I3-7100 vs i5 7500

[Phil613]

In process of new build and was wondering which is better choice for my needs:

I3 7100 vs. i5 7500

No gaming. My wife and I just use Office, music playing programs, and a million internet tabs open at once including gavel, YouTube, etc.

I know the i5 is the better processor. But for my needs, is it worth the extra $80? Will I notice any difference, I.e- slowdown, with the 7th gen i3? I want super quick startup and zero lag.

My rig is pricing out to $750. I wouldn't mind lowering it a bit below $700 if the i3 will work for my needs.



https://pcpartpicker.com/list/CvjssJ

Thanks in advance,
Phil

 

[valeman2012]

Intel i5 7500 are high Gaming CPU according to Tom Hardware.

 

[geofelt]

Actually, I think the I3-7100 is the better processor for you.
It has faster single threaded performance, and you will be mostly doing one thing at a time.

Some other suggestions:

Since you will not be overclocking, a B250 motherboard will be cheaper and do just as well.
Here is a chart of the differences:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_1151

I suggest a smaller M-ATX motherboard which will be a bit cheaper.
If you have many open tabs, I suggest you buy a 2 x 8gb ram kit.
corsair lpx is good. 2400 speed is fine. Anything faster os overclocked ram which is not very important anyway.

A ssd is THE key to good desktop performance, and 240gb is a good size.

But, buy Samsung evo for performance and reliability.
Do not shortchange yourself with unknown quality ssd.

Some EVGA power supplies are very good. The one you picked is mediocre.
You need only a minimal psu of perhaps 300w. More is not a negative.
I suggest you buy a Seasonic 430w unit
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/4Vzv6h/seasonic-power-supply-s12ii430b
It is a tier 2 unit on this list:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

Cases are a personal thing. Most any will work.
Silverstone makes some very nice, smaller M-ATX cases.
This ps-07 is very high quality. It has front air filters which are easy to clean. They keep the insides of your pc free of dust.
I have used this before.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163186

They do make a cheaper case, the ps-08
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163228
But, a case is something you will see and touch every day, so it pays to buy something good.


They d

 

[Ecky]

Frankly you might do well with a NUC, if you're willing to give up the DVD drive or use an external:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856102182

$300, just add SSD and RAM. The Samsung 850 EVO M.2 250GB runs ~$90 and is superior to the MyDigitalSSD drive, and you could put a single stick of 8GB in to leave room for expansion later. Performance will be practically identical to a full-size PC, but without the noise and in a form factor you could slip in your pocket.

 

[Ecky]

Intel has Core i7 quad core models with Iris graphics that should fit your budget too:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4P04RM9942

 

[Phil613]

Thanks geofelt for picking the processor for me.