The 5 Best i5 Processors [Ranked]

• The Intel Core i5 7600 LGA features Intel’s Turbo Boost 2.0 technology for performance increase when pushed hard. It’s a 4 core processor for 4 threads. While not a gaming powerhouse, it will satisfy most casual gamers as long as you’re not hoping for graphics and frame rates turned up to 11.

• The Intel BX80677157400 7th Gen also features Turbo Boost 2.0 technology. Comes with CPU cooler and heat sink, although additional cooling is recommended if you’re planning on pushing it hard. It’s a decent processor for most everyday tasks and light gaming.

• The Intel Core i5 3.50 GHz Quad Core Skylake processor performs very well and gets high marks from buyers because of its support for display resolution up to 4096x2304. Although an older processor, it works well in a budget rig. Buyers also say this chip is easy to overclock to squeeze out a little more performance.

• Intel’s Core i5 6500 3.20 GHz Quad Core Skylake doesn’t allow for overclocking, but still runs a little hot, however, the stock fan included with the CPU does a good job of keeping it cool. It’s Better than the i5 6400 and cheaper than the 6600 and is ideal when budget outweighs performance.

• Last up is the Intel Core i5 7500 LGA 7th Gen. People who are crazy about performance will appreciate that this chip can be overclocked up to 3.8 GHz. Runs cool thanks to the included heat sink and fan. Some buyers say it struggles with higher resolution displays, though.

What is a Computer Processor Exactly?

You may have heard the word 'processor' often enough in your lifetime, but do you really know what it means? A processor, properly known as a microprocessor, is a tiny chip that is placed inside computer and all modern electronic gadgets.

It can be considered as 'the brain' of the machine, whether it's a i5 laptop or a smartphone. At the most basic level, the microprocessor receives input in the form of 1s and 0s and then produces the needed output. This might seem simple enough, but keep in mind that current microprocessors can handle trillions of these kinds of calculations in a single second.

The main part of any computer system is the central processor, which is also known as the Central Processing Unit, or CPU for short. The task of this processor is to deal with all the basic instructions sent by the computer system.

For example, the processor handles commands coming from a keyboard or mouse and running various applications. The majority of desktop computers have a CPU that has been designed and developed either by AMD or Intel. Currently, both companies make computers that use the x86 processor architecture.

Portable gadgets, such as laptops and tablets may also be using AMD and Intel CPUs. However, some of these gadgets might also use specific microprocessors made for smartphones, made by companies like Apple or ARM.

What exactly is an i5 processor?

The i5 processor has been designed, developed and manufactured by Intel. This processor is available with either a dual-core processor or a quad-core processor. This processor can be used in both laptop computers as well as desktop computers. The i5 processor is part of the Intel Core family of processors, also known as the 'i' series.

You can get the Core i5 processor with varying levels of speeds, from 1.90 GHz to all the way to 3.80 GHz. They also feature 3 MB, 4 MB or 6 MB of cache space, which is a big improvement from past cache technologies. The i5 processor makes use of either the LGA 1150 or LGA 1155 socket on a motherboard.

The most commonly used type of Random Access Memory (RAM) in conjunction with an i5 processor is DDR 1333 or DDR3 1600. However, a higher powered RAM performance can be utilized as well, as long as the motherboard can support it.
In a modern desktop computer, Core i5 processors are very common and are used for day to day usage and work well for higher performance needs as well.

Some Intel laptops also include a Core i5 processor in order to give the user better performance for heavy duty usage. In laptops with slower speeds, the battery usage can be sparse and a single charge might last up to 5 hours. However, with the high-speed laptops, the battery uses up energy a lot more quickly and this might leave you with just 2 to 3 hours of usage with a fully charged battery.

What are the differences between Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7?

According to common sense, the Core i7 processor is obviously better than the Core i5 processor. In the same way, the Core i5 is better than the Core i3. However, the increasing numbers do not denote a similarly increasing number of cores. The i7, for example, does not have 7 cores, and the i3 does not have 3 cores. These numbers are just to tell the user about the relative processing powers of these three different processors.

Intel Core Processors for Desktops

The current brand of Intel's Core series processors is commonly found in the majority of the desktops and laptops on the market these days. These Desktops are divided into three categories. These three categories are called Core i3 (or Core m3), Core i5 and Core i7.

