Advantage of i5 over i3

[shubhs2]

Hi Guys,
I'm going to buy a notebook of 500GB HD, 4 GB Ram and 1 GB Graphics card. The only thing which is confusing me whether to go for i3 or i5 (i5 is 100$ more expensive than i3). I need for programming and gaming purpose. Please help me out.
Thanks in advance

 

[welshmousepk]

which i3 and i5 are you comparing exactly?

it depends on the chip, but it could be as much as an extra 2 cores. or it may simply be a higher clockspeed and/or hyperthreading.

 

[shubhs2]

i'm comparing between i3 330 and i5 430

 

[logan the huge]

The only real difference is clock speed.

i3-330 = HT/3MB/2.13ghz/no turbo
i5-430 = HT/3MB/2.26ghz/2.53ghz w/turbo

You can check these benches and decide for yourself whether it's worth the money.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Intel-Core-i3-i5-i7-Processors-Arrandale.25085.0.html

To me, $100 seems overpriced for that kind of upgrade(probably a Dell).

 

[welshmousepk]

as above.

the 430 is only marginally better. it is worth paying extra for, but only a little extra.