What’s the difference between Intel’s i3, i5 and i7 processors?

If you’ve been shopping for a new PC recently, chances are, you’ve probably seen a lot of “Intel i3” or “Intel i5” stickers on the PC, or somewhere on the packaging. These are Intel’s current line up of processors, the i3, the i5, and the i7.

It may be difficult to determine exactly what processor will suit your needs with such a naming scheme, so in this article, we will break down the general use cases for each of the above processors.

Intel i3

The Intel i3 processors are the lighter weight of the series. These processors are generally used in your average home or office computer, useful for more light work such as word processing, spreadsheet, and other such activities. That’s not to say these processors can’t be used for more intensive purposes, but you’ll quickly reach the limits of these processors if you try to push them too far. These processors also tend to be lower in their power consumption and put off less heat when compared to the others in the series. This could make them more suitable to smaller PC builds, such as mini PCs or home theater PCs.

Intel i5

The Intel i5 processors are the middle of the road of the lineup. They can be utilized to do light office work, but they can easily handle more intensive things like image editing, video editing, with some room to spare. Their power consumption and heat output tend to be quite balanced, unless you’re doing some more intensive activities mentioned above, like video editing, etc, so these can typically still be utilized in more compact computers.

Intel i7

The last processor of the series, the i7, is Intel’s most powerful. These processors can be used for just about any purpose, including higher resolution video editing, software development tasks, and even things like virtualization. These processors will tend to draw the most power and output the most heat. You’ll generally see these placed in larger desktop PCs for this reason.

To summarize, these processors all have their pros and cons, but each one offers their own use cases, especially when factoring in budgets. Feel free to reach out to us at 901-475-0275 if you need assistance in determining which of these processors to go with. We can work with you to determine your use cases and pick the best processor for your needs.