The point to take away here is that the differences in performance between these three types of processors is different for laptops and desktops. This difference will be explained near the end of this article.

Intel Core chips for desktops follow a pattern that is more logical, so we will talk about them first. Most of the concepts that we will talk about are applicable to both laptops and desktops, such as the number of cores, Turbo Boost and Hyper-Threading. So even if you plan to buy a laptop instead of a desktop, read on to learn about the pros and cons of desktops.

Intel Core Processors for Laptops

Intel has dominated the laptop market for a long time now because of the wide range of powerful processors that their laptops offer. Compared to the alternatives, the Intel processor laptops are superior in terms of performance and on top of that, they are economical and affordable as well. Out of all the laptops available nowadays, the Core i5 laptops are the best choice in terms of price and performance.

It can let you do simple things and also let you run heavy duty processing applications. So in order to help you make the best Core i5 laptop purchase, I will provide a list of the top 10 greatest i5 processor laptops, which will include the best Intel Core i5 notebooks and laptops as well as gaming laptops.
In recent times, computing technology has made tremendous leaps and bounds.

The first computers that were originally manufactured were the size of a building or a huge room. Now, over time, the size of the computing processors has been shrinking every year. This is also known as the 'Moore's Law', which talks about the doubling of processing power regularly over time as well as the increasing rate of shrinkage of computer processors. This means that by now, in the year 2017, laptops are able to contain tiny microprocessors while being very powerful computers at the same time.

This increase in the power of laptops in recent years is because of the advances in the Intel Core series. Therefore, whenever you are planning to buy a new laptop, learning about its processor is the most important thing to consider first.

Power Usage Varies For The Core i5 processors

• Slow: 1.90 GHz to 2.30 GHz will use 11.5 W of power
• Medium: 2.60 GHz to 3.10 GHz will use 15 W, 25 W, 28 W or 37 W of power
• Fast: 3.20 GHz to 3.80 GHz will use 35 W, 37 W, 45 W, 47 W, 65 W or 84 W of power

Selecting a Processor to Play Computer Games

If you want to play modern computer games on your laptop at a medium level of graphical detail, then it is recommended that you get a dedicated graphics card for your desktop, Guru Verdict recommends. 

However, apart from the graphics card, the choice of the processor will also make a great difference to the performance of games. It would be a shame if your excellent graphical processing unit were to be slowed down and made useless just because your processor is too slow to keep up with the graphics card. However, you don't need to go to the opposite extreme and buy an expensive and fast processor.

A good point to learn is that you won't notice much of a difference in gaming whether you use a Core i7 or a Core i5 processor, as the hyperthreading improvements of the i7 don't make much difference for computer games. Even graphically demanding games like Battlefield 4 only really utilize 4 cores, so the extra 4 virtual cores of the i7 with hyperthreading features won't be of any use for gaming purposes.

However, there are some exceptions to this. For example, the latest game in the Total War franchise seems to make great use of a Core i7 processor because of the large number of individual entities interacting with each other on the field of battle.

So if you want to buy a desktop computer to play computer games, the best option right now is to get a quad-core Core i5 processor, preferably the Core i5-7600K. If you ever feel like the processor is running too slow for your needs, you can overclock it well above 4 GHz.

In Conclusion

The Core i chip series by Intel is a popular and well-established brand that is part of the majority of laptops in the market these days. However, you might get confused when trying to buy a new laptop because of all the various technical terms and numbers which you probably don't have a clue about. Let us help you understand these technical terms and what they mean.

Over 80% of new Personal Computers and about 90% of laptops contain Intel processors. What this means is that if you're looking for a new laptop to buy, getting an Intel laptop would be the best choice as performance and quality will be ensured already because of the brand.

Choosing the right processing chip for your needs can be hard work. The ecosystem of Intel processors is full of confusing model numbers that are very technical sounding and give details about various aspects of the processor. This is why you should do proper research before buying a new laptop or desktop.
Despite Intel's good brand image, it's still not very easy to choose among the three different Cores on offer. It can be hard to differentiate between the Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7, and your budget for a new computer will also determine your decision in the end.

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