I3 or i5?

[marcot64]

Hello,
Finally need to lay my 10 yr old pc to rest. Looking at 2 replacements for the same price, most specs are the same except for the processor. 1st is i3 550/3.20 GHz,chipset intel H57, 4mb cache. 2nd is i5 2400s/2.50 GHz,chipset intel H61, 6mb cache
Which would be faster?

 

[zhongyan]

Definitely the 2nd option

 

[casualbuilder]

2nd option, as the i5 is a quad core. much much better setup.

 

[Rizlla]

The i5 is also from the newer generation. The i5 is a quad core CPU where as the i3 is a dual core CPU.

 

[jaguarskx]

Generally speaking, the Core i5 is the better choice. It is a quad core CPU which comes in handy for programs / games that can take advantage of 3 or 4 cores. Additionally, the Sandy Bridge Core i5-2400 is a 2nd generation CPU whereas the Clarkdale Core i3-550 you have chosen is a 1st generation CPU.

Clock for clock Sandy Bridge CPUs have roughly 11% better performance than Clarkdale CPUs. Meaning they can process more instructions every MHz. That basically means the Core i5-2400 would be roughly equivalent to a 2.8GHz Clarkdale Core i5 CPU. On top of that, Core i5 CPUs have something called Turbo Boost which automatically overclocks your CPU when it is under load. I think the Core i5-2400 can clock itself up to 2.9GHz when stressed, but I don't know exactly off the top of my head.

Assuming 2.9GHz is correct, that would make it roughly equal to a 3.2GHz Clarkdale Core i5 CPU. That basically means the 2.5GHz Core i5-2400 will be just as fast as a 3.2GHz Core i3-550 CPU in applications that uses only one or two CPU cores. Beyond two CPU cores, the Core i5-2400 can outperform the Core i3-550.