedia Explains Intel Corei5 An Intel Corei5 provides better performance against heavier and demanding applications, games and rich audio-visual data using the embedded Intel Turbo Boost Technology.
Share this Term. This means that a PC with a higher core-count is going to be better for tasks where multithreading is important, such as web servers, web browsers and some video games. The reason for this is that i3 processors are designed to hit a lower price-point more than they are push boundaries for performance. They tend to be found inside PCs that target a more budget-conscious market-segment where the need for a device to be affordable eclipses the demand for higher performance.
Part of this comes down to faster average clock speeds. Part of this comes down to additional cores. More cores means these CPUs can handle more threads at once and faster clock speeds mean they can complete tasks more efficiently.
At this point, you may be wondering just how important clock speeds are. The answer: pretty important. The first is that, in general, a higher clock speed is better. However, due to the thermal issues involved, processors with more cores tend to operate at a lower clock speed. Often-times, choosing a CPU involves choosing between a CPU capable of delivering faster clock-speeds or choosing one with more cores. Although a faster core might be more efficient than a slower one, it might not necessarily be better for the tasks you want to use your computer to be better at.
Many applications only run single-threads while others are designed to utilize multiple. For cases where the latter applies, such as video rendering and gaming, having more cores is going to offer up an enormous improvement over having faster ones. Rather than run out and dropping the cash on the CPU with the fastest clock speed you can find, it might be worth thinking about what the clock speed you actually need looks like.
To that end, it's worth looking up the recommend system specifications for the game or software you'll be running on your new PC. For more everyday things like web browsing, an i5 processor with a higher clock speed is probably going to offer more bang for your buck than a beefier i7 might.
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